Official Luthiers Forum!

I just happened across this freeware program to calculate fret slot positions. It will print out the template for you so you can cut them on a saw if you want. Easy to experiment with other scale lengths!

My anti virus and anti-spyware didnt have any problems with this file, so it should be clean for your use.

You unzip the files and run the setup program. Afterwards, it places a program launch in your windows program.

VERY useful software!


I had to place this on my server as it is too large for the forum's software.

Here is the link: http://www.hodgesguitars.com/wfret/wfret.zip


I checked this against a known good scaled fretboard and it was spot on with my HP printer.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Good tip! I used that for a couple years....

Quick! Can you edit the title before time's up?

Thanks Ken I will check it out and see how the fret spacoing calculator rorks........ Are you filling in for Michael today.....

Good stuff!

Thanks

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

can't be done

David Hurd authored a fret calc spreadsheet that I have used. My experience is its bang on. I import the numbers into Adobe Indesign, draw a line representing the first fret, use the step and repeat function with the calculated values and then print out a template with all the frets in the proper place. Obviously this works better for short scale stuff such as ukes.

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

It is not unusual at all for different printers (laser, ink-jet, whathaveyou) to be slightly off 100% in either direction.

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The member formerly known as erikbojerik....

Most often the scale will be off in the axis of paper travel. We have a xerox 8830 Large format laser (36" wide media) designed explicitly for engineering drawing reproduction. It will not plot 100% to scale. The smaller the the drawing in the axis of travel the closer to scale it is, but the longer in the axis of paper travel the worse it is . This the falt of two things common to the Xerox process printing. The fuszer gets hot and the heats the media, and the clutch system that controls the media feed is subject to rate of feed fluctuation. The only commercially available system of printing that is really consistently accurate no matter the size of the print is one that moves the paper in one axis and a pin or ink jet in the other. (excluding offset printing) A fact Xerox would rather not let you know is that a inexpensive ink jet will plot to scale more accurately than and expensive Xerox.

We have the Xerox 8830 and a almost dinosaur large format HP ink jet. We use the Xerox to run fab drawings to the shop because they use them by means of reading not scaling and the xerox will run 15 prints in the time it takes the HP ink jet to plot one. But if we need a 100% to scale check template to visibly proof part by we use the HP ink jet because it will be 100% to scale when maintaied with proper belt tension. which is easy to do twice a year

Now newer lasers can be fine tuned to be pretty close. but one axis will be off and the longer in this axis the print is the more they will be out of scale

I dont know how it will print on onther printers, but my HP ink jet printed this scale so that it was in the top 3" of the paper. You would have to cut it out and paste it together in order to use it. I did check this against a Martin pre-cut fingerboard and it was spot on.

This whole discussion is why I gave the disclaimer that your results may vary.


I am moving towards doing all of my fingerboards and fret slot cutting with CNC, so this program wont do me alot of good. Just thought others that hand cut their slots may find it extremely useful.

One other thing it may come in handy for is to print out a set of different scale lengths to see what the scale on an existing fingerboard is. May be useful for the repair guys.

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Reguards,

Ken H