Fret scale jig...

[nnickusa]

I'm working on some other bits for the guitar I'm building, and the fretboard is one.....

I have an idea for making a jig to cut the fret slots, but I don't think I'm likely to find a ruler that mmeeasures down to 14.213456inches, so I plan to make my own, and from what I can tell my Ovation Balladeer has a 25.4" scale. Can anyone confirm this, and does it matter. I really like my Ovaltion, and wouldn't mind having this one very similar....ie: scale, and neck profile, etc...

The Ovation measures 634mm to the leading edge of the bridge, does this sound right? From the plans in the Kinkade book, the scale is 631mm with a bit extra to the front of the bridge....

As usual, thanks for any advice. I've seen scale jigs for sale, but I don't really want to spend the bux for one of those,

Thanks,
Nick

[kiwigeo]

I'm working on some other bits for the guitar I'm building, and the fretboard is one.....

I have an idea for making a jig to cut the fret slots, but I don't think I'm likely to find a ruler that mmeeasures down to 14.213456inches, so I plan to make my own, and from what I can tell my Ovation Balladeer has a 25.4" scale. Can anyone confirm this, and does it matter. I really like my Ovaltion, and wouldn't mind having this one very similar....ie: scale, and neck profile, etc...

The Ovation measures 634mm to the leading edge of the bridge, does this sound right? From the plans in the Kinkade book, the scale is 631mm with a bit extra to the front of the bridge....

As usual, thanks for any advice. I've seen scale jigs for sale, but I don't really want to spend the bux for one of those,

Thanks,
Nick

I challenge anybody to pick a guitar with a fret slot cut at 14.213456" against one with the slot cut at 14.2".

I don't bother with fret scale jigs.....I clamp a steel ruler to the fretboard blank and mark off fret slots using a scalpel. I then go back and recheck marks twice. I then rub white chalk into the scalpel nicks to make them more visible and cut the slots by hand using an LMI fretsaw and jig.

[Kamusur]

Just like Martin alludes to, god I wish I could either measure or hear the difference.

Steve

[nnickusa]

Fair Call, Martin. I stopped and got a good rule with 1/2 mm marks, so that should be as close as I need to get....

Cheers,
Nick

[kiwigeo]

Fair Call, Martin. I stopped and got a good rule with 1/2 mm marks, so that should be as close as I need to get....

Cheers,
Nick

Correct..we dont want to end up micrometering the brick.

A ruler with 0.5m marks is plenty accurate. I wear a binocular headset when marking out the fretboard so I can see the 0.5mm markings on the ruler.

[charangohabsburg]

I use a ruler with 1 mm marks and eyeball the 1/2 mm, 1/3 mm or 1/4mm between the marks. I find 0.5mm marks too confusing. Try which one goes better for you.

Especially on short scale instruments (ukes, charangos, etc.) one will (I do) note the difference (error) of 1/3 mm (0.013456" = ca. 0.34 mm) BUT the error by just slightly different pressure on the string when playing will be significantly greater. The important thing is to do all measurements from the same point (nut, respectively fret zero position), otherwise you risk to (no, you certainly would) sum up insignificant measuring errors to significant ones.

[Nick]

I've used the point side of vernier calipers in the past(before I got setup for cutting them on a tablesaw) but the tapered down section of the jaws would do just the same. I just set them to the number I had then did the scalpel marking trick, making a mark either side of the board's centreline, then adjust it for the next measurement & so on. As any woman will tell you, the last two decimal places don't matter (in this case from a tonal/note point of view) too much but the engineer in me likes to work to at least two decimal places

[nnickusa]

Yeah, the creeping gain one gets by not working from the zero is actually amazing....I've been on building jobs where the difference between the idea of adding on and working from zero can end up with a foot or more discrepancy at the other end.

Fortunately, the book gives me the numbers without having to do the math work....

cheers,
nick

[kiwigeo]

Yeah, the creeping gain one gets by not working from the zero is actually amazing....I've been on building jobs where the difference between the idea of adding on and working from zero can end up with a foot or more discrepancy at the other end.

Fortunately, the book gives me the numbers without having to do the math work....

cheers,
nick

We have that problem on the oil rigs when the roughnecks strap the drill pipe.....if they manage to find a tape measure without the end missing off it then they either transpose the decimal place on the measurements or do other wonderful things with the figures . Over a 3000m well you can imagine what the depth error is going to be.

[auscab]

There is slight mistake at this part of the book, well my book at least ,they may have corrected it by your copy,
I don't have it with me to tell you the numbers. I think Kinkade would have been quite mad with the printers or whoever proof read it more likely . If you notice they also spelt his surname wrong on the cover.
How P'd off would you be at that ?

Not trying to bag the book though, Its a great book, every thing else is great
If you notice each addition from the nut progressively is a smaller number, the last one for the 20th fret is a larger number than the one before it ?? I'm pretty sure that was the way it went.

I was directed to the Stewmac fret calculator for the right number.

[nnickusa]

Hah> Yeah, according to the book, the 20th fret falls somewhere in between the 17th and 18th.....

I did notice the surname error, too....Woulda P'd me off for sure. Nothing like a good proofread!

Also think the last fret should be 441.97mm, not 411.97

[MBP]

You could always buy a pre slotted fretboard.

I use a jig and do them on the table saw. Takes about 3 minutes to cut one. Any scale can be used.

[Allen]

Micheal made me a whole set of fretting templates using his Bridgeport style milling machine and a digital readout. Accurate to .005mm. Bloody nice too, but I doubt I could ever hear the difference in the last decimal point.

[nnickusa]

In all honesty, I'm practically tonedeaf. I've ruined my hearing with too many years of power tools and no ear protection. I can get a guitar close, but I need a tuner to dial it in

On the plus side, the frequency of complaining women seems to have been totally obliterated