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Comment by Grandpa on December 28, 2016 at 11:36am

Yes, Uncle John, cool old yardsticks can be a hard choice to put a saw across. This one was sacrificed for the greater good. You get two fretboards from each one. I generally pick up one or two when we go junkin' if they are pretty enough and have a patina. Usually pay $5 or $6 for one, never more. That said, I have one hanging up that I bought for fretboard use, but I have not been able to pull it down for cutting. Too purty!  As for the frets, I have taken to cutting them short (narrower than the fretboard), finishing the ends with a file, then installing them "centered" on the fretboard. I didn't want to sand off any patina on the yardstick if I could avoid it. I have done this on my past few builds, and the time involved is about the same as a traditional seat, trim, finish method. I read about this process a year or two back on these forums, and it works well for me. Give it a try!

Comment by Uncle John on December 28, 2016 at 2:37am

I like the yard stick fretboards.  Sometimes it is hard to cut them up.   I do not recall seeing frets done this way.  Looks good.