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 Post subject: Preslotted fingerboards
PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 8:02 am 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:43 am
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Still being very new to building there are a few things I still buy pre made. One of those things are fingerboards. I’ve just not jumped off to purchase a good system yet, perhaps soon.

That said, my question is:
Should I do an inlay that crosses frets and I do it in a preslotted board, how do I handle this?

It seems like it would be a simple enough to inlay and then use a saw to cut through that section of inlay to reestablish the fret slot.

Am I going to run into issues here I’m not thinking about?


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 8:28 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

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Location: Virginia
I've never done it but that seems to me to be the right thing to do. What I would most likely do were I to do this is make the slots very wide. Just wide enough so you can push the fret in with your fingers. That way you can just glue it in. I would think hammering or even pressing in with a fret press might break the shell.


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:05 am 
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Koa
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First name: Michael
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City: Anacortes
State: WA
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Personally I'd only widen the slot where the shell crosses it, then install the fret as usual.

Best, M


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:15 am 
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Koa
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First name: Steve
Last Name: Sollod
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I'd like to hear from someone with more experience, but the one time I inlayed something that crossed over frets I left the slot as is (rather than widen the slot)and left a small space between the inlay and the slot. That way, the fret "overhang" hid the ends of the inlay and it looked like it went through. ...if that makes sense...

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 11:35 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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"Personally I'd only widen the slot where the shell crosses it, then install the fret as usual."

"I left the slot as is (rather than widen the slot)and left a small space between the inlay and the slot. "

I suppose with a Dremel and a cut off wheel you could do both.


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 11:47 am 
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Koa
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Clay S. wrote:
"Personally I'd only widen the slot where the shell crosses it, then install the fret as usual."

"I left the slot as is (rather than widen the slot)and left a small space between the inlay and the slot. "

I suppose with a Dremel and a cut off wheel you could do both.


Yeah, my description wasn't exactly clear (not enough coffee). Nipping the shell back far enough for the fret tangs to clear and leaving the slot alone is what I was thinking.


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 12:38 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Right: the shell can't come right up to the slot. Driving in the fret wold compress the shell, and it won't take kindly to that.


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 1:13 pm 
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First name: Don
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Question: Could a person remove the barbs from the part of the fret that touch the pearl, but leave the barbs on the part of the fret that touch the wood? I'm wondering if that would be easier than trying to make the fret slot kerf thicker adjacent to the pearl, but leave it thinner adjacent to the wood.

I've not done an inlay that straddled a fret, so this is pure curiosity, for the future.


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 5:17 pm 
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First name: Ken
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I've never had to do it but Steve read my mind and said it just the way I would have:)
No muss, no fuss.


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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2018 8:43 pm 
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Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:43 am
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So the consensus is that the inlay should be cut and spread from the slit so that the fret doesn’t lay on the pearl?


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:27 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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The top of the fret can cover the pearl, but the tang shouldn't touch it. And be careful when seating the fret.


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 09, 2018 6:51 am 
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Koa
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First name: Michael
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Clay S. wrote:
The top of the fret can cover the pearl, but the tang shouldn't touch it. And be careful when seating the fret.


+1


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