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What's On Your Workbench?

#5,464
RichterScale said:
I could build the most awesome perfect bass ever, but I hold back and purposely build in mistakes. That way, others don't feel discouraged or intimidated.
I'm just a good guy like that.
Click to expand...

Don't forget that I'm the one you learned that from....
 
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#5,466
My workbench is still awaiting the replacement StewMac part for the new fret slotting station. It has shipped, but not expected to arrive until Saturday now. There seems to have been a small delay in the shipping process. StewMac created the label the very next day after I contacted them, so Christmas Eve. But it was not picked up by the carrier until today.

The shipping/logistics world is such a mess right now. :meh:

Anyways, I spent some time building some better organization. Pulled down my janky clamp rack that I had, I then mounted a couple French cleat strips to the wall and built a new clamp rack -
322157230_1207890376825452_6410797991682217789_n.jpg


Yes, I need more clamps. but I now have space for more clamps too! :woot:
And yes, it IS a bunch of janky plywood instead of nice Baltic birch or similar cabinet grade plywood. It's shop furniture so I really don't care that much. If I had a nice shop that was really a shop, I'd care. But I don't, so I don't. I built this out of plywood scraps I picked up for free off of OfferUp, so I'm in it zero dollars.

Next up will be a small cabinet with cordless drill storage to go beside this. I'd like to get my DeWalt drill, impact driver, flashlight and the chargers/batteries all in one spot...preferably not laying on my bench. I have a lot of ideas, but nothing firm yet.
The concept will be similar to this....
1461562597-cordless-drill-organizer-no-drawer.jpg
I just need to verify sizes of my specific tools, as well as the space I have left to fit it in (my clamp rack took more room than I expected) and then arrange everything the way I want it.
I should also find a way to get my chargers for the DeWalt cordless lawnmower on there too, since the wife is always leaving those batteries laying all over my workspace in the summer. :meh:
So that's what I'm occupying my time with while I wait. Along with reading WBO posts. ;)
 
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#5,469
Flamingo21 said:
Looks better than some of my stuff. I use up all kinds of leftovers in shop furniture. I try to choose camera angles that don't emphasize that fact. :angel:
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Many years ago I snagged a really ugly, modern oak headboard somebody left on the curb and that sucker ended up being part of a lot of shop fixtures. Chisel racks, file racks, even a miter gauge for a little model makers’ saw. I don’t especially like working with red oak but the price was definitely right.

I still have a few odd scraps of it kicking around.
 
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#5,471
Well, the StewMac replacement part for my fret slotting miter box arrived today. So after a quick switch out, we're back in business with a fully functioning fret slotting setup. Hopefully I can slot a fretboard this weekend, that would be super duper cool.
I'm assuming I need to account for the radius, so here's a question for anyone who has this miter box or a similar one from LMII or such -
Do you radius your fretboard before, or after slotting? And if after, are you at all concerned about slot depth including the material you remove from radiusing?
 
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#5,472
TerribleTim68 said:
Well, the StewMac replacement part for my fret slotting miter box arrived today. So after a quick switch out, we're back in business with a fully functioning fret slotting setup. Hopefully I can slot a fretboard this weekend, that would be super duper cool.
I'm assuming I need to account for the radius, so here's a question for anyone who has this miter box or a similar one from LMII or such -
Do you radius your fretboard before, or after slotting? And if after, are you at all concerned about slot depth including the material you remove from radiusing?
Click to expand...

I do the radius after I slot the fretboard. I usually go a bit deeper than I think I need to with the depth stop and then fill in any gaps with dust and super glue after fretting. Supposedly flooding the gaps with superglue also helps add strength to the neck - so I’ve heard - although I didn’t do that one one of my first builds and it’s still in good playing condition. If you end up too shallow you can always slot a little deeper after the radius is finished. I usually take the radius block that I plan to use and try to trace the radius on the end of the fretboard so I can measure about how deep the slots need to be. It might be worth mentioning that i really don’t do less than 12 inch radii. What radius are you planning on?
 
