Rolling Over Fingerboard Edges?

[KingRazor]

I wanted to ask about what kind of tools people use for rolling over fingerboard edges?

I hate sharp corners on the sides of fingerboards and want to get rid of them, how do I do it cleanly and evenly?

[Gort]

I use a scraper, a couple of finer grades of small pieces of sandpaper folded over and backed by a fingertip and maybe steel wool. I also dress the fret ends after rolling over the fingerboard edges.

I usually don't finish rosewood or ebony boards following rolling over the edges but I'll usually rub in some Tru-Oil on the newly exposed wood of maple boards.

[sdoow]

I've rolled the edges of most of my guitar and bass fretboards with a medium-fine double cut file, followed up with a sanding block with progressively finer grits.

Hold the file at the desired angle and with a moderate, controlled stroke take a pass or two, then closely evaluate your progress under good light. When satisfied, move on to a few passes with some medium and then fine sandpaper, using a sanding block.

If able, I highly recommend unbolting the neck and clamping it to a bench. While your at it remove the nut, otherwise your bound to bump into it and tear it up. When your done rolling the edge be sure to touch up your fret ends with a dressing file, wipe on a coat or two of your favorite fretboard oil, reassemble and enjoy.

One caveat, this applies only to rosewood or other fretboards with oil finishes. If you've got maple you can do it, you'll just need to refinish the neck.

Best of luck, let us know how it turns out.

[KingRazor]

It would definitely be a rosewood fingerboard, so it's good news that those are the easier ones.

How do you make sure the work is even across the fretboard and on both sides?

So, so far I'll at least need sandpaper and probably either a file, a sanding block, or both.

My woodworking experience is limited to one semester of wood shop in high school, where I made a birdhouse. So I'm not completely in the dark, but I'm very new to this sort of thing. I'd probably take the neck over to my grandpa's house since he used do wood work in his garage, so he can probably help me out.

[sdoow]

Try and create some sort of visual reference so you keep the angle similar from side to side, hyper precision is not necessary, you just want it to look straight and be comfortable. I usually create a primary bevel and then round over from there to blend in to the fretboard and the neck, making it a smooth compound radius curve.

For cleaning up the fret ends I use a Fret End Dressing File from Stew Mac.

Be sure and protect any surfaces that may come in to harms way with some painters tape, a couple of layers if you really think you might bump into something.

[Rickett Customs]

I use my finger and 80>220>320 sandpaper...... Of course this is without frets (new builds). To do a roundover with the frets on, I use a fret beveler tool and just go into the wood a tiny bit.

[KingRazor]

Originally Posted by sdoow

Try and create some sort of visual reference so you keep the angle similar from side to side, hyper precision is not necessary, you just want it to look straight and be comfortable. I usually create a primary bevel and then round over from there to blend in to the fretboard and the neck, making it a smooth compound radius curve.

For cleaning up the fret ends I use a Fret End Dressing File from Stew Mac.

Be sure and protect any surfaces that may come in to harms way with some painters tape, a couple of layers if you really think you might bump into something.

That's my main concern. Out of curiosity, what do you guys generally use for a visual reference to make sure everything comes out even.

The only way I'll consider something like this worth doing myself is if I can make it look professional. I don't want my bass to wind up looking like a hack job.

At the same time, I don't want to pay a ton of money for something I can do for a lot cheaper.

[sdoow]

Pick up a cheap bass off of craigslist or ebay, ya oughta be able to that for $75 max.
Practice your lutherie skills on it, then sell it for what you got into it, or keep it around as a backup.

[Gort]

Originally Posted by KingRazor

That's my main concern. Out of curiosity, what do you guys generally use for a visual reference to make sure everything comes out even.

I don't really use a visual reference per-se other than eyeballing the work as it progresses. I just do it until it feels right to me. IMO the feel is what rolling over the fingerboard edges is all about.