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I have heard that traditionally the 25.4" scale is actually 25.34". Is this also true of Michael Payne's OLF plans? Just trying to nail my accuracy here when I do the fretboard.

One more question actually... I have a straight edge, but it only gives me 32nds and not 64ths. The way I am compensating that is by marking between the 32nd marks if the .xxx ends up averaging closer to the 64th than either 32nd mark. For instance on a 25.34" scale, the first fret is at 1.422". This equates to 1 27/64" - So should I just try to land right between 1 13/32 and 1 14/32? Am I over thinking this? I read Alan Carruth shoots for +-.007"... a typical ear wouldn't hear any tighter tolerances.

Thanks all!

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Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

As long as you fret board is slotted based of a given scale length the the distance from nut to High E's contact to the saddle is scale length + compensation. So if you use 25.40 as the scale length and .10 as the compensation you place the centerline or break point of the the saddle at 25.5" . Each string moving towards the bass side get progressively more compensation. this is why the saddle slot is tilted longer on the bass side. Now this .10 compensation is the starting point pre intonation.

Dose this help

My plans could actually be used on scale lengths from 25.30-25.75 without moving anything in the bracing and bridge patch. If you have my plans that I provided to the OLF you will notice that there are no details on the fretboard, neck or bridge this is done to allow the builder to use or design a neck, fretboard and or bridge to their liking.

Im sorry I did not address the locating frets very well you need to locate them as accurately as possible locate them to 3 decimal points with a + or - .005 tolerance but that is easy for me as I had one our machinists make up a series of templates to use on my fret slot jig. but like others said there are commercial templates available.

I'm sure you can most likely cut frets using the method you are using, but it is so much simpler to buy yourself a template from Bob Garrish to cut them. It is fairly inexpensive and they work forever. You will always have it when you need it. The neat thing is that you get 2 scales for one price. Choose another popular scale to go onthe other side and you will have it all covered.

There is also some templates that you can download, print them out and use carbon paper to transfer to your fingerboard if you really want to make it easy. I'm pretty sure these are in the Frank For's frets.com site or at the GAL site....dont remember exactly where, but they work too.

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Reguards,

Ken H

I got it! I read somewhere else that someone printed the scale and used that. I just did that in photoshop by making guides and using .01" weight lines. I wasn't sure of the accuracy until I measured... but wow. I haven't checked overall length yet but I have a 6" rule with 64ths and every 6" section I have measured is spot on. This was printed on a laser printer.

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Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Here is the pdf - I had to reduce the file size to post it here and haven't re-checked the accuracy. You get the idea though.

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Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Christian, if you google Wfret, you will find a nice program that will print any scale for you. Just stick it to you fingerboard with spray glue and cut on the line.

I got the Stewmac fret scale rulers and have been pretty happy with them. I use a normal fret slotting sled on my tablesaw, tape the ruler to the back of the fingerboard and visually align using magnifying reading glasses just to be on the safe side. Wouldn't be too hard to make templates and a guide pin, but I'm not churning out the guitars, so this works out pretty slick.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

I would do that but I am cutting the slots by hand. I don't have a tablesaw. I just bought the fret saw from LMI - tested it out a bit and seems like it will work very well.

I did download the wfret tool. It was very accurate too, I just wanted to print it lengthwise. The PDF only took about 10 minutes to create anyway.

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Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Christian, keep in mind that a print is close, but not always dead on, heck sometimes its not even close. Too many variables. If you don't buy templates, use a micrometer when you lay yours out.

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Aoibeann

you can use a fret slotting template with a handsaw or a table saw; the template goes under the board instead of on top of it. as others have said, it makes things not only simpler but more accurate.

Well I slotted the fretboard this weekend. It was in my mind one of the most frightening parts of the build. Just thinking of the accuracy necessary was a bit overwhelming. Even though I have two FB blanks, I contacted one of our sponsors about buying a slotted and radiused board. In the end though I didn't want to spend the money, and for my first guitar I'd like to say I did every part of it. Kind of a pride thing I guess. It came out better than expected too! I measured probably no less than 15 times after I was done cutting. It was perfect even though I expected a little less. I didn't use a miter box, I used a square block of mahogany clamped down to hold the saw at 90º. I thought it was my idea in lieu of a miter box, but then flipping through Cumpiano's book I saw him doing nearly the same thing.
Christian
P.S. Lillian - I wasn't convinced that the print would be accurate either, but after measuring several times I was shocked how spot on it was. I think the laser printer had something to do with that.

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Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Louis Hector Berlioz

Chansen / C hansen / C. Hansen / Christian Hansen - not a handle.

Christian

Good for you Christian! I'm glad to hear it came out so well.

Glad to hear that the laser print out was spot on. Nice to know. I know that my ink jet leaves a lot to be desired.

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Aoibeann