What's On Your Workbench?

[TerribleTim68]

...I guess I've had a fretboard focus lately. Last week I set up a small miter saw as a dedicated fret slotting saw and I'm super happy with the result. I basically copied what @rudy4444 described in his thread here, but I built it such that I can use it with slotted mdf templates so I don't have to mark out and manually line up the slots on each board. Props to rudy4444 for finding that saw blade at mcmaster-carr, it works great and doesn't need stiffeners like the 4" blades some people use. And it's a much better value than the $160ish for a special purpose slotting saw from stewmac or LMI. The blade has a 1" arbor hole with a key slot, I got a cheap 1" to 5/8" adapter on Amazon and drilled a hole in the arbor on the saw so I could put a key in to keep the blade from spinning on the arbor (which it did without that modification)...

I'm wondering if my 12" DeWalt sliding miter saw is just too big for this type of blade conversion. I'd love to be able to use what I already own. Thoughts?

 

[Beej]

I'm wondering if my 12" DeWalt sliding miter saw is just too big for this type of blade conversion. I'd love to be able to use what I already own. Thoughts?

Yes, too big. I've tried setting up my 12" and it does not get low enough to the fretboard to let the blade cut the depth I need. I did get it working by raising up the work surface, but it's just overall too wiggy to use for this purpose, especiallly when I need to install another 2000 lineal feet of siding... I picked up one of the Ryobi 7.25" sliding compound mitre saws with a coupon at Home Depot for just $99 CDN. I should easily get 100 fretboards out of it before all the plastic parts wear out.

 

[dwizum]

I'm wondering if my 12" DeWalt sliding miter saw is just too big for this type of blade conversion. I'd love to be able to use what I already own. Thoughts?

I went and bought this saw just to use for this but I don't see any inherent reason why you couldn't use a bigger saw. This is the Evolution Power Tools 7 1/4" sliding miter saw. After I bought this, I was in Lowes so I looked at the Kobalt saw they have for about the same price ($150 or so) and it does seem a little better-built but this one does fine.

I have a 12" compound slider out in my garage, it's just way too big to fit in my shop and I didn't want to deal with swapping it over every time I needed to cut a fretboard.

These saw blades are 2 3/4" diameter. They are available in 4" sizes too but it seems like most people who try the 4" blade without stiffeners are upset at inconsistencies from the blade warping. This smaller size is so small it doesn't seem to have that problem. The only catch in using this setup on a larger saw would be how much "clearance" you have for such a small blade to reach past the motor housing. Here's a photo shot underneath the motor on this small saw:

You can see the saw blade just barely peeks out past the housing, so you have to get the fretboard way up high off the saw's table to be within reach of the blade. I measured the distance the blade is sticking out and it's about 3/8". So the clearance from the center of the arbor to the edge of the motor housing on this saw is about 1". If you have much less clearance than that, you won't be able to get the saw blade close enough to your workpiece.

I took a photo of the raised table I made, it's two layers of 3/4" mdf and one 1/2" mdf at 18" long by 4.5" wide mdf with a 1/4" thick by 1" wide mdf strip as a fence. I determined the total thickness of 2" just by measuring the from the saw's table to about where the blade is with the blade depth stop all the way down. Then I can turn the blade depth stop up as appropriate for a given fretboard blank thickness. After making it, I screwed this table to the saw and used the saw to cut a slot in it, then I put a .023 feeler gauge in that slot to use for indexing the templates.

The templates are 1/2" thick mdf that I put a paper template on and cut the slots with the saw, just holding the mdf on the table and lining up each cut manually. I made a 24.75" template and a 34" template. I can use the 24.75" for 23.3" (tenor guitar) or 20.8" (uke bass, 1/2 scale guitar) and the 34" for 32.1" or 30.3" by skipping down the first few frets as appropriate.

To use the template, I turn it slot-side-down, screw the fretboard blank on top with the nut lined up to the double cut (or the appropriate starting fret for smaller scales) and then index the slots onto the feeler gauge. So, you make a cut across the blank, lift the template up off the feeler gauge and move it over a slot, make a cut, move it over, and so on. By my 4th board I was moving pretty fast, probably two or three minutes to make all the cuts.

