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Hi all,

Just wondering how you get your scale/ slotting guides. I've mostly used 24 3/4 and I simply bought a pre slotted board first time round, trimmed it and glue the trimming onto a board and then put it in my slotting jig as a template. Works perfect. Then I wanted a 25.5 scale so printed one out, it worked fine and the guitar is
Intonates great but the actual scale is off! I printed two more recently, both 647mm / 25.5 both different and neither right when checking with the stewmac calculator then checking with my calliper! So you guys all spend 50 something on a scale or mark with a knife and calipers? Or something else?

You didn't mention the source of your printed scales.

I'd recommend Fretfind2D if you're not already using that site.

I did use that but if you find it good I'll try to print another thanks. I'd day the tool is right but my computer and printer technology is pretty vintage...

I've done all of mine with a digital dial caliper, a pencil, and a calculator giving me the fret point by finding the 12th root of 2; put it in memory, and multiply by the scale. Scale times x=? Minus scale = distance. You might find the numbers for the scale you want. Then it is easy.
I mark them all first. Double check that they keep getting slightly closer together, or further apart.
Saw part way down, and double check that it is where you want. I check subtracting half the slot width for the first fret, and the entire slot width for the rest of them, from the actual distance between frets. Then you can double check by going over 2, or 3 slots, and making sure there is no accumulated error.

It works for me.

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Why be normal?

Taper the board, mark lines where the high and low E strings will be, use an x-acto knife and 36" iGaging straightedge with 1/64" graduations to mark the fret positions along those string paths, and then clamp a squared up wood block at each pair of marks and gently hold the saw against it as a guide while cutting the slot. Works just as well for fan frets as it does for regular.

My fret position chart is hand written, using the StewMac calculator to generate the values. But I convert the fractional part to 64ths plus a decimal so I can aim for a place between two marks. So like 1.426" becomes 1-27.3/64, meaning that the target position is between 27 and 28 64ths, and closer to 27.

I use templates, although on my first couple I did it all by hand and it was pretty easy.

Find your scale length in mm. Mark your nut, then measure each fret to the nearest 1/2 mm (plenty accurate). Measure each fret from the NUT to avoid compound error. Then just cut your slots on your untapered board using a square and clamped block. Doesn't really matter where you cut relative to the line as long as they're all the same.

IIRC I just cut about a 16th deep, then finished the depth with the depth stop clamped to the fret saw.

I'm mosty an imperial guy but I learned from my mentor to use mm for this purpose because it's pretty easy to eyeball with a ruler and an exacto.

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Pat

I bought the LMI templates and indexing pin for the scale lengths I wanted, a fret slotting blade for the table saw and built a sled for the first fretboard I made from scratch back in 2004 and never looked back. It's pretty foolproof.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

^ +1

Bonus points is that you can get mando scale from the 35” bass template…

I buy the templates and cut with a sled on a table saw like Terrance. Fast and accurate. I used to hand saw with a template in a fret sawing guide, but the sawing was wearing me out.

Just like this.


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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I use StewMac steel templates, a StewMac fret slot table saw blade, and a homemade table saw sled with an indexing pin (the pin comes from StewMac). It takes a modest amount of work to put the sled together, but it is worth the effort. Fret slots are super easy and accurate once you have all of this stuff.

I have used an electric bass template to cut fret slots for a baritone guitar; you just put the nut at the fret 1 slot. I otherwise just use the templates as labeled. They sell a decent variety.

I might start using a CNC for cutting fret slots, but in the absence of a CNC machine, I count the StewMac fret slot gear I mention above as pretty important tools for my own instrument making.

I might have missed something here but, the OP states that he “printed” the scales.
I don’t think that would be accurate. Back in the airplane factory prints were printed using some kind of drafting printer, probably not the right name for it, they were printed on Mylar and the Mylar had to be kept at a certain temp and not rolled tighter that 6” diameter.
The the math is straight forward. Get an aluminum yard stick, lay out where the fret slots should be and use a carbide blade on a table saw to cut the slots, there’s your guide.
That’s what I did when starting out, worked for me.

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

as has been noted, printing up anything on a normal printer is a sure fire way to be incorrect...

if you want true scale you have to have a printing business do the work, and they'll be using a special printer that has to be spot on to make anything to correct scale...I love it when an architect gives me some printout from their printer and expects me to measure scale (freaking idiots...and justification of that is way too long of a diatribe).

by the time you get done having something printed up correctly you'd probably be saving money by having paid for a template

Are any of the suppliers making custom templates? I'd like to have one made for 640mm and 655mm.

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Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

I would talk to Brad he might be able to make you some templates.

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If not, Andy at Birkonium certainly could…

I make my own templates out of 1/8" thick, flat aluminum bar stock bought at HD or Lowes. I mark each fret position with a sharp knife and cut the indexing slots with an Exacto saw which cuts the aluminum easily enough. I measure in 64ths of an inch which is just as fine as I can go with a magnifier and my aging eyes. I made the usual kind of sled for the table saw and for an indexing pin I installed a leaf from an old feeler gauge that fits snuggly in the slot made by the Exacto saw. It takes a while to measure, mark, triple check and cut the slots in the template but it's cheap and reliable and each fretboard ever after can be slotted in a few minutes.

Would be happy to make them, send me a PM if you’d like to discuss further.


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I do the same thing as Terrence…
I have this saw set up as a dedicated fret slotting system.
Literally takes me five minutes from start to finish to slot a fretboard.
I have about half a dozen different scales I use.
It's a 5HP Delta Unisaw...Like shooting a mouse with an elephant gun!





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Thanks people, I'm not that tooled up, I don't even have a table saw! I'll get busy marking with knife and calipers plus long aluminum rule to check I'm not getting out of whack. Then cut on my jig with Japanese hand saw.

A handsaw and calipers works fine. Starting with a knife may even be better. The only "jig" I have is a miter box just so the cut is square.

You'll be fine.

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Why be normal?

I cut by hand and although fairly slow works fine for a low production shop.

Clamp your ruler to the board and to the bench so nothing moves.

Get a local bright light, angled in the right direction, plus a magnifying glass.

Use a very sharp, stiff marking knife - not a craft knife they are too flexible. I like to use a knife with a single bevel so there is a definite edge to set against the ruler.

I put a mark for all the frets first - quite deep. Then check against your scale for any errors. This mark is deep enough to locate the tip of the knife exactly for the next step.

Then use a good quality square to score the lines across the board several times giving you a nice deep line. This has to be done while the board still has parallel sides. (or if tapered use a sliding bevel)

I then cut the slots in a home made jig that keeps the saw vertical and perpendicular to the board.

For spacing I use published tables, and as someone has mentioned always measure from the nut position to avoid accumulating errors.

So no machinery, little cost, just a bit (well quite a lot) more time.

Cheers Dave

I used an online fret calculator and do it on the cnc. The cnc really is a game changer. It took a while to program, but now I can put a piece of wood on the machine, hit go, and work on something else for a couple of hours, then come back to a finished fretboard. Just need to glue in the inlays that were also cut on the cnc. I use a .2mm stepover for the finish pass so very little sanding is needed.

G&W supply at 12.30 Euros + P&P
$50 is nuts

https://guitarsandwoods.com/dot-inlays-and-25-50-fret-scale-template-942837115.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0MG5BhD1ARIsAEcZtwSs4c0VFkO2Vkd-d4suMhaVz12zgCf7ajr4Ds4qDhYsjOUdlL5uycwaAgpuEALw_wcB

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.