Trimming the fret edges

To clip the ends of the fretboard requires end cutters with a flush cutting edge... not beveled like most end cutters that are sold. These generally sell for $25-30. Not wanting to part with that much money for 15 minutes worth of work, I decided to make my own. I bought a pair of cheapo's at HF for $5, then ground down the surface until the cutting edge was flush. I then used a diamond file to file the inside. It looked kind of ugly, but it worked great.

The only problem with this method is that the grinding caused the steel to heat up and lose it's temper. I know, anger management is always a problem with soft steels. So even though this method worked, it left the edge rather mangled up after using it.

A good pair of end cutters would be machined with a flush edge and then tempered. Maybe I can re-sharpen them and then temper it myself. The simplest thing would be to heat up the cutting part with a torch and then quench it in either oil or water.

No need to fret, just epoxy it!

I decided to remove the 21st fret. To do this, the hyde glue needs to be warmed up. I used a soldering iron directly on the fret. After a few minutes, I began to feel the fret move. So I slowly began to work the fret loose with a variety of tools... a small pair of end nippers worked the best. Once the fret was out, I used a wet paper towel to clean up the hyde glue... and a 10 mil finger gauge with a paper towel around it to clean out the slot. Once this was dry, I took a new fret and epoxied it in.

I clamped it down for about 90 minutes. This turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Now the fret is seated properly AND with the epoxy in the bottom of the 21st fret slot I don't have to worry about that crack getting worse.

Something to fret about...

I cut and installed all the frets yesterday. Prior to installing each one, I used a triangular file to bevel each side of the fret slot. Then I dabbed a bit of Titebond hyde glue in the slot prior to inserting each fret, this helped to lubricate the fret as it went in.

All frets went well except the very last one... not because it was the last one chronologically, but because it was the last fret on the end. I cut the end of the fretboard about 1/4" past the 21st fret... leaving it long enough to cover up the inner rosette on the top, yet short enough not to infringe on the sound hole. In hind site, I wish I had specified only 20 frets to be slotted. Anyway, this small amount of material past the 21st fret left it weak. When I pounded the slot in, it split a little bit in the horizontal direction at the bottom of the fret slot. I poured a bit more hyde glue in and tried to clamp the fret down... but it didn't hold.

This picture isn't the best, but you may be able to see the left end is sticking up. I think it may have to be removed and fixed in a more permanent fashion.

Fretboard glued, neck shaped

The last few days have seen a flurry of activity on the neck of my guitar. I took the leap Wednesday night and glued the fretboard onto the neck.

The problem is that, even though it was pinned in two spots, the nut end shifted just a bit. If you look at the below picture, you can see the center line on the fretboard is not lined up with the center of the truss rod slot.

My best measurements suggest it is off by 20-30 mils. I spoke with a friend of mine who is a luthier, he said it wasn't really that big of a deal, the neck can be shaved appropriately and the it won't affect anything.
So I then began to sculpt the neck... since it is oversized with respect to the fretboard. I used a large chisel right next to the fretboard to pare the neck down next to the fretboard. Then I used a scraper to shape the two together... this worked well.
Next, I began to shape the back of the neck. There was a lot of extra material that came with the precarved neck... especially where the headstock meets the neck. I used a large chisel to carefully remove the bulk of the material and then sand it to a smooth finish.


The rough carving is almost done. Getting it exactly symmetric is almost impossible. Probably should take a bit more off the back left side, and the front left side. I can see why Martin choose a square shape... this curvy Taylor-like shape is more difficult to perfect.

Next I will install the frets. After that, I can begin the fine sanding, pore filling and application of the oil finish.

Freboard profiled and located

I marked the width of the fretboard at the nut (1.75") and the 14" fret (2.25") with respect to the center line, and then drew a straight line all the way to the end. Then I cut just outside this line with the band saw. To smooth the edge, I first tried my plane:

This kinda worked, but I did get some tear-out. Given that it is ebony, I think the cutting angle needed to be steeper than 45º. But I don't have another iron to setup for this. So I sanded a bit, but ultimately used a scraper... this worked well.
Next, I put the fretboard on the neck and located it precisely. Then I drilled two holes with a 1 gauge (0.040") drill bit through the fretboard and through about 1/4" into the neck. These locating holes will be used for further neck work and gluing. It actually works well to then use 0.8mm (0.032") drill bits as temporary nails:

The neck is slightly over-sized... about 0.025" per side, it is also a bit too thick. I will have to file it down and shape it appropriately before sanding it to the proper finish.

Starting to take shape

Hey, it kinda looks like a guitar. I fit the neck up for the first time since before the bindings were on to check the angle. It isn't perfect, but it is close. I should be able to tweak it a bit by leveling the top of the top where it meets the neck (it is slightly curved right now), and possibly by additional sanding in the neck tenon area. In the end though, I would rather the neck angle be a little much (as opposed to shallow) and then just file down the frets near the body a bit more than the main ones that are used.
I sure like the look of the maple bindings next to the herringbone purfling:)

Drilling Dots

I have put aside the body for a while to begin work on the neck. First thing is to drill the dots on the top of the fretboard:

I used a 1/4" Forstner bit, worked out great with this small drill press.

Nothing is glued in yet, probably just use CA glue.

The exact order varies from person to person, but I think this is how I will do it:
1) Drill/glue top dots.
2) Cut/profile ends
3) Install truss rod into neck.
4) Glue fretboard on neck.
5) Cut excess off sides.
6) Sand/shape sides of fretboard to neck. Check dimensions: 1.75" at nut, 2.25" at 14th fret.
7) Install side dots.
8) Install frets.
9) Attach to body.