Slotting a classical guitar fretboard by hand: which sequence do you prefer?

[Simon Magennis]

Which way do you do classical fretboards by hand?

There first choice is whether to cut the slots before or after glueing the fretboard in place. So far I glue on the fretboard then slot and fret. I find it pretty stressful.

If you cut the slots before you glue on the fretboard then there is choice of cutting the slots on the squared off fretboard blank or tapering the fretboard to suit the neck first and then cutting the slots. Squared makes slotting easier; tapered makes fitting the fretboard later is easier.

I am guessing that the bulk of the people here slot their fretboards, squared up, before they glue it on and most likely use a table saw or something like that. I won't be going the table saw route any time soon, but I am thinking of switching to doing the fretboards off the neck for a change.

[Charlie Schultz]

For me, squared up and off the neck regardless of using a table saw or not. I like to draw the taper on the top just to remind me which end is which.

[Len McIntosh]

Off the neck!
Not to start anything but i also fret off the neck.

[Alan Carruth]

S;lot the sqaured off fingerboard blank, taper, and pin to the neck. Whether I'm using a plug-in neck or working on a solera, I glue the fingerboard after the binding is done/neck plugged in, and level it after glueing. I can't seem to get it level enough if I fret before gluing.

Alan Carruth / Luthier

[Brad Heinzen]

Yep, me too. Slot the blank, taper it, glue it on, level and add relief, install frets on the guitar. In my case, I don't finish carving the neck until after the FB is glued on, at least for CG's. I don't build many SS's, but I build those a little differently when I do. I glue the slotted, tapered FB onto the neck while it's attached dry to the body, then pull the neck off for fretting and finishing. That still gives me a chance to tune up the FB on the guitar before fretting.

[Tyko Runesson]

Definately first slot the fret board, if it is tapered or not comes depends on the shape and size of the material I am using. It feels slightly easier for me if it is square and not tapered because of the way I do the slots, but either way works.
The slots I do with handsaw and a special kind of jigsystem to hold the saw in the right angle. I don´t feel any need for table saw or something else, instead I enjoy the freedom to do whatever scale I or the customer wish. Or fanned frets if that´s the need.
After that I am tapering the fretboard in the bandsaw, preferable like about one mm on the safe side.
Then some 2 mm woodplugs in two of the slots down to the neckbland to secure it from sliding when gluing.
After the fretboard is glued I do the shape of the neck and also remove the "safe one mm" on the fretboard at the same time.

[Simon Magennis]

Hmm ... I am getting the distinct feeling that there is a pattern here.

[Michael Lewis]

When you slot the board before gluing it to the neck you don't risk marring the new top with the fret saw, and if you fret after installing the board you have the opportunity to make the surface level before installing the frets. It's curious how things can change shape during the assembly process, but by making each part "ready" for the next step you will end with a more accurate and better instrument.

Each person will find the method that suits him or her, and after processing through several instruments a system or rhythm will become established. There are more ways than one to get the job done.

[Tyko Runesson]

I have to add some information according to the last post from Michael Lewis.
I do level the fretboard and make the radius to it after I glued it on, that is for me an must cause things might change some when you glue two things together and I also find it easier to glue on a flat fretboard and also easier to do the radius when you have the fretboard on a neck (something to hold on to).

[Douglas Ingram]

Add me to the list of people who cut the slots on the un=tapered fingerboard before gluing it to the neck.

[Trevor Gore]

Here's another variation to add to the mix. First thing to say is that I normally do double tenon bolt on necks (continuous neck wood most of the way down the fretboard extension) which lets me do it this way at the accuracy I want; SS or classical. This is the SS procedure; the classical procedure is a little more involved:

1) Square the fretboard blank
2) Trim off any material that might be used for binding the fretboard
3) Slot the board
4) Crown the board
5) Taper the board
6) Glue the bindings back on and level them
7) Fret the board (press + Titebond), checking frets with a rocker as you go
8) Bevel or otherwise treat the fret ends
9) Make sure the neck is fully aligned to the body in all planes to give the right action, right string height above the soundboard at the saddle whilst remaining tangential to the upper bout (this has to be carefully designed, it won't just happen)
10) Glue on the fretboard, using a very stiff castellated caul over the fretboard to ensure it all glues up dead straight
11) Finish shaping the neck blank, blending neck and fretboard

If you're doing this right you shouldn't have to dress the frets at all, which is why I do it this way. The extra involvement for a classical neck is to do with the the geometry of the neck angle and how that interacts with the making of the double tenon. Hard to explain without a lot of drawings.