Official Luthiers Forum!

I am using the stew mac sanding beam to radius my FB. I see on their video he uses it also as a caul to glue a FB. Do you think I could use it as a caul to glue a FB that already has the frets installed or should I make a separte wood caul with slots cut in it for the frets?
MM

_________________
Mike McNerney

Make a seperate caul with the slots cut out.

If it's the sanding beam I am thinking of then it's a wonderful tool but I can't imagine using it as a clamping caul. I don't build like that but I would imagine a nice flat piece of MDF with fret slots in it would be better.

I made mine out of a chunk of 2x4, marked the fret locations, slotted with a table saw and then put a dado down the center so it only clamps the edges of the fretboard. The caul is not tapered.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I have the stewmac alum sanding caul. I have been thinking of using it for a clamping caul.

My plan is to use the locating pins in two of the fret slots, drill small homes in the caul so I can drop it on an unfretted board and clamp it. It should work fine

_________________
Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I have successfully clamped a fingerboard on the frets, but I did put a wood shim at the nut end. The shim is the same thickness as the fret height, and is used to assure that the end of the fingerboard gets sufficient pressure.

_________________
John

I use two 1/4" x 1/2" strips on the outside of the fretboard on top of the frets.

You can see my homemade radius block at the heel end with thw two strips sticking out.

_________________
A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

I think what John or Roger posted would be the way to go. I've used the StewMac caul for gluing a bare fingerboard but if the radius of the caul and the fingerboard don't match exactly you won't get even pressure on the edges. I've gone to using a tapered thick wooden caul with thin strips of wood on the edges to insure good contact there. I have switched to the StewMac caul after 6 hrs or so when the glue has pretty well set up and used it as a holding caul to keep things straight for a day or so while the moisture leaves the wood from the glue. I think it helps.

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

I would not use the beam as a clamping caul. It's not the intended purpose and there could be potential of deformation of the beam due to clamping forces. I would just make a wooden caul and save the beam for its' purpose even though it's tempting. I personally would notch out for the frets but think either way would work fine. Just seems as though you would get more even pressure if you avoided the frets. But def do not use the beam.

thanks all, I've decided to make a wood caul & cut out for the frets.
It's just a bit mor work & I will feel better in the end.
I don't want to have any doubts that it might deform in the slightest.
cheers
MM

_________________
Mike McNerney