DIY fret Slotting Jig

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Mike Wingate

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18 Oct 2009
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Location
Altrincham
Dozuki 240 mm saw from Rutlands (offer) with UHMWPE spine stiffener and depth stop. Ply and UHMWPE saw guide, Bakelite height shims. Lexan CAD CAM Laser cut slotting template, St.Steel locator pin (or Stanley blade in slot for copying precut f/b slots) and 15" Purpleheart Ukulele fingerboard blank. Worked well.
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Its a bit like a mitre box. The new additions to the blade stop it from flexing and also double up as a depth stop (I think). I know a chap whos making a guitar and he chickened out making the fret board cause he was worried about consistency/accuracy. - I better not show him this little setup cause it would have saved him quite a few quid :cool:
 
The template is a piece of plastic with 4mm dia slots cut 5mm deep at one long side. Each slot is spaced 1 fret apart. I use an oline fret generator at electricukuleleland, save the dat as a dfx file. import into a CAD program, and either print it out and stick it to the template and file the slots, or CADCAM the slots on a school Lasercutter. The template is stuck to the fingerboard blank (rectangle). The template slots locate with a pin through the base of the jig. The saw cuts to depth. 4 mins later another fingerboard as a demo to my year 10s as jigs and templates.
 
I only made it this week. The 3rd fingerboard was cut on it today. It was easy enough to make, only a glorified sawing board/mitre box out of ply and mdf.
If I did make another, I would make the sides higher and use mdf shims to raise and lower the cutting depth.
 
Mike Wingate":19rnpfr1 said:
I only made it this week. The 3rd fingerboard was cut on it today. It was easy enough to make, only a glorified sawing board/mitre box out of ply and mdf.
If I did make another, I would make the sides higher and use mdf shims to raise and lower the cutting depth.
Click to expand...

Nice one, Mike!

On shims, could you do it the other way round, and make the height of the box floor adjustable? If it's longer and asymmetric, with the cutting slot near one end, simply hinging it at the box end, and putting a screw thread at the other end would give you a micro-adjustment. I know it then wouldn't cut exactly vertically, but that might not matter (depending how much it alters). Or might you just shim underneath the fretboard with hardwood slips?

Either way, it's neat and elegant and, yes, you ought to sell them!

E.
 
Nice job Mike. I first saw it on the Cosmos t'other day. Beats the hell out of £122 + shipping + import duty for a Stewmac Job as well.
Reckon you could get quite a little business going with these and your, frankly genius, fret end dressing file.
 
Many thanks Bodge. That is why I am a teacher, good ideas but no commercial sense or drive. Too much paper work at school.
Eric, That is what I meant, but you said it better, I am only a teecher!
Thanks guys, transparent sides would enable you to see what you are doing, but with the pin that you cannot see, registration is easy and foolproof, so far...
 
Looks great. Wish I'd had one to make my first cigar box guitar earlier this year.

Nick
 
Have you seen books on cigar box guitars? We did feature about them in last issue. Would love to see photo of yours.

Nick
 
I found out about the David Sutton book. Waited ages for one, but was dissapointed with the constructional sections.
I need to make a couple of fingerboards for my two.
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A very nice jig. Does that Dozuki give a good kerf for the fret wire? I used a microsaw (Japanese) which was recommended to me by the luthier supplier. After a few guitars I became convinced the problem was the saw and not me and bought a fret saw from Flinn Garlick which is set specifically for this task. Brilliant, perfect kerf width to suit the frets so a neater job with less stress. I thoroughly recommend it.
 
The Rutlands sourced saw is perfect. The length means that you only need 3 strokes to cut to depth for the StewMac 0764 small fretwire.
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Muswell":31tjfrqx said:
... bought a fret saw from Flinn Garlick which is set specifically for this task. Brilliant, perfect kerf width to suit the frets so a neater job with less stress.
Click to expand...

Don't fret wires vary? Surely mandolin fret wire needs a tiny slot, and bass frets need a bigger one.

BugBear
 
I'm not an expert on fretwire but variations in the dimensions of the fret do not necessarily relate to the thickness of the fret. Stewmac wide medium and narrow frets for guitars, basses and mandolins all have the same tang width of 0.58mm. LMI are the same so this seems to be the most common. The saw I bought is set for this.
 
Muswell":9espwqfs said:
I'm not an expert on fretwire but variations in the dimensions of the fret do not necessarily relate to the thickness of the fret. Stewmac wide medium and narrow frets for guitars, basses and mandolins all have the same tang width of 0.58mm. LMI are the same so this seems to be the most common. The saw I bought is set for this.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised, but better informed. :)

BugBear
 

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