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Hi All,

I was wondering what methods people use to put the taper on their fret boards. Up until now I have gotten close free-hand on a band saw and finished up on my jointer. Last night I decided to be a little "smarter" and do it on my table saw with a little jig. The trouble was I got some minor chipping at a few fret slots caused by, I think, the back of the saw blade coming up. Fortunately, it was minor enough that the chips will sand out when I radius the board, but I won't be using that method again! The method might work sans chipping if I do the taper before cutting the fret slots but then I'd need to be a little smarter to cut the fret slots perpendicular to a center line, not an edge (which is not that big of a deal). So what do you do?

Thanks,
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.

Pat, I do mine using the table saw. I just made a sled that rides the miter slot (if that is really what that is called) I lay out the board and then clamp the board to the sled. I make the nut end cut first on one side and then turn it around and position it on the sled and cut out the opposite end. When clamping the board, I set the marks only a few thou off the sled so it almost touches the sled, just enough for the board to clear the sled so not to cut that. That way I do not have a bunch of board hanging out there.

This method is nice because you can cut any taper you want for binding schemes if you do that or just the full width. I can cut a bunch of boards in short time and not have to mess with a bunch of fitting to the neck.

I do batches and have different nut and body join widths so it is fast and very clean. I use to do the band saw thing, and finish them on the joiner or shooting board, but takes to much time in my opinion.

I do not get any of the chip out you note at any of the fret slots. I set the blade at the depth so it just goes above the board. I have a table to catch them as they pass through the blade and push them off the saw and not stop once it has cut the board leaving the end of the board between the blade and jig. I know it overkill, and even though the sled fits very well in the slot, I use my fence for I guess safety reason. I have no idea if that makes a difference or not.

I seem to recollect that Mario once posted an ingenious method (maybe not on this forum) which was simplicity itself, it involved cutting a notch (maybe a double notch ?) in a scrap piece of wood and using it as a spacer, and he definitely worked off the fence, not the miter slot.

Maybe he will come back on and refresh our memories ...

Rough cut on the bandsaw and flush trim to a template with a pattern bit.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

Sylvan Wells has a tutorial on his page for a system as you describe. I also have some things I made up that run off the fence. They are about 2.50 wide, with a stop at each end of the board. Then a block of wood at the nut end and join location. Lay the board on and cut. Only problem I have is I had to make one for the nut cut and one for the other end, and they are set for only one width of tapers. This was originally done with my router table, but then used it with the table saw.


I went the table saw and sled way after working in a shop where this method is used and we might cut 10-20 boards at a time in all sorts of nut and join widths. Using the blocks like Sylvan's method or the jigs I noted, you have to change and keep track of what is what if doing multiple nut and join widths. I get confused enough now as it is.

Or like Kent noted with a bandsaw and template setup. I guess for me it depends on how many boards one is doing, and if using varied widths at the nut and join for binding and purf schemes and doing batches. Main thing whatever is easiest and works best for you is the way to go.

I use a jig on the table saw - it has two movable stops at the nut end. There a full length fence that supports the wide end of hte FB,no matter how long.

Set the fence to blade distance to whatever the final width of the fingerboard is, wide end. Set the last stop to the nut width. Set the second stop to halfway between the two measurements. You have to take into account any binding you will be adding on (so subtract when setting the stops and fence) to the final widths you want.

Put the fingerboard in, straight edge against the fenced side, nut end to the second stop,and cut, Flip the board, move to the last stop, and cut - your board is now tapered to whatever you set the stops to.

I made up two jigs - one is set to give me my std 1 3/4 nut width, 2.4 inch at the 21st, including .080 binding and a .020 veneer line - never gets changed, always ready to go. The other one is for other settings.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

one of these and a diablo 7 inch blade
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page ... lter=taper

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MK5acoustics.com

Is there an advantage to using the 7 inch blade rather than a 10 inch blade ?

I use a jig on the table saw with a diablo blade. I cut the taper after slotting and don't get any chipping. Wonder if you don't have a bad blade or wobble on your saw arbor?

Chuck

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I use a 7 inch blade with a stiffner attached, for most things related to guitar building..I have the blade set up with a zero clearance insert and use it to cut bindings , laminite strips for solid linings, and soon to try falcate braces, cuts ebony and rosewood like butter, and best of all they are inexpensive, so when dull just put on another one , I taper the fretboard after slotting and radiusing.
I used a homemade jig till I saw this one at rockler one day, on sale, works great and useful for other things as well..

