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If I still had my tiny CNC mill this would be easy, still kicking myself for selling it before making a bunch of what I have in mind. I thought I would have replaced it with a larger unit by now but things haven't gone as planned.

I was thinking about making something more unique, like little oval pieces of ebony with little oval pieces of shell inside them. I suppose since I sold the unit to my friend I could still go over to his place and crank a few out, but he still hasn't set the machine up and I have a long list of other things I'd rather be doing. Do any of you know of a supplier that supplies something like that with a custom look? It doesn't need to scream custom, I just don't want them to look like factory versions. This is one of those small details that isn't worth a week or even a weekend of my time to solve by making another jig, besides I'm running out of room for jigs.

A supplier would be great, a simple quick method/idea would also be appreciated. I'm looking for enough to do about 6 fretboards at the moment. Maybe it's best to farm out to a CNC specialist?

Wouldn't that be right up Andy Birko's alley?

I've always liked the ideas in this tutorial thread: viewtopic.php?f=10117&t=48675

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George :-)

Not unique, but I always liked the classic tortoise shell celluloid. I'd just cut a thick piece into a 3/32" square strip and chuck it in a drill motor. Turn it round and I used to set it close to the ebony in the ivoroid binding strip. Paint the inside end with white lacquer, glue in and sand flush. Very traditional...





Note, no double 12th fret dots. I guess you can tell when you hit the 12th. Also, very traditional...

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J. Brentrup Guitars & Mandolins
http://www.brentrup.com

Haans

You probably won't be making many more of these, but I technique I got off the innerweb is to chuck a (say) 3/32" bit into the drill press upside down, and use it to punch out dots that fit the drill bit hole perfectly. Works great in binding-size material, and it helps to touch the bottom of the drill to a grinding wheel at a slight angle to provide a sharp edge and slightly skewed cut.

Ed