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Fretting a bound board 101
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=15226		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Brad Goodman [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:15 pm ]
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This is a very simple tutorial on fretting a bound fretboard.

First, the board needs to be levelled-I use a jointer plane (blade removed!) with sandpaper wrwpped around it:





Once the board is levelled and brought out to 400 grit the slots need to be cleaned out-I use the Stew-Mac "fret cleaner outer tool thingee" (technical name)
for this:







Then I use a triangular file to bevel the edge of all the slots-This is very important,it makes the frets go in(and come out)better:








Next I pre-curve the fretwire with another Stew-mac tool
I curve it to a tighter radius than the board:





Now,I cut each fret with a nipper so it hangs over each side of the board by about 1/4":





Using the Stew-Mac fret tang nipper I nip the tangs so it is about 1/16" shorter than the binding on each side
I have to admit that I used to file the little piece of the tang ,but I guess I got lazy and haven't done it recently (I am now shamed into doing it next time-Thank you!!):










I cut about 4 frets at a time and apply a little yellow glue and hammer in the frets being carefull to keep them centerd so there is an equal gap at each side of the binding:










As I progress,I cut the ends off the the frets off flush with the binding-pushing down while cutting:


Author:  Hesh [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:24 pm ]
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Excellent Brad!!!!!!

Thanks a million for putting this together for us!
Author:  Brad Goodman [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:28 pm ]
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My pleasure,Hesh!
I had a little more to go,but for some reason I wasn't able to continue uploading pictures-Any ideas?
Author:  Blanchard [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:34 pm ]
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I tried doing the glue like that once and when I hammered in the fret glue went flying all over the place !!!

How do you control the glue ???

Mark
Author:  joe white(old) [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:34 pm ]
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I enjoyed it as well. Nice photos and beveling the fret slot makes sense! Is that triangular file curved? I couldn't tell from the photo, just wondered how you keep it from coming in contact with the binding?
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:53 pm ]
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That was coming along great Brad.  Hope you can get your pictures working again.  Would like to see the rest.  Good job.  Good pictures.
Author:  Brad Goodman [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:58 pm ]
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Mark,
I use just a little titebond-it does get on the fretboard,I wipe it up with a wet cloth as I go.

Joe,
The file is straight,but the fretboard is curved so it doesn't really come in contact with the binding.

Well I refreshed my computer and now here is the rest of the show:

Here I am clipping the fret flush while pressing down:




Once I get past the headblock I stick a heavy piece of metal under the the face inside the box to take the shock of hammering over the face:











Now that all the frets are in,I use a fine file to bevel the edges of the frets to aprox. 35 degrees:
NOTICE the sheet metal protector on the face of the guitar-This is critical-don't ask me how I know!










Finally I level the tops of the frets with sandpaper wrapped around the plane-then I reround them with a fret file and sand them usind protecters so I don't touch the board. later I will break the corners of the frets with a very fine needle file and buff them by machine:







Author:  Dave Anderson [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:59 pm ]
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Thanks for the excellent tutorial Brad.
Great photos too.
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:06 pm ]
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Great job there, Brad. Easy to follow.
Author:  erikbojerik [ Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:13 pm ]
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Thanks Brad, well done!  



That is exactly how I do it as well (except I fret the board off the
neck).   One detail to mention is to be sure to avoid
removing too much tang at the ends of the frets, only as much as
necessary to get the ends over the binding. 



If you remove too much (and/or your binding is too wide) the fret ends will move as you level them.  Happened to me once.



One other thing I've noticed is that a bound board will exhibit much
less back-bow after fretting than an unbound board (makes sense).
Author:  Cricket [ Thu Jan 03, 2008 1:07 am ]
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Good job Brad.  You are Brave.  Nice guitar.
Author:  Brad Goodman [ Thu Jan 03, 2008 1:32 am ]
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Waddy,
Thanks,my 13 year old son George took the pictures.

Erikbojerik,
Good point-it's happened to me as well-theoretically you could clip the tang so it is almost touching the binding,but in practice a 1/16" is good.

