Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on October 19, 2009 at 4:46pm

The last two necks me and my son made used 1/16" brass rod, glued into slots cut w/hack saw blade and then filed to shape. First individually, and then by just using a flat file to shape the ends together. I used titebond wood glue, clamped for 24 hrs. My son used gel super glue, clamped for 30 min. On both, we roughed up the "back" side of the rod to give the rods some tooth for the glue. They both have survived the vibrations of the final finishing sander on the necks w/o coming loose, so I think they will stay put. Extra fine steel wool will give them a nice bright shine if that is what you want. We used masking tape on the edges of the neck to keep the glue from seeping out of the slots, and applied the wood glue w/a hypodermic needle ( I give the dog allergy shots at home,yuk!). The gel ca came in a pinpoint dispenser that worked fine too. Go easy with the glue. Check the pics in my profile if you want.

Permalink Reply by Paul H (PRH) on November 29, 2009 at 2:20pm

I took a class that had us ink the tops of the frets with a sharpie type marker and hit the fretboard lengthwise with a long flat fine file. Low frets stay black, high ones show bright metal. Repeat as needed.
BTW, The classes were help in Chicago and I can recomend them highly (some interesting custom builds too). .

John Sims said:

One way I use is to cut your grooves and then file them to the correct depth, but don't glue them in. Then, I use a straight edge and lay it across the frets and the neck lengthwise, and you'll easily be able to see which frets are needing more filing in the groove portion, and which frets are filed too low, which means that you'll have to file the rest of the fret channels/grooves a bit lower, or add more glue (sometimes mixed with sawdust that matches the neck wood) under the fret...

C. B. Gitty said:

The one time I tried using nails on a one-string diddleybow/canjo, I had issues with the frets/nails being at slightly different heights, which caused some of the frets to buzz. Have you run into this? Is the only way around it using extreme care when cutting the grooves they rest in?

Permalink Reply by Penny Nelson on December 1, 2009 at 9:32pm

thats such a great concept. One of the reasons I have put off attempting to build a CGB is that with limited tools and no workshop making the fretboard seemed beyond me. i.e. not getting the right depth for the frets, what type of glue etc... you have answered them all....

Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on December 2, 2009 at 3:04am

I posted these on a forum thread. These are jigs and a
saw I use with a modification that includes a depth gauge. The jig is scraps of wood left over and some dowel made a removable jig to cut square frets with. I also looked at StewMacs saw and decided to make an adjustable depth gauge. Once the guide reaches the top of the jig, the cut should be the depth. Nice and even. I just need some 1/8" screws to hold the depth gauge with.

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