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Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10123&t=39699		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  lactose [ Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
For some reason I ordered a cocobolo fretboard a while back, and decided to use it on the five string I am building. The blank was about 11mm thick, about double what is normal, and this always aggravates me that they make the blanks so thick. Since fate has placed me in an apartment for the time being, I don't have a thickness sander, and I can't imaging planing 5mm off of an area that size, and keeping it reasonably straight. So here was my bright idea: I thought I would just run it over the table mounted router, being careful to leave a strip on each side unrouted for support. When finished, all I have to plane is a thin strip down each side, which was doable in thirty minutes. I will do the final pass / flattening with sandpaper on the counter top, and / or sandpaper mounted on a level. I ended up with a thickness of ~ 6.2mm, which should be fine after sanding and putting a 12" radius on it.

FWIW my "table top router" is a sheet of 24" x 24" plywood with the router mounted on it. It sits over top of a plastic storage tub, :D

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Author:  Arnt Rian [ Wed Mar 13, 2013 6:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
I congratulate you for finding a seemingly convenient way to thin that piece, but if you spent 30 minutes planing down the small amount of leftover material, it sounds like you either need a larger plane, or learn how to adjust the one you have for coarser shavings. Actually, a bench plane (a #3, 4 or 5 Stanley or equivalent) would be my preferred tool for doing this whole operation, if I was working in an apartment and wanted to avoid too much dust and noise. With a coarse setting for removing the bulk of the material, and a fine setting for smoothing things, the job should be done in the time it took you to set up that router arrangement. Seriously.
Author:  joe white [ Wed Mar 13, 2013 2:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Or possibly checked here on the forum to see if anyone lived close to you. I have allowed builders to use my drum sander on several occasions and I bet there are many here that would offer to do the same. I do commend your ingenuity though. I tend to be the same way. [:Y:]
Author:  nyazzip [ Wed Mar 13, 2013 2:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
why not leave the fret board thick? i'd rather have more cocobolo/less mahogany or maple(or whatever the neck material will be) on a neck any day. you'd just have to be more creative with the truss rod channel, if you are using one at all.
Author:  Freeman [ Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
A thickness sander is one tool I'll never buy. I just run to the local cabinet shop with my calipers in hand while the operator runs my stock through their sander. Generally costs me 5 or 10 bucks - I have them do all the tops, sides and back for my acoustics and body blanks for electrics.
Author:  Tony_in_NYC [ Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Freeman wrote:
A thickness sander is one tool I'll never buy. I just run to the local cabinet shop with my calipers in hand while the operator runs my stock through their sander. Generally costs me 5 or 10 bucks - I have them do all the tops, sides and back for my acoustics and body blanks for electrics.


Oh but once you have one you will find it is useful for so many things. Come on Freeman....get a thickness sander. Come on. Cooooommmmmeeeeee ooooonnnnnnn!
Author:  Chameleon [ Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Do you have a drill press? I think a safety planer would be more efficient than using a router.
Author:  Tony_in_NYC [ Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Filippo Morelli wrote:
I run so much stuff through my thickness sander so frequently, I'd be driving to the cabinet shop a half dozen times each week! Or more!!

Filippo


That's what I'm talking about. Braces, tops, backs, sides, saddles, very small rocks, bridge plates, everything! It is my most used tool second only to my chair.
Author:  Chameleon [ Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Tony_in_NYC wrote:
Filippo Morelli wrote:
I run so much stuff through my thickness sander so frequently, I'd be driving to the cabinet shop a half dozen times each week! Or more!!

Filippo


That's what I'm talking about. Braces, tops, backs, sides, saddles, very small rocks, bridge plates, everything! It is my most used tool second only to my chair.


Anybody have some plans for a homemade one? My table saw motor has a double shaft. I'd like that second shaft to run a thickness sander. Then I'd be in the money!
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Check out the thread: viewtopic.php?t=31794
Pat Hawley has a great design that is working very well for me.
Author:  DennisK [ Sun Mar 17, 2013 3:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
One handy technique for quick material removal by hand is to saw a bunch of slots in it, maybe 3/8-1/2" apart, and then knock out the chunks with a chisel.

For softer woods like mahogany and walnut, if I only need to remove 1/8" or so, I just go at it with a chisel or gouge, ripping and tearing (usually across the grain works best) until I've removed a fair amount of material from the whole surface before going to the block plane. Not a lot faster, but some. Rosewoods are a bit too hard, and easier to just plane from the get go. Although I also use a chisel if I need to remove more than 1/16" or so thickness from small pieces of any species, where I can't get a good run on it with the plane. Gives a big head start on scraping.

A thickness sander would indeed be nice to have... but is about half the size of my entire shop. And the other half would go to the dust collector. Besides, I feel awesome when the power goes out and I just keep working like normal.
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Sun Mar 17, 2013 9:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
DennisK wrote:
One handy technique for quick material removal by hand is to saw a bunch of slots in it, maybe 3/8-1/2" apart, and then knock out the chunks with a chisel.

For softer woods like mahogany and walnut, if I only need to remove 1/8" or so, I just go at it with a chisel or gouge, ripping and tearing (usually across the grain works best) until I've removed a fair amount of material from the whole surface before going to the block plane. Not a lot faster, but some. Rosewoods are a bit too hard, and easier to just plane from the get go. Although I also use a chisel if I need to remove more than 1/16" or so thickness from small pieces of any species, where I can't get a good run on it with the plane. Gives a big head start on scraping.

A thickness sander would indeed be nice to have... but is about half the size of my entire shop. And the other half would go to the dust collector. Besides, I feel awesome when the power goes out and I just keep working like normal.

Check out the thread I posted above. I built a thickness sander under my workbench top. No additional floor space was used. Cost me about $150 and, like others here, I could not imagine life without it.
Author:  Tony_in_NYC [ Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
But where will you sit?
Author:  Tony_in_NYC [ Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Filippo Morelli wrote:
Why, on the sander, of course.

Filippo


Brilliant! You have thought of everything!
Author:  Tony_in_NYC [ Mon Mar 18, 2013 11:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Does the good news ever end!?
Author:  lactose [ Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Sorry for the late reply, some force distracted me every time I went to check this thread.
Thanks Joe, I bet my teacher would let me use his thickness sander, especially if I slipped him a 20, even though I had to stop lessons.
I annoy him when I bring in my weird woods, like bamboo lam.
I know what it is like to have access to a thickness sander, they are great. I was getting dates left and right.
Part of what I am doing is trying to build a guitar without my previous tools.

Having said that, if anyone lives near Orange Cty, CA, and you have some tools, PM me.
If I really need some power toolage and you don't mind, I will be glad to chip in to your luthiery fund (or maybe replace your sanding belt after the bamboo).
Author:  FishtownMike [ Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Apartment Luthiery: Thinning a fretboard
Tony_in_NYC wrote:
Freeman wrote:
A thickness sander is one tool I'll never buy. I just run to the local cabinet shop with my calipers in hand while the operator runs my stock through their sander. Generally costs me 5 or 10 bucks - I have them do all the tops, sides and back for my acoustics and body blanks for electrics.


Oh but once you have one you will find it is useful for so many things. Come on Freeman....get a thickness sander. Come on. Cooooommmmmeeeeee ooooonnnnnnn!

I bought the Performax 10/20 plus sander a few years ago. Yeah its expensive but I don't know how I live with out it....Mike
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