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I have used pre-radiused and pre-slotted fingerboards in the past (5 guitars). For the next one I'd like to slot and radius my own. I have a nice zyricote blank to work with. I also have a slotting miter jig I got from a friend. I'm sure there are many techniques for radiusing, including jigs for use with a router. I'd like to get some feedback on what techiniques folks are using for radiusing... Can you use a plane to remove a portion of the fingerboard and then follow that with a radius sanding block? Should I put in the slots before radiusing or after? Any advise on going from blank to finshed fingerboard would be appreciated...
Thanks,
Steve

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Best advice I can give you is do not try to radius just with a sanding block. Maybe some can get a nice radius with them, but all I can ever get is a horribly uneven fingerboard, even with a rail system I made. I made this router jig which works great, though leaves a rough finish so you just have to touch up with a sanding block after, works for me.
Also, I personally like to slot before putting the radius on and then afterwards with a stop on the fret saw take the slot down to the desired depth. Though I guess it depends on your preferred method of slotting.

A plane can be used to quickly get close to the correct radius. You can just use a radius block and sandpaper all the way through. So far, I have sanded to a 16 ft radius, and it doesn't take long with 80 grit. From there, just keep working finer grits, making sure you have sanded through all the marks from previous grits, till you reach your desired level of finish. There are much more complicated ways to do it or ways that use specialized equipment that may radius more accurately and/or quickly. But I'm a minimalist (mostly because I'm too broke to be otherwise), and a block and sandpaper have worked so far.

I believe most, myself included, would advise cutting the fret slots before you radius. If you bind the fingerboard, cut slots, add binding, and then radius. Cut your slots deep enough you don't need to re-cut toward the edges after you radius (not as big of an issue if you don't bind the FB, since you can just go at it again with a fret saw after you radius if need be).

(Edward beat me to the first post. I like the look of that jig. Might give that a try. I will say use of no more than a sanding block probably doesn't give you the most accurate results, but so far it seemed to produce ok results.)

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Aaron Craig

Thanks for the advice guys... Ed - can you use a laminate trimmer in that jig? Also, how did you get the rounded edges on each side of the jig? I would think that those rounded surfaces would have to be straight in order to get a consistant radius...

I know "Luthier Suppliers" has a nice jig, but it is kinda pricey... also. Stew-Mac sells an 18" aluminum radius sanding block that they say can be used for this purpose. It is also pricey... but your opinion is that using a radius block alone would not be a good idea... right?

Would anyone else like to chime in?

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I made a jig a while back, but for me it's easiest to just use a sharp plane.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

Steve, the rails were just rounded on a router table with a round-over bit. The tangent point that the sled sits on is straight all along and the two rails are parallel. You certainly could use a laminate trimmer in it, you are not removing very much stock. The key to the jig is that your fingerboard is smack dab in the center, note the center line drawn down the middle.

Cannot comment on the aluminum sanding block as I have never used one, just the longer wooden block.