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#5,473
Paul_Gaita said:
I do the radius after I slot the fretboard. I usually go a bit deeper than I think I need to with the depth stop and then fill in any gaps with dust and super glue after fretting. Supposedly flooding the gaps with superglue also helps add strength to the neck - so I’ve heard - although I didn’t do that one one of my first builds and it’s still in good playing condition. If you end up too shallow you can always slot a little deeper after the radius is finished. I usually take the radius block that I plan to use and try to trace the radius on the end of the fretboard so I can measure about how deep the slots need to be. It might be worth mentioning that i really don’t do less than 12 inch radii. What radius are you planning on?
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's kind of what I was thinking.
This one the client asked for standard Fender 9.5" radius. Seems tight to me, but that's what he asked for.
 
#5,474
TerribleTim68 said:
Do you radius your fretboard before, or after slotting? And if after, are you at all concerned about slot depth including the material you remove from radiusing?
Click to expand...

I generally recommend radiusing your fingerboard before cutting the slots, particularly if you are doing a tighter radius like 7 1/4". If you cut the slots flat bottom, before radiusing, that extra depth in the slots in the middle does weaken the compression strength of the fingerboard. Particularly if the fingerboard is thin overall.

On a 9 1/2" radius or larger, it isn't as much of a worry. But I still radius the fingerboard to final thickness before slotting. And I carefully set the depth stop on the slotting saw so that it only cuts as deep as it needs to be for the fret tang to fit in there. Minimal gap under the bottom of the tang. And the slot gets filled with glue during the installation of the frets.

Little details that make a difference in the life and stability of a bass.
 
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#5,475
Bruce Johnson said:
I generally recommend radiusing your fingerboard before cutting the slots, particularly if you are doing a tighter radius like 7 1/4". If you cut the slots flat bottom, before radiusing, that extra depth in the slots in the middle does weaken the compression strength of the fingerboard. Particularly if the fingerboard is thin overall.

On a 9 1/2" radius or larger, it isn't as much of a worry. But I still radius the fingerboard to final thickness before slotting. And I carefully set the depth stop on the slotting saw so that it only cuts as deep as it needs to be for the fret tang to fit in there. Minimal gap under the bottom of the tang. And the slot gets filled with glue during the installation of the frets.

Little details that make a difference in the life and stability of a bass.
Click to expand...

Especially the fb/neck right?
 
#5,476
JIO said:
Especially the fb/neck right?
Click to expand...

Hey JIO;

I don't understand? If you mean the fingerboard on the neck, yes, I almost always glue the fingerboard on the neck, radius it, trim it and then cut the slots. The slots are almost the last thing.

I realize that many of you prefer to slot the fingerboard before gluing it on, because it fits easier in one of those miter boxes. That's fine, but I still recommend radiusing it first, before slotting.

And, you know, you can modify one of those miter boxes so a full neck with the fingerboard on it will fit in the bed. With a bit of clever fixturing.
 
#5,477
Bruce Johnson said:
Hey JIO;

I don't understand? If you mean the fingerboard on the neck, yes, I almost always glue the fingerboard on the neck, radius it, trim it and then cut the slots. The slots are almost the last thing.

I realize that many of you prefer to slot the fingerboard before gluing it on, because it fits easier in one of those miter boxes. That's fine, but I still recommend radiusing it first, before slotting.

And, you know, you can modify one of those miter boxes so a full neck with the fingerboard on it will fit in the bed. With a bit of clever fixturing.
Click to expand...

I was just reiterated your point that '"little details that make a difference in the life and stability of a bass" - that there is a preferred specific order to how the fb/neck is built, radius'd, slotted and fretted to guarantee a successful result.
 
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#5,480
Max Bogosity said:
I get your point about slotting after radiusing to minimize slot depth, but what’s the advantage of gluing the fingerboard to the neck first?
Click to expand...

If you radius and trim the top surface of the fingerboard before gluing it on the neck, will it still be flat and true after you glue it on? And after the neck gets loaded up by the truss rod and string tension?

I like to glue the fingerboard blank onto the neck first. Then load the neck up, partially tightening the truss rod. Holding it like that, I trim the fingerboard to final thickness and radius, straight and true. Then, cut the slots and put in the frets. When it's finished and strung up, it will still be straight and true, and the truss rod will be correctly loaded to make the neck stable, with a good range of relief adjustment.

The point is to get the neck real close to its final loaded condition before truing up the fingerboard surface.
 
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