That's a finished fretboard on there, I just set it in place for the photo.

 

[TerribleTim68]

I went and bought this saw just to use for this but I don't see any inherent reason why you couldn't use a bigger saw. This is the Evolution Power Tools 7 1/4" sliding miter saw. After I bought this, I was in Lowes so I looked at the Kobalt saw they have for about the same price ($150 or so) and it does seem a little better-built but this one does fine.

I have a 12" compound slider out in my garage, it's just way too big to fit in my shop and I didn't want to deal with swapping it over every time I needed to cut a fretboard.

These saw blades are 2 3/4" diameter. They are available in 4" sizes too but it seems like most people who try the 4" blade without stiffeners are upset at inconsistencies from the blade warping. This smaller size is so small it doesn't seem to have that problem. The only catch in using this setup on a larger saw would be how much "clearance" you have for such a small blade to reach past the motor housing. Here's a photo shot underneath the motor on this small saw:

View attachment 3712133

You can see the saw blade just barely peeks out past the housing, so you have to get the fretboard way up high off the saw's table to be within reach of the blade. I measured the distance the blade is sticking out and it's about 3/8". So the clearance from the center of the arbor to the edge of the motor housing on this saw is about 1". If you have much less clearance than that, you won't be able to get the saw blade close enough to your workpiece.

I took a photo of the raised table I made, it's two layers of 3/4" mdf and one 1/2" mdf at 18" long by 4.5" wide mdf with a 1/4" thick by 1" wide mdf strip as a fence. I determined the total thickness of 2" just by measuring the from the saw's table to about where the blade is with the blade depth stop all the way down. Then I can turn the blade depth stop up as appropriate for a given fretboard blank thickness. After making it, I screwed this table to the saw and used the saw to cut a slot in it, then I put a .023 feeler gauge in that slot to use for indexing the templates.

View attachment 3712136

The templates are 1/2" thick mdf that I put a paper template on and cut the slots with the saw, just holding the mdf on the table and lining up each cut manually. I made a 24.75" template and a 34" template. I can use the 24.75" for 23.3" (tenor guitar) or 20.8" (uke bass, 1/2 scale guitar) and the 34" for 32.1" or 30.3" by skipping down the first few frets as appropriate.

View attachment 3712137

To use the template, I turn it slot-side-down, screw the fretboard blank on top with the nut lined up to the double cut (or the appropriate starting fret for smaller scales) and then index the slots onto the feeler gauge. So, you make a cut across the blank, lift the template up off the feeler gauge and move it over a slot, make a cut, move it over, and so on. By my 4th board I was moving pretty fast, probably two or three minutes to make all the cuts.

View attachment 3712138

That's a finished fretboard on there, I just set it in place for the photo.

Yeah, I would think the clearance at the motor housing may be an issue.

Man, I gotta say, this is bloody brilliant! I keep looking at the hand saw method and going "Uh......yeah......about that......"

 

[Jisch]

I have one of those miter boxes and use it with a pull saw. I swear I paid under $90 for the one I have off Ebay. The cheapest one I can find now is around $100. It's an obvious copy of the StewMac box - it works great, I can slot a board in about 10 minutes, not the 3 or 4 you guys are talking about with the blade, but it's fast enough for me. I have the 34/35 metal scale from StewMac, that drops into the miter box to line up fret slots. I built a two handed tapper and the fretboard was too wide for the miter box, so I just cut a wider bottom piece out of plywood and attached the upright pieces to it. My shop is small, so this works well for me. Fret Slotting Miter Box，Guitar Luthier Tool | eBay

 

[TerribleTim68]

I have one of those miter boxes and use it with a pull saw. I swear I paid under $90 for the one I have off Ebay. The cheapest one I can find now is around $100. It's an obvious copy of the StewMac box - it works great, I can slot a board in about 10 minutes, not the 3 or 4 you guys are talking about with the blade, but it's fast enough for me. I have the 34/35 metal scale from StewMac, that drops into the miter box to line up fret slots. I built a two handed tapper and the fretboard was too wide for the miter box, so I just cut a wider bottom piece out of plywood and attached the upright pieces to it. My shop is small, so this works well for me. Fret Slotting Miter Box，Guitar Luthier Tool | eBay

Yeah, that is a great tool and probably works fine. My concern is, how do you deal with a multi-scale? In my brain I can see how you could at least alter the angle of a sliding miter saw setup to accomplish a multi-scale, but I have yet to see a box like those that works for multi-scale, unless I've just overlooked one.

