redwood 00

[Talladam]

It looks really classy. I've etched aluminum before with ferric chloride. It is common for people who make custom stompboxes. It might look cool as a headstock plate on a future build.

[ruby@magpage.com]

I'll keep it mind. A friend can make an engraved plate in brass but I am having trouble locating a nickel plater

Ed

[ruby@magpage.com]

I took a break from this little guitar for some household Covid chores. Among them was a set of bunkbeds for the grandkids the next time they come

1) The beds

2) When I got done, the bench looked like this

3) That's more like it - ready for action

[ruby@magpage.com]

The curse of the three-pictures-only

1) One last check of neck set before fretting and completing the neck. A little flossing of the joint - 80 grit with packing tape on the back pulled through each side of the joint to get there, then 220 grit to make it look just right

2) Straightedge along the unfretted board heading for my bridge blank of fake ivory

3) With no frets, the straight edge just kisses the top of the bridge, and the side-to-side is just right

[ruby@magpage.com]

1) For fretboard side markers, I usually just poke a starter hole with an awl and drill by hand. This is my first Richlite board which is too hard to get a good starter hole, so I am making the jig I have thought about for several instruments now. I have chosen 3/32" as my side marker size, so I drill a 3/32" hole a little less than 1/8" from one edge of a scrap of hardwood and cut off the piece. It is 1-1/4" deep and about as long as the distance between the upper frets. This is not my idea, but so simple

2) I glue it to a thin piece of wood. This will work for perhaps 50-100 markers before the hole is enlarged enough to lose accuracy. If you were building a lot of instruments you could drill a larger hole and glue in a piece of copper or brass tubing with a 3/32" inside diameter as a bushing to last longer.

3) I touch the butt end of a 3/32" bit to my grinder at a slight angle to make the edges sharp all around

[ruby@magpage.com]

1) Drill a couple of holes the next size up (7/64" in this instance) in a piece of scrap, then chuck the 3/32" bit upside down in the drill press so the bit goes into one of the holes when you lower the quill

2) Take a scrap of whatever material you need as dots - in this case ivoroid material - and use the bit as a punch in the drill press. The marker pieces will fill up the hole - don't let a hole fill up all the way as they get harder to get out later. I made 12 when I only need 7. I have only done this with plastic, but I wonder if it would work in wood?

3) Split the scrap piece with a chisel and . . .

[ruby@magpage.com]

1) . . . like eggs in an ant hill, the pieces will fall out. The drill-bit-punch idea is not mine - I believe I got it from our own John Hall

2) Chuck the 3/32" bit in a drill motor so that just a 1/16" sticks out the other side of the jig with the chuck touching the jig. Be sure there is a center line marked on the jig

3) Mark the location of your side markers on the face of the fretboard. Clamp the jig to the back (flat side) of the board so that the reference marks line up

[ruby@magpage.com]

1) Run the drill bit in as far as it will go and the holes will be a consistent distance from the bottom of the board, and a consistent depth. This 10-minute jig will last for my guitar making career

2) Tap in the markers so they are not quite flush, then add a drop of thin CA glue

3) When the glue is dry, scrape or sand everything down level. Looks just right. You'll notice that I have cut that angle on the last frets of the board - a 19th century practice I think looks nice

[ruby@magpage.com]

1) Tap the flange of a scrap of fret wire with a punch to get it to bend, then file the studs off the tang. Now you can slide it down the length of each fret slot it to check the depth

2) I file the very sharp edge off the fret slots using a triangular file to help with starting the frets and with causing less damage when they need removal

3) I tap in the frets with my cobbler's hammer with a dome face I polished - I put blue tape on it 8 guitars ago and it still looks fine. Tap one in and cut it off - repeat

[ruby@magpage.com]

1) Now trim the ends close with an altered cutter

2) After making sure the frets are seated properly, I run a small amount of thin CA glue down each edge to lock in the fret

3) Now I file the ends flush with the side of the board always filing towards the board so as not to dislodge the frets, then angle the end of the fret crown in just a little - I'll do more later