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Hi All,

Up to now I've been using thin plastic rod to make the side dots on my fret boards. Looks fine but I was thinking to use a wood instead (e.g. ebony for a fret board bound in white or holly for a dark fret board). So how does one go about making a very thin wood stick that can be used to make the dots?

Thanks,
Pat

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Use a piece of plate wood, thin the stock like you would a side or back plate. Cut into small squares (1/4 x 1/4 would be fine, smaller is better) CA the square to the flat end of the drill bit you will use to drill the hole (3/32" is what I use). Put that in your drill, turn it on and file/sand the wood down to the drill bit. Dip it in acetone to get it off the bit. Repeat until done.

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Pat, I did a short tutorial re making of MOP side dots as Rod describes....may be of interest.
viewtopic.php?f=10117&t=22351

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Dave
Milton, ON

On my old timey instruments I just chuck a 2" length of tortoise celluloid cut to around 1/8" sq. in a drill and hold a file to it, followed by sandpaper. Easily done with wood too.

I learned Rod's meathod from Chris Paulik, which I use with hard material's like bone and MOP.

Check this out.

I have started using veneer and a three hole paper punch on the fretboard so I suspect that a smaller punch (ask your wife) could work.

Pat,

Here is a much easier way to do this. I posted this years ago, but nobody seemed to pick up on it. What you need is a J Countersink w/o the drill bit installed. You can cut dots as small as 3/32" in diameter on up in 1/64" increments. Here is a picture.



These are used to countersink holes, but that is not how you are going to use it. You use it without the pilot drill bit and it cuts a perfect dot for you.

Here is a link for them.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=487&familyName=Type+J+Countersinks

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Randy Muth
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Here is another way to make dots , I have used thick colored pencil leads. It is a way to add color. I found this trick from a friend when we needed to match a red dot on a 335.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
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I'm always impressed by the variety and cleverness that this crowd displays in its approach to doing things. Thanks for all the responses.

Pat

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There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

1/16" aluminum welding rod makes great side dots. Looks just like silver, but doesn't tarnish. Lacquer sticks to it just fine & it sands flush easily.

I just widdle a 6 inch piece of what ever wood I want to use and sharpen it in my pencil sharpener. Drill a hole, stick the pointy end in the hole with some glue, cut off and then sand flush after the glue dries. Clinton

I use tiny little pieces of ivory or bone, sanded to size in a drill by just spinning the piece, holding sandpaper folded over it, which sands from two sides at once, and keeps it from breaking. Drill hole, cut off.

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There are some pretty clever methods for doing this, but I have to tell you that the J countersink is an inexpensive tool that is perfect for this, at least for wooden dots. I can literally cut a dozen dots in less than a minute this way. They are available in lots of different sizes as well.

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Pieces of large gauge copper wire pressed into slightly smaller holes. trim close then (carefully) mill flat with a file. Use a finer 'grain' file for the last little bit...less likely to mar the neck/fb wood.

-Matthew

Steven that is very slick!
I will be trying that, thanks!

Joe

If I remember correctly Robbie O sharpened skinny sticks in a pencil sharpener.It works great,just slice it off so it`s a little flat on the end, enough so it fills the hole.Then just cut it off and sand it flush.I used this method on a Dread, oops that`s a dirty word.
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Steven ,can you actually do that with a piece of bone.I think it would be pretty cool to have unbleached bone dots.just a couple of 3/32 saddle blanks would make a bunch of dots.Maybe bigger for bone fretboard dots?
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

Joe,

Go slowish. You can cut yourself on the other bits if the work piece breaks. Maybe I should remove all the bits from the index? Nah, that makes too much sense.
Jim,
I haven't tried the drill index thing with bone, I use the glue a little piece to a brill bit method Rod and Dave mentioned. With Dave's/Rod's method, drill the fretboard first. Then you can use the drill bit as a handle to insert the dot. Once the dot is in the hole, a little tilt of the bit will break the dot loose from the drill bit. Much easier to do it that way.

Steve

Brazing rod gives a vintage brass look but eighth inch is an in between size.

Some creative ideas out there.

And let's not forget round toothpicks. They are usually made from birch and the ones I have are .078" (2mm).

...or use a bass string!

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Francis Richer, Montréal
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