We invent new tricks to make building easier and better. Often we hear about them from others or read about them here on Cigar Box Nation, or Youtube videos.
Here are a couple: I read both here on Cigar Box Nation posts
1. When doing a difficult glue joint, like a fretboard or scarf joint, put a tiny tiny pinch of table salt on the glue after spreading it. It does a great job of letting the pieces grip each other without slipping while applying clamps.
2. When installing those tiny screws on the back of the tuning machines, rub the screw threads over a bar of soap or parafin wax to make them easier to drive and lessen the probability of stripping the screw head.
Another one I learned from experience. Gluing pieces together seems like a simple process. But it can become complex. On a difficult glue joint, I finally learned to do a dry clamp before the actual gluing operation. That way, you have all the clamps out and ready to go. You know exactly how to place the clamps so that they will do their job properly and not interfere with each other. Also have the clamp pads set up so you will not mar the wood.
Replies
If the salt method doesn't work for your fret board to neck glue up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw2h6L32JMU
Another easy way, is, if you intend to have fret dots or similar, just drill a small hole where 2 of the markers go,hammer in a small brad to the neck, and either remove it after glueing,or sink it deep enough for you fret inlay to seat above it, heck,even use brass flat head nails for all your markers, 2 jobs in 1
Zero fret the bugger and be done with it :)
What I learnt from my friend Tyko Runesson, swedish-swiss luthier who builds beautiful guitars and other stringed instruments: shorten the distance from nut to first fret half a millimeter, so the first halftone will not be sharp. This for classic guitars with low action, for high action as preferred for playing with a slide try with a millimeter.
JL and Gary thanks for clarification: mark the positions of nut and frets as usual but put the nut for low action half a millimeter towards the first fret. The saw you are fretting with is about .6 millimeters so you get the idea.
Gary's idea of the nut protruding over the fretboard is a lot better than the alternative to glue a fine piece of wood or bone afterwards to correct a sharp first halftone...
Thanks all - for me sometimes it takes a few ways of explaining but now it makes sense!
Moritz I saw that somewhere else as well but it was not clear - does it mean to make a normal fretboard spacing with the nut moved closer to the frets a half mm, or is only the first fret shortened and the rest normal as measured from the nut?
cut your fret slots normally, then cut for your nut a tad closer to compensate for the open string being the only note without the extra tension of being pressed to the fingerboard.
a good article about compensation at the saddle and nut is:
http://www.lmii.com/scale-length-intonation
although, trying to measure and cut a slot to 0.5mm or 0.012" accuracy is so tiny, I accept the error inherent in the process anyway.
Seems like a good idea. Alternately, it seems like you could file a bit on the nut where it contacts the fretboard. Don't file the upper part of the nut, just the lower part, so the nut overlaps the end of the fretboard.. If the results weren't satisfactory, simply change nuts. Better than scrapping the fretboard. Just sayin' . I would like to hear other opinions on all this. On my ukes, the first couple frets seem pretty sharp. I keep lowering the action at the nut and it improves, but I don't know how far to go.
I hammer the frets in the traditional way. When I glue in the fretboard, I use plenty of clamps and a full length piece of hardwood top and bottom to spread the pressure and prevent clamp marks. Make the top hardwood piece a little narrower that the fretboard so you can see and feel that the fretboard is properly centered over the neck. This method also insures that the frets are all properly seated. I have been using Hide glue on the fretboard in case I ever have to remove it.
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