MIMF

So far on my classicals I cut the fret slots once the fretboard is glued on. I am thinking of switching to cutting the slots before I glue. So I have been looking at the fretting jigs from StewMac and Lmii. If I go this "mitre box/template" route what would you recommend? Are there plans for making a diy version of this?

Think the LMI is slicker, but both work well. if looking to use bought templates, just check your fave scales are available for the system you use, as they're not interchangeable.
In essence, they're both just a normal mitre box with a pin poking through the side and hard wearing slot that can be snugged up to the saw blade, so would be easy enough to make a suitable set up from a shop made box, just incorporate easy clamping and low friction snug guides for the blade.

Not sure if you have a tablesaw Simon but it sure made my life easier. Prior to that, I used a home made mitre box and Japanese saw which worked fine as well, but much more finicky than Stew Macs blade on a tablesaw. I made my mitre box as per Steve's suggestion above. One side of the slots is adjustable to allow for wear and incorporates UHMW guides. Very similar to Stew Macs set-up but made from wood. A finishing nail was used for the pin that registers off the templates.

I have the StewMac with a couple of their steel templates. It's a simple system and the key to getting good slots, as mentioned, seems to be the ability to snug up the blade so it can't wobble. The StewMac guides are brass and mine are very finicky so that you have to spend a little time adjusting them to get just the right amount of tension on the stroke...too little and you get an inaccurate cut and too tight makes the blade difficult to stroke. I put a little beeswax on the blade as a lubricant. As I get older, it's difficult for me to finish a board at one sitting and it takes quite a bit of work to slot by hand. I bought some EIR from my local hardwood store and am in the process of building out a dozen necks as a batch process. The fret slotting and radiusing is keeping me from finishing it up because it takes so long to hand cut even one fretboard. I think if I had it to do over again, I would opt for the tablesaw approach since it isn't that much more expensive if you have a table saw.

Thanks for the info. I don't have a table saw. Only hand tools and a few hand held electric tools (drill, router). The main issue is no space, hence hand tools. I have also come across the proxxon mini-table saw (there is a US equivalent) which I could probably use on the apprtments balcony. I have heard of people using it like a table saw for fretboards. But for the money I could buy a lifetime's supply of pre-slotted fretboards.

Hi Simon,
I made a table saw with an old motor and a 3 inch Makita saw blade that is dedicated to slotting fretboards. The total cost was about $17 ($7 for the motor and $10 for the blade). It's crude but effective. You don't need a lot of adjustments once things are set so a simple design is good enough.

Good point, Simon, about space and money. If you don't do a lot of guitars, buying preslotted and radiused is a definite advantage. Just sharing my experience with the StewMac jig so didn't mean to hijack the thread.

Strange, no matter how hard I look I can't seem to see Clay's picture of his home made table saw. . .

Clay, tell me more about this blade, did you have to have it ground to a thin enoug kerf?

I've been using one of the StewMac setups for years. It's the one with the little brass bars. I think I adjusted the guides once in 2008, and haven't touched them since. Everything works fine for me. I don't think it takes more than 15 or 20 minutes to slot a fretboard. I'm short on space, and I only make 6-8 guitars a year, so it's perfect for what I do. I mounted the jig to a chunk of wood that I just clamp in the bench vise.

Oh, and I do have one of those little Proxxon tablesaws. I can't imagine that it would work very well for fret slotting. It's a very light duty tool, and the blade tends to wander in hardwoods. I use mine mainly for making bridges.

Hi Bryan,
The blade I use is from the old style makita battery saw. They are about 3" in diameter and very thin - the proper width for Strw Mac fret wire. The blade I use is the plain steel one, not the carbide tipped one, which would cost more and give too large a kerf.
I will try to take a picture of my set up and post it when I figure out how to do that with linux. (I'll have to get the children to show me.)

Thanks Clay, are these blades still available like say at the BORG?

They used to be commonly found at hardware stores that sold Makita products, but I haven't looked there in a while. They still list them on eBay ( $9 + shipping). 3 3/8th inch, 50 tooth, plain shiny steel blade (no carbide)

I hate hand slotting. I converted a cheap tile saw by retrofitting it with a jeweler's slotting blade. The whole thing cost me around $50 and has done hundreds of slots without me breaking a sweat. I'm not allowed to post my website, but the details are there if you want them.

It's fine if you want to post a link that relates to a discussion and is helpful. that's not the same as just posting for free advertising, so go ahead Randy.
By the way, I also used a converted tile saw for a long time before I sprung for the Stew-Mac blade and now use a dedicated table saw.

I'd like to see Randy's set up. . .

I'm bit late to the game, but I just put this rig together. It uses a 0.024" japanese saw from Harbor Freight ($10), and I fitted it with a wooden stiffener/depth control (set to ~0.065") The caul which is clamping the fingerboard also guides the saw. It is hollowed to match the arch of the fingerboard and has bit of PSA sandpaper to give it a bit of grip. The caul is sprung over the fingerboard, anchored with the blue screw and the toggle clamp, thus gripping the fingerboard securely against the fence, yet allowing movement of the fingerboard when the toggle is released. The full-sized paper template for the fret & string spacings was done with Fret2Find, and was stuck down to the fingerboard with Elmer's Repositionable Mounting Spray adhesive. The adhesive is easily removed with spirits of naptha.

It goes pretty quick, and the price is reasonable. Hmmm, I bet that with some modificantions, that this rig could be used for fanned-fret fingerboards. Just use a springy bit of maple for the caul, and it could pivot on the screw, and the toggle could be replaced with T-bolt/knob that runs in an arced slot.