Slotting boards

[nkforster]

I've not slotted a board for years. Ebony dust was really doing me in so about 10 years ago I shipped all by fretboards to a lad who slotted them and radiused the lot on his cnc for a very reasonable price. But I'm starting to get to the end of that batch. I've also been using LMI for their slotting/radius service which is very reasonable, and I like their Royal Blackwood boards which you don't need to worry about seasoning. But as we all know, LMI is closing its doors. I've stocked up on boards from them and have plenty, but there will be the odd one I have to do from time to time.

What I didn't want to do is slit boards on my table saw. I never liked doing it that way, and I'd struggle to say why, but I thought I'd try something else. I had a look on line and saw a few folk using radial arm saws but I've not the space for one. There are also a few videos of using sliding mitre saws, so I picked one up cheap off Facebook Marketplace.

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I bought a cheap 90mm x 0.6mm slitting saw from MJ Tooling in Australia, and made a plastic washer from an old thick plastic chopping board. The washer sets the depth of cut and allows me have a consistent slot depth. It rides on the fretboard surface and works with flat and radiused boards. You'll see the platform I built to raise the fretboards to the approximate height. The platform is wide enough to cut three boards at a time.

Anyway, it works a treat. Feel free to copy.

[kiwigeo]

Thanks Nigel.

[Mark McLean]

That is a clever way to set the depth of cut.

[Taffy Evans]

Hi, that's a nifty-looking setup, how is fret spacing arrived at? I suppose you could make kerfing on that too.
Taff

[nkforster]

Hi, that's a nifty-looking setup, how is fret spacing arrived at? I suppose you could make kerfing on that too.
Taff

Same as most other slotting set ups. With a template and a pin.

You could make kerfing but there are better ways. You'd need a wider blade than 0.6mm too. I like jigs that are more automated like the one Robbie O'Brian posted years ago.

https://youtu.be/P0BIQGoO_Vc?si=TpJZpO94GpjFYy0v&t=82

[nkforster]

I swapped the washer for two smaller ones, but the idea is the same.

Here it is working:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CyziHrUSGvK/

[Taffy Evans]

Hi Nigel, yes that’s the bandsaw method I have been using for kerfing. I had a fret slotting circular saw that was buckled and gave a too wide slot, too wide for frets so I designed a kerfing saw using the same principles, but never got to finish it off.
Taff