Official Luthiers Forum!

I have been looking at the slotting jigs from both Stew Mac and LMI. The LMI is considerably more money and I am trying to figure out which one is better and why. At this point I have not bought any of the fretting scales but expect to buy the Gibson scale with 24.75 and the Martin with 24.9.

I am starting my first guitar build and I have the plans for the OOO from Stew Mac. I plan a 24.9 inch scale and want to buy a slotting jig to help me. Being that I am new to all of this I am trying to decide if I should spend the extra money for the LMI jig or if the Stew Mac will be just fine for me.

Any thought and suggestions as to which way or maybe even some other way to go would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chuck

I have the StewMac setup, with their slotting saw. My only complaint is setting the depth stop is a bit fiddly, with four separate adjustments needing to be made, with nothing to guide the height of each stop precisely, except whatever you rig up. And each time the depth of your board changes, they need to be adjusted accordingly. If you can standardize the thickness of the wood before slotting, you're all set. I'm not sure the LMI would rectify this problem, but from looking at the pictures, I suspect it would. I wouldn't pay the price difference if it did not.

Disclaimer: I am a newbie, having only built a few cigar box instruments.

If you are talking about the hand jigs I have the LMI one and I really like it. Don't get the Dozuki saw, I bought that and tried it and didn't like it. I prefer the older style.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

having cut a bunch of FBs by hand years ago, never again . ... if you have access to a table saw, then buy whatever template you want from SM (the metal ones), and get a slotting blade from Shane at High Mountain .... you will NEVER regret it ...

Fast, easy, consistant

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

...what Tony said. In addition, you'll also need stiffeners to keep the blade true and prevent wobble. I got mine from Lee Valley. I now set up the table saw and do several FB's at a time. All in all a 30 minute operation...and as accurate as it can get.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Do you guys radius before or after slotting?

If I may ask, what are the biggest issues here? Is it the time it takes, or are there quality implications due to the fingerboard jumping around while sawing? Something else?

My situation -- hobbyist, no table saw, not a lot of cash in the budget to spend on hobbies, and there's no $USD opportunity cost if I spend a few hours of my free time making jigs or tools once in a while. If I ask nice I have access to well-equipped toolmaking shop where I work.

Thus I've been planning on making my own fret-slotting jig and templates. Would using one of the Bridgeports to make fingerboards be a hell of a lot less trouble?

After, since I'm using the LMI system on a table saw there needs to be a flat fingerboard face down on the saw table. Then I taper the board, rabbet the sides for binding/purfling, glue it all up then radius the whole unit.

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Hank Mauel

I have the StewMac and am not impressed. The saw is OK, but not so much the box. As already mentioned, the depth adjustment is a pain and it doesn't have clamp to hold the board down like the LMI. A better solution would be to get the StewMac template and a blade for the table saw. I got the StewMac saw blade because of the thicker center allowing it to be used without a stiffener, but I'm sure that they all work fine. Build a sled for the table saw and your all set. Much easier and quicker to cut the fret slots this way than using the manual saw and box.

As far as slotting before or after radius, now I do it before since I'm doing it on my table saw. I've been thinking about setting up the radial arm saw for this, since it doesn't get much use anymore. It wouldn't really matter then if it was done before or after.

Christopher-
I've used a few different methods to cut fretslots, but have only made a dozen or so guitars total.
My first guitar (1975) was a classical built with the Sloane book- I marked out the fingerboard and cut slots with a fine tooth backsaw like the commercial hand-slotting jigs use. Just used a couple of sticks glued together (think Skilsaw 'protractor') to guide the saw. Nerve wracking, but seemed to work OK.
Next up was the early version of the LMI jig. Hated that.
Bought a blade for the tablesaw and made a jig myself. That's the system I use now, when I need to do that job. With 'quitting' and returning to guitar building a few times, I've made several (similar) tablesaw jigs .

If you are short on cash, the cheapest option IMO is to just buy your boards pre-slotted by LMI or other supplier. The handsaw you use for fretslots should probably not be used for other 'utility' jobs, so you will have money 'tied up' in it, even if you make your jig.

The problem I had with hand sawing slots was that I was sawing with a blade with very little set on the teeth. So sawdust buildup and binding the blade seemed to be a problem. It was probably my lack of skill or possibly the wood I was using, but I found it a chore.

The tablesaw jig is 100% smooth, and I just feel I'm getting as accurate a job as I can do by using it. It is also quite cheap compared to the commercial jigs even if you include the cost of a small (8") older tablesaw from auction/Craigslist. Older cast-iron saws with motors hanging off the back come up pretty often in my part of the world. (I'd avoid the 'self-powered' 'portable' and 'benchtop' saws as most of them seem to have too much slop to do a job like fretslots - but others may have better advice on that.) Of course, you will be making your jig, so that cost comparison doesn't apply.
Also, tablesaws take up space and make noise, so not appropriate if you don't have a shop.
With access to a milling machine, making good templates should be a breeze. I haven't used a mill for years, but if you can put a slitting saw in it, you could slot boards fairly easily, I think.
Let us know how it works out!

Cheers
John

way back when .. that was before I ever heard of LMI, there was no web, adn Sm didnt have such a slotting jig IIRC ... I was slotting the FBs by hand, with a douzouki saw from LV, and a shop built register for the saw after marking the FBs by hand with a ruler .... hard to control depth, keep things straight, square ... in general a PITA

Shortly thereafter, once I had a table saw, the SM blade was on its way (early 90s) - I dont even think they had the notched scales like now ...

I slot, taper, bind, level up, glue to the neck blank, then level and radius with the neck attached after setting it ... then fret.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I started making my own fretboards as I need a few hundered a year now. I have set up the power blade on my radial arm saw and use a radiused board and use the fretting template. I will slot my boards wide and taper later. This system works well for me.
A video will soon be out

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it