OM Fret board from 2" thick, flat sawen rosewood, 7"x36"

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Bob Howell
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OM Fret board from 2" thick, flat sawen rosewood, 7"x36"

Post by Bob Howell »

I want know if there is a good way to laminate a fret board out of this. Something like a strip of ebony down the middle of two pieces ripped off the side.

How has this been done?
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Pete Halliday
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Re: OM Fret board from 2" thick, flat sawen rosewood, 7"x36"

Post by Pete Halliday »

There would be a little waste, but you could cut the board at a bit of an angle to get the width up to 2 3/8" or 2 1/2". I'm guessing that about a 30 degree cut (you can figure out the actual trig.) would be enough to do the job and get you a decently quartered blank.
Gordon Bellerose
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Re: OM Fret board from 2" thick, flat sawen rosewood, 7"x36"

Post by Gordon Bellerose »

I have seen multi piece fret boards in pictures.
I see no reason why you could not do exactly as you said.
I think that you may want to calculate your glue joints so that they aren't right over the truss rod.

Go to "conklinguitars.com" to see pics. I am not affiliated or in any way associated with that company.
It is interesting how much he charges for his guitars.
I need your help. I can't possibly make all the mistakes myself!
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Bryan Bear
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Re: OM Fret board from 2" thick, flat sawen rosewood, 7"x36"

Post by Bryan Bear »

I would think you could bookmatch them and get a nice look. That would leave a lot of extra material from the edges to make "bindings" for several other 2" wide strips to make up the width for other fret boards.
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David King
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Re: OM Fret board from 2" thick, flat sawen rosewood, 7"x36"

Post by David King »

I did multi-piece fingerboards on my first few instruments and they seemed to hold up. Make sure that your wood is as dry as it will ever be before glueing it up and glueing it to the neck. If you plan to use a dual action rod right under the fingerboard I'd suggest inlaying a wider strip down the back of the center joint/s.
Bob Howell
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Re: OM Fret board from 2" thick, flat sawen rosewood, 7"x36"

Post by Bob Howell »

Bryan Bear wrote:I would think you could bookmatch them and get a nice look. That would leave a lot of extra material from the edges to make "bindings" for several other 2" wide strips to make up the width for other fret boards.
This approach seems to make the most sense. I'm going to cut one in two and glue it to both sides of the other to avoid a seam down middle.
Cumpiano calls for finished thickness of 7/32. Is this the current choice? I have found thinking has changed much over the past 30yrs.
Gordon Bellerose
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Re: OM Fret board from 2" thick, flat sawen rosewood, 7"x36"

Post by Gordon Bellerose »

Bob Howell wrote:
Bryan Bear wrote:I would think you could bookmatch them and get a nice look. That would leave a lot of extra material from the edges to make "bindings" for several other 2" wide strips to make up the width for other fret boards.
This approach seems to make the most sense. I'm going to cut one in two and glue it to both sides of the other to avoid a seam down middle.
Cumpiano calls for finished thickness of 7/32. Is this the current choice? I have found thinking has changed much over the past 30yrs.
Fret board thickness can vary. I've done down to 7/32, and up to 5/16. 1/4 seems like the average, not the law.
Is this for an acoustic, or electric guitar?
I need your help. I can't possibly make all the mistakes myself!
Keith Howell
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Re: OM Fret board from 2" thick, flat sawen rosewood, 7"x36"

Post by Keith Howell »

Image

Or perhaps do something like this?
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