Todd,
I'm not sure I am following you-I used to use the nippers to give a little over bend to the nipped part-but now I am overbending the whole length of frets.
Isn't this basically doing the same thing?

Criket,
Thanks-I have to take some pics of the completed guitar and post them.
Author:  SimonF [ Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:47 am ]
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Mark,
I use a pipette and put the glue directly into the slots - as long as you don't
overdue it you will have no cleanup. I might also mention that I try and
make sure the tang extends as close to the binding as possible - that might
not be necessary with normal fretwire but it is with stainless steel.


Author:  KenH [ Thu Jan 03, 2008 4:31 am ]
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excellent tutorial Brad!
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:27 am ]
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[QUOTE=Brad Goodman]Waddy,

Thanks,my 13 year old son George took the pictures.
[/QUOTE]

Well, give him a pat on the back, and tell him he has a good eye for composing a shot.  Nice job getting the details, which is what this was all about.
Author:  LanceK [ Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:56 am ]
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Thanks Brad! That was great!
Author:  mgcain [ Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:11 am ]
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Thanks Brad, that's just what I needed to see...


Mitch
Author:  Todd Rose [ Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:41 am ]
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To date, I've used CA glue wicked under the frets. I'm reasonably happy with this method, but am considering switching to Titebond. Do those of you who use Titebond as "insurance" for fretting have any issues with the wetting of the fretboard from the glue? This seems like a potential problem to me, esp considering the end grain in the fret slots soaking up the water from the glue.

I'm also planning to try the fret-the-board-before-gluing-it-on-the-neck method. This raises another question with regard to the use of glue in the slots. After fretting the board, I understand there will be some back bow, which can be straightened out by simply applying reversed bending pressure to the board, which will force the fret tang barbs to bite further into the walls of the fret slots, allowing the fret slots to close up a bit around the tang, resulting in the the back bow being removed. Using CA glue, the glue can be wicked in after the board is thusly re-straightened, or even after the board is glued on the neck. Titebond, on the other hand, has to be put in the slots first, so you'd then have hardened glue in there when you're trying to straighten out the board. It seems like that could get in the way of the closing up of the slots around the tangs as I just described. Are y'all following me?

Do any of you do it like that - fretting the board off the neck, using Titebond in the slots, then re-straightening the board by bending it back? If so, does this present any problems, or does it work like a dream?

Thanks.
Author:  Heath Blair [ Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:48 am ]
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brad, thanks for this no nonsense simple approach to fretting a bound board. great photos. simple easy method.


now a question/thought:


how many of you use some kind of glue in the fret slots? i was thinking about something i heard someone mention a while back (might have been rick turner. if not, sorry to drag your name into this). i believe (whoever said it), said that cutting a curved slot in the fretboard to match the radius of the surface of the board (and thus leaving more material below) made for a stiffer fretboard/neck. i was wondering if glue in the fret slot of a board cut with a flat bottom kerf would add some stiffness to the piece. if so, is this gain trivial? should i spend my time worrying about more important things?


thanks again brad.

Author:  Brad Goodman [ Fri Jan 04, 2008 11:12 am ]
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Todd,
I can't comment on any effect when fretting with the board off the neck,since I have never done this (except with a mandolin fretboard 30 years ago),But as far as any problems with the little bit of moisture from the way I do it-I haven't had any,that I can see-I have done it basically the same way on and off for 30 years.

Heath,
I believe that a curved fret slot would definately make a stiffer board and plan on using them in the future,since the CNC guys are offering them now.
I don't think the glue in the bottom of the straight slot adds any stiffness and as you so eloquently put it-"would spend my time worrying about more important things"!
Author:  Todd Rose [ Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:32 pm ]
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Thanks for your reply, Brad.
Author:  Pat Hawley [ Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:45 pm ]
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Nice tutorial. My only suggestion would be to fret in the other direction, i.e. from the longest frets to the shortest frets. That way, if you happen to cut a fret too short, you can just move it down a couple of (empty) slots and use it there.

Pat
Author:  Brad Goodman [ Mon Jan 07, 2008 1:39 am ]
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Pat,
That's a good idea,but I like to check the progress as I am going with a straightedge as I go.

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