5 string buckeye burl/mahogany neck through

[Rôckhewer]

I REALLY like your fingerboard binding!
Which is amazing because I TYPICALLY hate a bound fingerboard.
It's just that IMO they usually look really boxy and overly "framed" .
But yours is subtle and classy.
Nice job.

 

[lbridenstine]

Hey Lisa

Wow, nice work and nice progress....

And yes, the fingerboard DOES look really nice with the binding and all.

I think the little boo boo on the eyelash design makes it. And with the pinkish on the color of that one it draws your eye to it in a really nice way. With that one being a pinch higher, and with the "balloon-tail" it looks to me like it was designed that way. If you look at them next to each other, I think it improves the design by giving some additional asymmetry, pulling your eye upwards and definitely adding interest.

View attachment 593512

Just my two cents.....

I say, move along and keep up the great work!

Thank you for encouraging me to leave it alone. The eyelash dots were supposed to be symmetrical and I measured down from the nut slot to the same distance and everything looked right and somehow, it just didn't end up where it was supposed to be. Probably because of drilling into not-fully-cured epoxy? But seeing as the eyelid is thicker on the left side, I think it makes sense to have the eyelashes curve upward a little like that on the left side too.

I REALLY like your fingerboard binding!
Which is amazing because I TYPICALLY hate a bound fingerboard.
It's just that IMO they usually look really boxy and overly "framed" .
But yours is subtle and classy.
Nice job.

Thank you! I was going for subtle and classy. We wanted to add just a little bit of width onto the fretboard before I trimmed the neck to it and I thought binding would be the way to go. I almost had to convince Evan that the ebony wouldn't stand out too much against rosewood and that I was sure it would make it look even better.

I don't particularly like plastic binding on fingerboards, but I thought wood would look nice, and the rounding off really made it perfect in my opinion. I'm glad I went with it. I was already thinking about incorporating more wood binding on fretboards in the future, so this is helping encourage me to do that. I'm sure I won't do it on every single one, just when it seems fit to do it.

 

[Rôckhewer]

I'm sure I won't do it on every single one, just when it seems fit to do it.

I think what helped yours over some others I have seen was the fact that it is a complimentary color, not a contrasting color. Also the fact that it is thin.
I've seen some that were like, maple on a rosewood board ...and that were around 3/16" wide ... & to me just looked a little bit bulky...?
I don't think I could ever bring myself to use plastic binding....for anything. Even for a guitar replica that called for it...I think I would try to replicate it in wood. Although I do think that a wide-ish wooden binding on a body would look ok...just not the neck.
But that's just me

 

[lbridenstine]

I think what helped yours over some others I have seen was the fact that it is a complimentary color, not a contrasting color. Also the fact that it is thin.
I've seen some that were like, maple on a rosewood board ...and that were around 3/16" wide ... & to me just looked a little bit bulky...?
I don't think I could ever bring myself to use plastic binding....for anything. Even for a guitar replica that called for it...I think I would try to replicate it in wood. Although I do think that a wide-ish wooden binding on a body would look ok...just not the neck.
But that's just me

One of my builds last year had maple with 3/16" rosewood binding and I loved it, personally.

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[Rôckhewer]

One of my builds last year had maple with 3/16" rosewood binding and I loved it, personally.

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Well that actually looks really nice too...looks like your maple has a bit of stain on it? The colors go together. & you did a great job.
I was actually referring to a very dark fingerboard that had a very stark white maple binding, & the colors clashed... it made it look kinda "framed" . But with beauty being strictly in the eye of the beholder...my opinion might be completely opposite of yours, his, hers, theirs...etc... It's all good in subjectivity.
Bottom line is whether the craftsmanship is executed properly. Both of yours shown here look great!
I'm just not real big into binding. And your thin ebony binding made me re- think that!
(That's a compliment BTW)

 

[lbridenstine]

Well that actually looks really nice too...looks like your maple has a bit of stain on it? The colors go together. & you did a great job.
I was actually referring to a very dark fingerboard that had a very stark white maple binding, & the colors clashed... it made it look kinda "framed" . But with beauty being strictly in the eye of the beholder...my opinion might be completely opposite of yours, his, hers, theirs...etc... It's all good in subjectivity.
Bottom line is whether the craftsmanship is executed properly. Both of yours shown here look great!
I'm just not real big into binding. And your thin ebony binding made me re- think that!
(That's a compliment BTW)

Yeah, I get what you mean. The maple on mine was like a light brown to begin with, then I put a light amber dye on that. I really like how the color turned out. I'm not usually into amber on maple, because a lot of the time it's too yellow looking for me, but it worked well on that light brown wood.

Also, thank you! I got the binding from stewmac and I'm really tempted to get some of their curly koa binding at some point, but have no idea what fretboard wood it would go with.

 

[lbridenstine]

Frets!

If I keep doing binding on fretboards, I might want to shell out the money for a fret tang cutter instead of using end nippers and having to file down the stubble.

