Build Update #9

I got the 2nd fretboard on friday and in one day I installed the inlays and binding and radiused the board. The next day i drilled and installed the side fret markers and cut and nipped the frets.


The fretboard in my sanding jig that keeps the sanding block square with the board. I used 100, 150, 220, 400 grits in that order to complete the fretboard.



I couldn't help myself.



I bought the traditional gibson single action truss rod thinking i just needed to route a straight channel, and things would go quickly. After some research, i discovered a curved truss rod channel would work much better (my plans called for a double action truss rod, which would have been simple to install). I did find on the internet a blueprint of a vintage les paul neck, which showed the curved channel. I took some measurements and drew up the curve on a piece of MDF. I then cut it out and sanded flush to the line. The shaped was transferred to another identical piece of MDF via a router with a flush trim bit. These two curved rails were hot glued to the edges of the untrimmed neck blank. A sled was attached to the router, which held a 3/16" router bit. Two little MDF guides were screwed to the base of the sled to keep the router aligned with the MDF rails.




It sled true and smooth. No wobble or rocking. I had to have checked the centering 12 or so times before making the route.



With 1/16" routing increments, i made the route until it was .49" at the deepest, .375" at the nut, and ~.28 at the truss rod anchor (21st fret). I cut a filler to go atop the rod out of a scrap piece of mahogany. It isn't shown, but it was cut to the same curve and planed to fit snug in the slot, if you catch my drift. I later chiseled the truss rod nut cavity and drilled the anchor hole.




I also cut a headstock template from some hard pine, complete with the Gibson mustache.




I spent about an hour scraping the .090" binding down flush with the sides. I decided to go with the .090" over the .060" because the binding channel was ever so slightly deeper than .060", so i went a tad thicker. I ran into problems because there was quite a bit of material to remove. A razor blade with a curved edge acted as a simple scraper to remove the binding. Unfortunately, it scraped at a slight angle and removed a bit more binding than i expected and so now the binding looks really thin. I had a small fit of frustration, but i'm over it. It still looks awesome. here i wiped the wood with a damp cloth. I can't wait.




I cut my fretwire and 'nipped the fret tang' with a pair of modified Husky end nippers. I will wait until the fretboard is attached to the neck to install the frets.



I'm heading out now to pick up a 10-32 die for the end of the truss rod. The mahogany filler strip should get clamped in tonight.

-Andrew