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Just curious as to what other people do. It is easier to mark and rout for inlays on a flat board, but it is easier to get the final depth correct if done after radiusing.

Just curious if I have been doing it "wrong" all these years.

Kent

B4

After. Especially if your inlay spans the width of the board. In this case, if you radius after and your inlay is too thin, you lose the outside edges. Or if your shell is not through color, you lose the color on the outside edges.

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Kevin Mason
Mason Guitars and Ukuleles on Facebook
http://masonguitars.net

Depends on the inlay.

There you go. 3 answers and they are all right. Isn't this fun. Any other questions.

That's pretty much exactly what I expected as I have done it both ways and run into issues either way. I'm getting ready to do some pearl lettering that spans the board so that made me curious.

One questions for those that do it after is how do you mark the fretboard for cutting the cavity on a larger piece? If the piece is wide enough it won't sit flat on the board so it will me tough to scribe around.

Depends on the thickness of the shell also. Damhikt

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Pat

I copy the inlay. Cut it out and glue it to the fretboard. After the glue dries I put a thin coat of super glue on to harden up the copy. Route it out normally but with a small piece of tape on the bit to fan the frayed paper away.

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guitarsbygiltzow.com

After.

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

After for me.

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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 think this is spot on. It depends on the inlay and the material being used.

I've done inlays with reconstituted stone and wood before and had no problem at all.

But I did an abalone osprey once with carefully arranged shell patterns depicting stripes on the wings. After sanding the patterns were completely different because I'd sanded through the layers of shell I'd originally selected.

Very disappointing.

So...for the record, now I prefer to do it after.

I love questions and answer threads like this.

I use a 12" radius board and have done it both ways with no problems. My inlays are fairly small, though.

Another alternative is to cut the routes a little deeper and completely cover the inlay with CA.
Works well for bar style markers on a bass, or anything that is wide enough for the curvature to make a difference.

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

After

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

After!

I radius after inlay.
I used some Abalone dots from China.
After sanding, I had Pearl.
Quite a mystery, huh?

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

For large inlays, such as block inlays, I have read about radiusing first and then clamping the inlays in, flexing them to fit while the glue sets. I'd be afraid I'd crack the inlay trying this. Anyone have experience with this technique?

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

After. Sanding a pearl inlay too thin is no fun.

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John