I had to figure out a way to make an equally spaced measurement of the nut and bridge string spacings so that the string spacings would look professionally done and be exactly equal and correct for the width of the particular CBG neck I was building for a particular professional guitar player and customer. I used a piece of 1 inch wide by 1/8th inch thick scrap copper buss bar from work (you can use any stiff stock that you choose) and I made an index mark, or a 'starting mark' with a very small tipped small sharpie indelible marker close to one end, about an inch away from the end, right on the edge of the bar stock. The marks are made similar to a ruler.
I then used an old caliper I had to measure the string spacing marks, starting at 3.00 millimeters (because I only have a metric caliper). I suppose that you can use 1/64th of an inch for Imperial measurements and still be very accurate.
Measuring from the index, or the starting mark, I was able to use the caliper as a very precise measuring tool to make a mark with the fine point sharpie pen spaced exactly 3.0 mm from the index, or starting mark. I adjusted the caliper to 3.10 mm and made another mark 3.10 mm from the 2nd mark. I repeated these 1/10th mm marks and measurements and made new marks on the ruler stock, increasing the mark spacing by 0.10 mm for each successive marking all the way from 3.0 to 10.0 mm.
If I have to make a new Corian or other type nut other than using a standard threaded rod or bolt, I mark the outside two positions that I want the outside bass and treble strings to reside at on the nut or on the bridge end. Usually it is about 1/8th inch or less from the edge of the fingerboard to the first or last string on a nut and a bit more on a bridge. The spacing all depends on the width of the neck and how many strings you are going to use on your particular CBG project.
To space the other strings between the first (bass) and last (treble), or the inner and outer strings, I put the nut rule against the front of the nut with the wider graduations toward the bass string and slide it along until I find where the outside marks line up with any two marks on the nut ruler. All I have to do at that particular point is to mark the nut at the next corresponding string positions from the tick marks on the nut ruler depending on which spacing I want to use for the partucular CBG and depending on the number of strings I use.
Once the nut is marked with the string spacing (The spacing actually increases 0.10 mm at each increment from treble to bass, allowing just the right extra spacing between the bass strings to give a good proportional look between the thick and thinner strings) I then use Ted Crockers method of using a torch tip cleaner tool to cut the slots in the nut.
If I want the strings spaced equally from center to center, you can reverse or flip the scale after you make your marks and add new marks when the scale is flipped the other way. Then you will have a set of new marks which are equally spaced on the string position centers, but they will change in width.
At that point you just need to be careful to cut the string notches in the bridge or nut in the exact center of, or exactly between your new 'flipped' marks and your original marks. This method makes for easy, quick and perfect measurements of the string spacing for your nut and bridge if you choose to make them instead of using bolts, etc. Sorry for the crappy pics. My cellphone camera sux...
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