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Thats an impressive grain pattern on the top half of the back. Luverlee.
In the end, of the multipicity of methods I've seen of the 'best way to do it' I've settled on the method below. Now - as always - I detail below what works for me. This is not necessarily the best way of doing it and I'm certainly not saying this is how you should do it.
However, if you are thinking of doing your first radiusing job, then I'll try and point out the problems I'm trying to avoid - there is nothing more disheartening than putting a shed load of effort into an expensive piece of wood and ending up with something you can't use
Things I found out the hard way:
- The upper frets area, if it is a pre-tapered fretboard, is wider than the nut end and takes much more sanding to reach the same degree of radius
- You need some way of guiding the block to help maintain the evenness of the sanding and to allow you to be able to put your full effort into pushing the sanding block rather than pushing and positioning it
- There is a tendency to curve off the ends. If the fretboard blank comes with excess either end, leave it on until the board has been radiussed.
This is how I personally try to avoid some of the above pitfalls:I stick the fretboard to the bench with decent double-sided tape (Crimson Guitars' tip of two pieces of masking tape and cyano also works well) and, carefully positioned to ensure the fretboard at both ends is central to the sanding block, I clamp a guide straight edge for the block to run against.
I also mark the fretboard across the width and length with chalk:
When sanding, using my full effort on the block to sand, with the guide plank ensuring the block is always positioned OK, I check frequently to see if the sanding wear is even across the width and length - ideally the chalk remaining should be in the middle and of an equal width along the length of the board.
Here you can see two issues - I'm sanding harder on one side of the board and also I'm already starting to round off the end!:
My corrective action here will be to add a bit more pressure to the side nearest the guide and to ease off pressure of the whole block as I get to the ends. The nice thing about the chalk is that you can see exactly how much and where to make these adjustments.
The sanding pattern on the block is a second way of seeing this uneven pressure:
The other thing I do is collect the ebony dust - I will be using this mixed with resin to fill any gaps in inlay routs, etc.
Plenty more to do - I usually put aside a day for this and class it as my exercise sorted for the week
The closer the sanding line gets to the middle, the more area you are actually sanding so, although there is only approx 1/3 of area still to do, this is less than 1/2 way done!
Now, hopefully, you can see why the chalk marks are important. The good news is that the sanding is pretty even over the width. Over the length, however, the middle is getting over sanded and there is a thinner 'flat spot' at the 2nd/3rd fret position. This will mean that, even when the basic radius is there, I will have to carry of sanding the whole board until the flat spot has gone...
Did I mention that I don't like this part of building a guitar?
Btw the package hasn't arrived yet this end...
I think in the end I missed the last post - it should be with you when you get home.
...oh, and dying of pneumonia is definitely outside the terms of the contract - so sincerely get well soon
While the radius block is still out and everything in the workshop - including me - is covered in ebony dust, this is a good time for me to sort the fretmarkers.
@impmann and I discussed doing some oval inlays like the originals but the ovals are actually trade-marked! I wonder if Cort know (or care) because at least one of their models uses them...
Anyway, we've got a better plan even than that Swifts. And yes, I know what you're thinking but we're going for a much more subtle take on bird inlays that you-know-who
Just 12th...
It's actually easier, of course, if you inlaying shapes, to rout the fretboard while it's still flat. However, with the width of my swifts wings there is always a danger of the radiusing sanding away the tips, so I do it after radiusing.
Having cut out the shapes with a jewellers' saw, I carefully routed the curved fretboard:
And then added dots for the others - 5 mm for the 1st and 3rd and 6mm for the rest. These are in place before gluing and sanding:
My Trading Feedback | You Bring The Band
Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youThanks
I did this first on the Mouradian tribute bass I did last year. I thought it added an elegance to it:
Do you remember some of my earlier veneering tips and tricks where you are sanding the join? It's the same principle - I'll try to find some shots...