 

[Jisch]

for multi-scale I call my buddy with the CNC, he has a program all set up, I just have to give him the particulars. It costs me a lunch with a friend :-D

edit: if I was going to do a multiscale by hand, I'd just print it out, paste it on and cut it. Would you really do a multiscale with a saw? wouldn't you have to line up every cut by eye?

 

[TerribleTim68]

for multi-scale I call my buddy with the CNC, he has a program all set up, I just have to give him the particulars. It costs me a lunch with a friend :-D

I need one of those friends!

 

[rojo412]

There's a video from the Dingwall factory tour and they briefly show the apparatus that slots the boards.

 

[dwizum]

Honestly, I think if I was going to do multiscale, I'd just put a paper template on the board and cut it completely freehand. I don't have cool friends with CNC machines!

 

[TerribleTim68]

Honestly, I think if I was going to do multiscale, I'd just put a paper template on the board and cut it completely freehand. I don't have cool friends with CNC machines!

Yeah, ultimately I see myself ending up there.

 

[dwizum]

I would also slot before radiusing in that case. That way, if you end up lining up one of the slots wrong, you can just stop after your first pull with the saw, re-align it and start the cut again. Then, when you radius, the teeth marks from the aborted "bad" passes will get removed and you'll never know!

 

[TerribleTim68]

I would also slot before radiusing in that case. That way, if you end up lining up one of the slots wrong, you can just stop after your first pull with the saw, re-align it and start the cut again. Then, when you radius, the teeth marks from the aborted "bad" passes will get removed and you'll never know!

I had planned on slotting before radius.....ing (not 100% on what that "word" looks like) mostly because it seems to me like a flat board would be easier to work a saw on and keep it lined up vs. a rounded board where you've only got a few teeth making contact and a saw blade trying to walk around on you. My brain says "slot first, then radius it, then come back and adjust depth of slot as needed at each slot end." But I suppose I could be wrong.

 

[Jisch]

I had planned on slotting before radius.....ing (not 100% on what that "word" looks like) mostly because it seems to me like a flat board would be easier to work a saw on and keep it lined up vs. a rounded board where you've only got a few teeth making contact and a saw blade trying to walk around on you. My brain says "slot first, then radius it, then come back and adjust depth of slot as needed at each slot end." But I suppose I could be wrong.

When I radius boards that's how I do it.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I admire you guys with the nerve to cut your own slots, so far I’ve just bought LMI slotted boards, or had them slot a board I provided.

 

[Jisch]

I admire you guys with the nerve to cut your own slots, so far I’ve just bought LMI slotted boards, or had them slot a board I provided.

I was right there with you. With the miter box and the slotted rule, you would have to try pretty hard to mess it up. Filing frets? That's a whole 'nother ball game where I'm still improving.

 

[postalflunkie]

I broke down and bought the lmii fret cutting jig, before that I "lifted" boards off old parts guitars.

 

[Beej]

On my workbench right now is free wood!

6 1/2 6/4

• Beej
• Feb 20, 2020
• free wood

poplar

My neighbour said, "you want some poplar offcuts? They might be of use?", and they are
6.5" wide 6/4 poplar. Each piece is about 30" long. There's enough for a ... I dunno ... son of mothman tribute?

 

[MPU]

Pickup rings on. I call this bass finished. It’s going on tour for testing.

 

[Beej]

View attachment 3715202 Pickup rings on. I call this bass finished. It’s going on tour for testing.

Beautiful!