 

[lbridenstine]

I beveled the frets enough to where I didn't feel like I might get cut every time I pick up the neck. There's still smoothing out to do.

I was wondering, for anyone who does bound fretboards, do you glue down the fret ends or anything or are they generally okay with just the rest of the fret holding it in? I'm just wondering since there's no tang on the ends.

Then I tried out the facet method (Invalid Link Removed with my new Shinto rasp and I gotta say, that is a nice combination. I'm almost positive this is the fastest I've shaped a neck, which is a little surprising since it is also the biggest neck that I have had to shape. I'm not saying it was quick, it still took me 3-4 hours, but I'm pretty sure it used to take me 2-3 days before I'd be happy with it.

I didn't take pictures of the rest of the facets because the rest of them all went really quickly.

Here's how it turned out.

We decided to try out the shape that Warmoth calls their "Deluxe 5" which is thicker on the bass side. I used the image of the shape from their website, along with the thicknesses they list. Then I stretched the image to match the width of the neck at the 1st and 12th fret, made a box around it, and drew the facets on the computer. I somehow forgot to draw the centerline, so I drew that in with pencil. I did have the facet lines all different colors so they would be easier to discern, but they didn't print out the right colors.

Checked behind the 1st fret with the contour gauge.

And it matched the drawing perfectly. It did at the 12th too. I also checked the thicknesses at 1 and 12 with my calipers and they matched what they were supposed to be. I'll definitely keep using this method.

 

[kaoskater08]

I'll have to try that when I shape the next neck I have. I don't have a Shinto Rasp but definitely looks like something I should invest in to make my job much easier. Looks great!!

 

[Lonnybass]

Well done Lisa! I just bought the exact same contour gauge - wish I had it earlier!

 

[Jonny5bass]

I was just going through that tdpri link today. I remember seeing you post that a while back and I wish I would've re-read it before I started my interpretation of the method. Just to share my experience, I had a tough time with the Shinto rasp compared to my cheapo shurform and medium cut half round file. Great work as always on this one!

 

[lbridenstine]

Thanks guys!

On the previous necks, I used a cheap coarse rasp, along with a scraper and sandpaper. A spokeshave if it would cooperate with me (I'm still no good at honing blades or setting correct depth on that thing)...

This is the first I've had the Shinto rasp for and it cut MUCH quicker than my other rasp. I tried the rasp for a few seconds of comparison and I could definitely tell the difference. My only problem with the shinto is that I wish it had a handle on each end so it was easier to hang onto. I had one hand on the handle and the other on the tip of the cutting end for better control and it cut much faster and easier that way than just using the handle. I used the coarse side, quickly went over it with the fine side, scraped the neck for a minute or two, then it was basically smooth at that point, so I didn't have to sand for too long. The sanding is at 120 grit so far. I'll do the rest before finish.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

Thanks guys!

On the previous necks, I used a cheap coarse rasp, along with a scraper and sandpaper. A spokeshave if it would cooperate with me (I'm still no good at honing blades or setting correct depth on that thing)...

This is the first I've had the Shinto rasp for and it cut MUCH quicker than my other rasp. I tried the rasp for a few seconds of comparison and I could definitely tell the difference. My only problem with the shinto is that I wish it had a handle on each end so it was easier to hang onto. I had one hand on the handle and the other on the tip of the cutting end for better control and it cut much faster and easier that way than just using the handle. I used the coarse side, quickly went over it with the fine side, scraped the neck for a minute or two, then it was basically smooth at that point, so I didn't have to sand for too long. The sanding is at 120 grit so far. I'll do the rest before finish.

Shinto Planer Saw Rasp 10" - - Amazon.com

 

[lbridenstine]

Shinto Planer Saw Rasp 10" - - Amazon.com

Maaan, how did I miss that? I bought mine on amazon too... I guess if I ever need to replace it, I can get that one.

 

[lbridenstine]

I forgot to get this shot yesterday. I'm so happy with how the laminates/veneers turned out on this.

 

[wagdog]

That neck is a work of art!

 

[Jon Clegg]

That is so cool.

 

[Jonny5bass]

That turned out really great. Now I'm going to have to go back and take notes how you did it!

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

I was wondering, for anyone who does bound fretboards, do you glue down the fret ends or anything or are they generally okay with just the rest of the fret holding it in? I'm just wondering since there's no tang on the ends.

I've done quite a few bound fretboards. Using wire that is bent to a smaller radius than the fretboard, the fret ends have plenty of down down pressure and I've never had a fret end that hasn't laid flat to the board. I would not glue them down as I don't find it necessary, but it is done by some people.

 

[scottyd]

Beautiful work, Kudos on the neck laminates!

I agree on not gluing frets,.... well not FULLY gluing. I do all my fretboards similar to a bound board by cutting the tang off the wire at the ends a tad. This way if the wood swells or shrinks I don't have a sliver of fret tang sticking out which will eventually be a discomfort. I put a drop of CA glue and saw dust on the edges where the slot shows... very little glue and plenty to hold down the ends.