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Can anyone please help me with this, I've tried search but can't come up with an answer.
I want my next instrument to have bound fret board, never done it before. I'm a bit puzzled by the sequence of events.
If I cut the slots to the right depth, put binding on then radius the fret board the slots will be too shallow at the edges.
Do I radius the fretboard first then put binding on?
Or, cut the slots deep enough so that after the radius they are still OK?
Or, another way?
hmmmm...

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

I've done it two different ways.

First way is one you mentioned, just cut your fret slots deeper to compensate for radiusing.

You can also:
-cut the fret slots to the correct depth
-radius the fretboard
-resaw fret slots
-install binding
-re-radius the fretboard (but since the original, fretted board is already radiused, you are just radiusing the binding)

I don't know that either way is better than the other, they both have their downsides.

maybe someone else will have a better solution.

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-Marcus
http://www.bailieguitars.com
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Joe, here's the sequence that I do fretboards;

1. mill board and sand
2. rip both sides of board the thickness of the binding + a little for sanding smooth. (if the board is wide enough to rip binding and still have the correct width)
3.cut the fret slots to 1/8".
4. taper the fretboard
5.glue the bindings that were ripped previously back on their respective sides.
6.radius the fretboard and sand.

You can use a contrasting binding or what ever you like.

Chuck

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Joe, this all sounds like great advice to me. I'll just add this much: If you want a multi-colored binding (for example, a thin "white" strip followed by a darker outside binding) you can glue on your white veneer strips first. Then, saw the fret slots in them, too. Actually, this will help you clear out some glue residue. You can build up as many dark/light/dark strips as you wish in this manner. Of course, you will plan ahead and keep track of your overall width. Then glue on your outer strips. You will need to undercut the ends of your fret tangs if you do this, and you will need to clear out some glue residue left over from the outer strips, too, but all of that is not so hard to do--just a little time consuming. I think it's well worth the effort. Yes, by all means do a little "touch up" with your fret saw in any event, to allow for the radius of the fingerboard, as these builders have already advised.

Best of luck to you,
Patrick

Another thing you can do to reduce the necessary slot depth a bit, is after trimming the tang ends for the fret to go over the binding, also file off the corner of the remaining tang that's poking downward. Don't file so far that you remove the barbs though.

I thickness to 0.255-0.260, taper the board before slotting (off cuts are for binding) slot the board on the table saw referencing the center line of the board, cut to 1/8" deep, then I glue on the binding (tape and CA, nothing to clean out of the slots this way) then I flatten the bottom, then radius the top.

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