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My biggest fear in woodworking of any sort has always been accuracy. I have learned a lot in the past 3 years building up to this point. But I need to figure this one out. Didn't have any trouble with face dots on the fingerboard but as you can see from the photo I'm a long way away from anything approximating where I want to be! I will have to fill the bad holes and there are more than one with sawdust and glue. Not sure what glue to use but I think I'll use thinned down Titebond? And redrill. I'm not sure how to improve my accuracy and I welcome any tips!

Not sure what the proper way is, but I mark the spot with a fine sharpie or pencil and then use a bradpoint drill bit so it doesn't wander. Never had a problem this way. If I use a reject board already drilled inaccurately (like a Martin second), I turn a small toothpick and glue in, then redrill.

Chuck: I had exactly the same result as you on the first fretboard I drilled -- even though I carefully marked the spots and used an awl to create dimples to locate my drill. (The eye is remarkably sensitive to mis-centering and, even more, to non-uniform centering.)

My solution to misplaced side dots was a small jig using a scrap of aluminum that I bent to conform to the curve of the fretboard and then curl around the side of the fretboard. A side-dot-sized hole in the curl of the aluminum provided a guide which positioned my drill bit consistently. It still took care to position the dots appropriately along the length of the side of the fretboard.

If you have a drill press, very easy. Mark the spots, make an indent with a sharp awl, set the fence so that a brad point bit is right on the awl mark, and drill/move/drill/move the board down the fence and they will all be just right.

If no drill press, use a brad point drill in a drill motor and carefully position the point in the awl mark

Ed

A lot of good reading here for which I am grateful!
A common tip I've been catching is brad point but. I located a 1/16" b/p that should arrive later this week. Meantime I'll content myself with making a simple jig or two for this. :-)

Brad point bits are priceless for this...and with Amazon...they arrive super quick!

I would like to add my lesson learned here. Do not drill the side dots until you've radiused and leveled the fretboard! I've fallen in this trap twice now and it is so easy to avoid. Wait til you've got your fingerboard attached to your neck and you are ready to install the frets. Otherwise...the extra sanding will thin your fingerboard enough that your dots won't be centered anymore.

V/R
Ken

A bit of caution on using an awl to mark position. Don't be aggressive with it, just the least dimple that can guide a drill to center. I made a mistake on my last fingerboard and used an automatic center punch instead of an awl. Rosewood that thin splits readily.

Just thought - a trick I recently learned (might have been here!!) is to run the drill in reverse for a second and that scores the outline of the circle without any danger of digging in. I have use it on a couple of holes and it worked well, and will be using it on a fretboard in just a few days.

Ed

I use my Dad's old hand operated crank drill for this and the fingerboard dots. It goes forward and reverse with a lot less angst than a power drill.

Carl

I use a milling machine, but you probably don't have that option. I think 2nd choice would be a drill press. If you're doing the side dots, you'll likely need angle plate (or a piece of 4x4) to clamp the to. Get everything lined up and clamped where you want it, and drill.

If you clamp against the fingerboard, you can leave the angle plate (or 4x4) clamped to the drill press table and slide the neck along it, which will maintain the vertical alignment on the side of the fingerboard.