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Permalink Reply by Kigar on June 13, 2016 at 4:04pm

I am one of the "most" as you suspect - for the fretboards I made, I sawed the slots, tapered it, then glued, then fretted.  But no hammering, I use a vise to press them in with softer wood behind the neck and a small hard block over the fret.  If any are high I gave them another squeeze in the vise before filing.  It gets a little tricky along the foot but an extra block lets each fret press in ok.  I would be curious about matching the fretboard and neck - do you make them match exactly then glue, or leave the neck a bit oversized a little for fine tuning?  I have tried matching before gluing or leaving one or the other big, each has pros and cons for me.

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Permalink Reply by gary sheldon on June 13, 2016 at 4:38pm

Thanks for the response.  My fretboards and necks are pretty close to the same width, but not identical.  I usually have to sand a touch off the neck sides.  My fretboards are pretty consistent because I use a jig to saw the slots and the fb has to be able to fit into the jig (fairly tight).  I have always hammered the frets in, but am not dogmatic about it.  I now have a drill press and I could make a hardwood press for it.  On my last fb, I had an awful time getting the frets started.  I don't understand why.  Same saw, same frets, Walnut fb which I use a lot.  Go figure.  Some of them I had to get started with a clamp.

Also, I add a few grains of salt to the glue to prevent the fb slipping around.  I use Hide glue in case I ever have to remove the fb.  It has happened.  

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Permalink Reply by gary sheldon on June 13, 2016 at 4:55pm

Thanks for the response, Wayfinder.  I used screw clamps on some of the balky frets on my most recent build.  I use a hardwood pad which spans 3 or 4 frets to keep things even.

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Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on June 13, 2016 at 5:10pm

I've done it both ways, but now I cut fret slots, drill and glue inlay dots, and then glue to the neck.  The fretboards are 1/6" or so wider than the neck, after gluing, the whole thing goes on the belt sander until flush.

THEN I install the frets, and use the belt sander to dress the frets...  The results?

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Permalink Reply by gary sheldon on June 13, 2016 at 5:18pm

Thanks, John.  Beautiful neck

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Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on June 13, 2016 at 7:07pm

Oops. 1/16" wider....

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Permalink Reply by lawntrout guitars on June 14, 2016 at 8:33am

I make fancy art covered fretboards so I have stopped trimming the frets on the board. I have a jig to cut the frets first to size, then bevel and polish them with my dremel . After the fretboards are slotted then I put the frets in. It has saved a lot of time not taping all the boards  to protect them.

I mount the fretboard last. This also allows one more little adjustment for intonation.

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Permalink Reply by Blues Frog on June 14, 2016 at 11:58am

Except for the one neck that I put the frets directly into instead of using a fretboard, I cut the slots and add the frets. Once all the frets are in place and set, I glue it to the neck. 

My latest build has a maple neck which I painted white. The fretboard is Peruvian Walnut, which I stained black, so it was easier for me to tape everything off and glue it after the fact.

I cut my fretboards to the same size as my neck, so there's little sanding needed after they are glued on. The frets themselves I file down till smooth along the sides. If I have a high fret, I file it after I string it up. Loosen the strings, put a block of wood under them, and file the fret down until I get the height right.

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Permalink Reply by Rick Alexander on June 14, 2016 at 6:38pm

Good topic! I do the same as you as far as completing the fretboard before gluing it to the neck. I shape the  necks after gluing the fretboards on.I want to make a fret slotting jig with skateboard bearings to guide the saw, before I build again. I think it will make the process go smoother.

I just looked above, I do pretty much the same order as John Sawyer. I also use the belt sander.

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Permalink Reply by Cigar Man Mike on June 15, 2016 at 5:34pm

Where in your process do you apply a finish to the fret board? I apply the finish first using tung oil. Then I cut the slots and install the frets. The final step is to glue the fret board to the finished neck. I would prefer to glue the fret board to the neck before I apply any finish to get a good final sanding but I don't like the idea of working around the frets to apply a finish. Interested in other approaches. Good discussion! Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Rick Alexander on June 15, 2016 at 6:08pm

I apply oil last, kind of the opposite order as Cigar Man Mike. I glue the fret board, shape and finish sand the neck, redress the ends of the frets if they need it, then apply the oil liberally. I rub the neck and especially the fret board several times with a inside out sock. It doesn't dry or harden on the frets, if that's your concern. 

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Permalink Reply by Kigar on June 16, 2016 at 1:56pm

I am sort of close for this part- stain (if any), glue, oil, ease the saw thru the slots then fret. After finishing the frets I do a final light wipe of oil. I think it is great to hear the different ways to do it, and not one hint of "mine is the best and only way...". I'll probably try several of these sooner or later.

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