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MK5acoustics.com

I do what Tony does. I have a fixed jig for my 1 3/4---2 1/4 set up and copied Tony's adjustable jig for other combinations. Initially got the idea from Sylvan's website 7 or 8 years ago.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I cut mine after slotting too, but I always cut with the slots facing up. If you cut with the slots facing down, the blade will cause chipping because the bottom of the slot is an unsupported cut.

My two methods are:

1) I have a jig, which is really just a 6" wide piece of MDF with two toggle clamps. I line up the mark with the edge of the jig, set my fence for 6" and pass it through the table saw OR router table, depending on my mood.

2) I also have a router template made that goes from 1.675" to whatever the heel end is, since that's what I build most.

Last time, I just got it close with the bandsaw and cleaned it up on my shooting board. For just one fingerboard, that was easily the fastest and safest method I found so far. I may just start doing it like that all the time.

I am slowly recollecting how Mario did it, it involved a spacer with two notches, you start with a parallel fretboard, fit it into one notch and rip it.

Then, IIRC, you turn the workpiece end for end, (but still face up) fit it into the secondary notch, and complete the other rip.

Help me out here, grumpy ...

Thanks for all the replies.

Sounds like the table saw is viable if I can figure out the reason for the chipping. I should have stated that the fret board was slot side up during the cut. The blade wasn't exactly low - perhaps that would make a difference. I'll have to do some experimenting.

Thanks again,
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.

I've never had a problem with chipping. I suspect it's some kind of problem with your blade, or perhaps the blade was set way too high. If the height is barely high enought to make it all the way through the board the cut is more horizontal, and doesn't have as much of a tendency to rip chunks up. I use a bunch of different scale lengths and tapers. My jig doesn't use the miter slot, I just set the fence to make it the correct width, and clamp the board down for the correct taper. I like stuff simple.

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

I have 2 sleds for the table saw labeled what goes where,
and which direction for my standard f.b.
I made a template for another standard f.b., like Kent said.
When I do a one off, and won't need a template or sled,
I mark the taper on the f.b.,
double stick tape on a straightedge,
and use a bottom bearing bit in da router.

Sylvan showed me that jig a long time ago at some conference we met at. It's as simple as you can get. Pretty much free and totally accurate. I actually use the same one for most uke fretboards, and 1 for most guitar fretboards. I simply vary the extra amount of extra fretboard that I need to leave at the nut and at the soundhole end to get the taper I need. You can just cut a quick one out of 3/4" ply and that will work fine, or you can get a little fancier and precisely make the top and bottom legs in your sander and glue up the jig. It's prettier, but the ply model works fine too if you cut it out carefully. The thickness of the 2 legs is determined by the difference in width of your fretboard at the nut end and the soundhole end. To make it simple to illustrate, say your not is 38mm wide and the soundhole end is 48mm wide. The difference is 10mm, so you make 1 leg 5mm thick and the other 10mm thick. You can cut a model out of ply and then play around with some 1/8" or 1/4" ply making some sample fretboards. You'll soon figure it out and see how varying the extra amount you leave beyond the not and the last fret can affect the taper. Your fretboard blank does need to be square to the fret slots on the starting edge and at least as wide as the total width you want. To cut a narrower fretboard, with the same taper to allow for binding, simply slide the fence over to the total width you want without the binding. It will always cut a perfect taper. Do both taper cuts with the nut end facing you. Start with the fretboard, slot side up, and use the thin leg against the fence. Pass it through the saw, flip it over and run it again with the thick leg against the fence.The photos explain it I think, and also included is a simple holddown. Good luck with your building.

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

Photo3

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

Photo4

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

Photo5

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

I'm not at all comfortable running a hard ebony blank through the table saw by hand. I try very hard to never run my hand past the blade. A bit of kick back and your hands gets dragged into the blade with the blank. Then ping ping ping, your fingers go flying across the room.

I use a sled like others have mentioned. You get a zero clearance cut which helps. I use two pins in the sled that line up with holes in my fretboard blank just outside the nut and last fret. The pins are adjustable in and out so I can set the exact half width at nut and saddle. Make one cut, then flip the board over and make the other cut. Then the two holes become my exact centre line and are used to secure the blank in jigs for the rest of the process. I have preset marks for different fretboards, classical, SS, and bound. Very safe and accurate.
Dom

Thanks Bob and Dom for the posts. I usually use a bandsaw and go freehand. I might have a use for my tablesaw now.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Outside my pencil line with a bandsaw, sneak up on the finished taper using a vy sharp L/nelson low angle jack with a shooting board, for gtrs and a low angle L/n shoulder plane for uke fingerboards I find that using a plane is quicker , easier , less dangerous, and leaves a vy clean finish on the tapered Fb which requires vy little sanding afterwards.