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What technique do you use the level and thickness fret board blanks. I have been using my thickness sander but have difficulty getting the top and bottom straight and parallel to my liking and spend way too much time on this step before it is acceptable.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

Fred, I normally just joint, then resaw, then use a Delta planer .... works beautifully on ebony.

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Dave
Milton, ON

Fred, I run mine through the thickness sander too. I don't have much problem getting it trued. Maybe your sander needs a slight adjustment?

Chuck

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I use a Jack plane at York Pitch. The blank is fixed between two 5mm tall stops that are clamped to the bench. What I like about planing is that I can correct, if not all, at least a good part, twisted or humped boards. I would imagine this is a bit more difficult to do with a sander?

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Build log

I just pass them through my planer until they reach the desired thickness.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

You could spend some time on your thickness sander getting the roller perfectly parallel to the table.

Or you could send a piece of 3/4" MDF through, taking off just enough so you have sanding scratches all the
way across. The MDF will now be parallel to the drum.

Now just run your fretboards through on top of the MDF. You probably know this but it's best to make a
fence on the near end of the MDF so the rotating drum doesn't catch a fretboard and throw it back at you.

Now that is a cool tip Jim!
I know I've read that before as a simple fix for not quite parallel sanding drums, but I need reminding.

Joe

My parallel issues are not side to side but end to end. I get one side perfectly flat with the jointer but when I work the other it does not come out as flat as the 1st side. I also get a little snipe at the end at the start but use a long blank so it is not a problem. I made a flat carrier board to send it through on and it helps a little. I have resorted to putting wide masking tape under the thicker sections to flatten it out on the last passes. The boards come out fine when I am finished but it is more work than it needs to be, or maybe I am too fussy about my results. I check my work with a wide straight edge held on the board looking for light coming through from the lower areas.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

My parallel issues are not side to side but end to end. I get one side perfectly flat with the jointer but when I work the other it does not come out as flat as the 1st side. I also get a little snipe at the end at the start but use a long blank so it is not a problem. I made a flat carrier board to send it through on and it helps a little. I have resorted to putting wide masking tape under the thicker sections to flatten it out on the last passes. The boards come out fine when I am finished but it is more work than it needs to be, or maybe I am too fussy about my results. I check my work with a wide straight edge held on the board looking for light coming through from the lower areas.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

It does when one side is still straight and the other is not after sanding. Like you say a little cup is ok. I think I am trying for more straightness than needed, but I am a little overboard sometimes.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

From my point of view, probably. I don't think it is necessary to have a surface that perfect for a fretboard. At least not at this stage in the process.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Hey Fred,
it's good for a luthier to be a little overboard!!!!

Fred, I just take mine strait from the drumsander to a lapping plate( that gets it perfectly flat) just before glueing it to the neck that also is lapped on the plate.

I made a pusher and flatten one side on the jointer and sand the other side to proper thickness on my Performax.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.