Official Luthiers Forum!

Insert a feeler gauge just thick enough to go in to the 20th fret and using a square divide the length in half and make a shallow scribe mark. Now do the same at the 2nd fret and the 10th fret. Then connect the two far points. Verify that the middle point fell on the line between the two points. this will give a center line that is true perpendicular to the fret slots.

I should have said scale to divide the length of the slot in half and a square to mark a shot perpendicular scribe at the center of the slot. If the third (middle) mark falls on the line between the two end marks then your center is tru and perpendicular to all the slots

I suppose the square and feeler gauge is not nessasary but I like to scribe a perpendicular line fom the measured slot to the next slot just a a verifi line that I an perpendicular. I use the feeler gauge to form an edge that the small square can index aginst.

I use to use preslotted boards from StewMac and never had a problem with the edge cuts being untrue or none perpendicular to the slots. Knowing how they slot them I would assume that at least one edge has to be true and perpendicular to the slots

Hesh'ster/Michael -- I use preslotted and radiused fretboards from both StewMac and LMI. I can confirm what Michael is saying in that at least one edge is always square. I just take a machinist square and check along each side -- and the square edge is easy to identify. I then run the square edge against the fence of my table saw, removing as little of the "unsquare" edge as possible. From there it's easy to figure out the centre point using my digital calipers.

Thanks for the tip Michael, i'll remember that too!

Pretty good tip!

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

As long as they are not pre-radiused you can make the centerline anywhere you want (provided of course the fingerboard profile will fit on the board).... That way you can maximize the figure/grain that is shown.

or am I missing the point?

I just lightly use a marking guage off the trued edge. Easy as pie.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com