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I’m truly amazed how people get their knickers in a knot over working out fret spacing for a fingerboard. It’s dead easy to do the calculations for any scale in a spreadsheet, and then transfer the slot spacing with a really sharp pencil to the fingerboard blank.

I use a fret slotting blade in my table saw, and a sled. I’ve done countless fingerboards like that. Doing it by hand is really no different.

I don’t use templates except for multi-scale fingerboards. I print out the FretFind printout in reverse, and tape that onto the back of the fingerboard. It then is put on the sled, aligning the slot location with a stretched fishing line that passes over the blade.

It’s not rocket science.


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Totally understandable. I helped a friend teach a cigar box guitar making class to 5th and 6th graders about seven or eight years ago, and it completely blew my mind when he had them lay out their frets and cut the slots completely free hand without so much as a guide. I’d only used pre-slotted boards or my LMI slotting jig up to that point. It was a moment that helped me realize how doable this all is.


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Hi Bob,
If you study modern "equal tempered tuning" methods compared to "just intonation" tuning, and the rabbit hole of the many different attempts to make a compromise between the two you may come to understand that fretted instruments can never truly "play in tune". I'm not saying that you shouldn't measure and mark and cut carefully, just that you will have to accept the limitations of the fretted fingerboard.
An interesting article that might help explain things a little:
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/a ... everything.
Once upon a time instruments (flutes, etc.) were made in a particular key, and in order to change keys you had to change instruments. That was back when music was "young and sweet and pure"
Then the adulterous equal temperament came along and we started fretting over our fingerboards.

I am pretty sure I understand this now, I have no idea who Susan Gardner is but the first part of that vid explained it pretty well to me.





Sorry you think that...




I agree, the second one I did I used the cutoff of a pre slotted board from my first build. It came out fine. But I never knew "why" until now.





I agree, I sort of just glossed over different scale lengths but never understood how they were actually calculated out.

As far as seeing it done, the first part of that vid was it for me.

Thanks,
Bob

This is very easy to fix! Your scale prints out a total of 2 x 1/32" = 1/16" too long, so change the scale length or change the printer scaling (if you can do that down to tenths of a percent.

Method 1: Tricking WFRET into printing out an accurate template

1. Old Desired WFRET Scale Length: 28.600"
2. Printed WFRET Scale Length: 28.663"
3. Print Error: 1/16" (0.063")... too long, so the scale length has to be reduced!
4. New Desired WFRET Scale Length: Old Desired Scale Length - Print Error = 28.600" - 0.063" = 28.537"

Print, assemble, and check the length between nut and 12th... this should be 14.300"

Note: Once the scale length is changed to 'trick' WFRET into getting your printer to produce an accurate template, the printed distance table from nut to fret and from adjacent frets won't be accurate, as it is going to be for the tricky new scale length (28.537")... use the distance table from WFRET for the 28.600" scale length or use the StewMac calculator.

Method 2: Using the printer's scaling function to adjust the template printout

If the printer allows scale adjustment down to the tenths of a percent, you can adjust the print scale as follows:

1. Divide the desired (old) scale length by the template scale length: 28.600"/28.663" = 0.998
2. Multiply by 100 to get the percent adjustment for the error: 0.998 * 100 = 99.8 percent
3. Print the WFRET template using this 99.8 percent scale factor

Note: The total error should be under 0.006" using this method, but keep in mind that some printers only allow whole percent changes to print scale, so this method will not work for errors which are not very close to whole percentages.

Good luck with the project - it sounds interesting!

_________________
For the times they are a changin'

- Bob Dylan

@Woodie G

Thanks for that info, I saved your post into my "how to" folder for future reference.

I went to my brother in-law's and he helped me mark out the fret layout. All I have to do now is just notch it and make up a jig.

At some point when I need them I will now be able to make any scale I need on my own.

I would really like to thank all of those that helped me figure this out. I probably could have found the info elsewhere but hopefully this thread will help someone in the future.

Thanks again,

Cheers,
Bob

Is per a post above, about using a 34” precut and cutting off at 3rd, I have a 34” template u could borrow. Pm if interested. It’s made by stew-mac

Thanks for the offer Mike, I have my template almost finished, started filing the notches a couple of days ago and had to stop working on it because of other commitments but hope to get in the shop this afternoon.

An interesting thing I found out when my brother in law was helping me lay it out. I told him that I couldn't figure out why when I measured the template one time it was dead on and another time it was off by about 1/32". I showed him using an aluminum ruler I "had" been using in my shop.

He got his ruler out and measured it at multiple places and found the template was accurate. He then measured my ruler and it showed that my ruler was at fault... I have had this ruler for a number of years and it is the main straight edge I use for checking neck flatness when doing fret work. He checked the edge for being true and it was but I had lapped it on my table saw top. So I know now not to use it for measuring things.

So just a bit of advice... Do not just trust that your rulers are accurate.

Hope this helps someone out there,

Cheers,
Bob