Chamfer on the Fretboard

[johnc.marple]

Hi

I have been looking at my factory made guitars, specifically a Martin D18 and noticed that the fretboard is chamfered. This is a stock photo to explain what I am seeing, as I couldn't get a decent picture of my D18. I would like to repeat this on one of my builds, does anyone do this already, and what do you use to get the chamfer? I did a test with fret end file and couldn't repeat it, I assume the chamfer is put on before the fret install.  My fretboards are bound, the example in the picture isn't.

[Roger Sorensen]

I’m not an expert, and I have six martins and never noticed it before.  So I don’t know what Martin does,  but I do have a tool from Stewart McDonald that is a little block of plastic about 1.25” x 1.25” x4” with a file embedded at a 45 degree angle.  It looks like the frets were done at the same time in your photo. As with anything at Stew Mac, be prepared to pay a lot of money.   That’s the part I hate.  To make one tool of any kind takes a long time.  So they can probably make the same tool with CNC or something for a couple of dollars and you will buy it anyway because it takes so long.  I have built side benders and stuff but something like this you cant buy just a tiny piece of plastic and then you gotta go get a file, you wish u had spent the $60 and got it done with.  It really makes the frets consistent on the ends and if you went further, it would put that chamfer on the fingerboard at the same time.   But whatever you do has to be done after the frets are installed because if you do it before the frets go in, there will be a little gap under the fret unless you are extremely careful and lucky.

 

 

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I have been looking at my factory made guitars, specifically a Martin D18 and noticed that the fretboard is chamfered. This is a stock photo to explain what I am seeing, as I couldn't get a decent picture of my D18. I would like to repeat this on one of my builds, does anyone do this already, and what do you use to get the chamfer? I did a test with fret end file and couldn't repeat it, I assume the chamfer is put on before the fret install.  My fretboards are bound, the example in the picture isn't.

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[Rich]

I made one. Just make it out of a file and 1.5" x 4-5" block of wood. Cut the slot with a couple of passes on the table saw. I think 45° is too much and mine is about 20°.

While making them also make one at 90° to sharpen scrapers. Buy a nice file and cut it off. Works great. Sheet matel screws with the tip bround off hold the file.

Rich

[Paul McEvoy]

That stock photo is a bass I think and I think that chamfer would be way too much on a guitar. 

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[Stephen Foss]

John,

I've made one of the fret-end filers, like RIch. Choose whatever angle suits you. 

THanks to Paco Chorobo for showing how to get that campher on the FB edge. Merely chalk the FB edge and, using your newly built fret-end file until the chalk disappears. 

Steve

[Colorado Clem]

You would not want to go as far in the picture of the Martin bass on a six string. The problem with doing it like the Martin picture is it takes too much off the fret board width of a six string and you can have strings slip off the fretboard when played. The picture is also an unbound fretboard. Martin probably just frets the board and runs it along a belt sander to angle the frets and chamfer the board.

I do all bound fretboards. I chamfer after fretting between each fret. The frets are all the way to the edge of the board. It's ultra simple. I just use a Exacto number 11 blade as a scraper to chamfer the board between the frets and finish cleaning the board with sandpaper. I do it after the neck is finished. That way you get the chamfer and clean up the finish on the fret board edge at thew same time. Most custom builders are doing something similar. 

[jwsh...@q.com]

I don't find that it takes a lot of time to make a tool for building. I made the tool for chamfering fret boards. I didn't use plastic like Stewmac did but that makes no differences to how the tool works. I made mine out of Oak. I already had the oak laying around as well as the file so there was no initial cash outlay. One advantage of making your tools is the fact that when you make the tool you are actually getting paid cash for your time. I had no cost involved in making my tool. If Stewmac sells their's for sixty dollars then I saved sixty dollars. It took about one hour to make the tool so I guess you could say I made sixty dollars an hour when making the tool. How many things do you do in your shop that pays you sixty dollars an hour?  Scooter

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[John Charnock]

I have one of the fret end angle files, I did some tests, and it would take some effort to remove the fret ends and put a chamfer on the FB

 

I am convinced the chamfer is put on before the frets are installed.   

 

If the bound FB is oversize which mine is 46mm, I have some wiggle room to put a small chamfer on before fretting. The distance between the top edges of the chamfer becomes my target fret width.

 

J  

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[John Charnock]

I found this video.

 

https://youtu.be/OsfoOAJttyc

 

It looks very hard to maintain consistency and hard to avoid scalloping, still makes me wonder why you wouldn’t do it before fretting.

 

J

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[Charles Tauber]

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but why would one want to put a large chamfer on the edge of one's fingerboard? What are the perceived advantages of doing so?

I can see not wanting a razor's edge where the edge of the fingerboard meets its face. I soften/round the edge with the same file I use to file the fret ends level with the edge of the fingerboard - along the length of the fingerboard - and then finish off with sandpapers. 

[JohnParchem]

Especially on the treble side I would not give up 1 mm for a bevel. I hate sliding off the fret nor would I want to change the string spacing to make up for it.  

[Colorado Clem]

John

Exactly. That's why I just ease the edge. No need for a bevel. 

[Grez]

I use more like a 30 deg. bevel on the fret ends, then round them over, then round-over the wood between the frets a fair amount for comfort, but this isn't shortening the fret, just a aggressive softening of the wood so the neck feels like a well played vintage neck.   When using the file to put the initial bevel on the fret ends, I go until I start to see wood shavings with the metal, creating a very small flat on the edge of the fretboard.  By going until I see a little wood in the shavings I know I've gone all the way down and looking at the width of this very small flat I can see if I have filed uniformly because the flat will vary in width if I have not.  

In the end, you can see the initial flat put on the fretboard edge, not at all like the photo provided. That seems like a bass specific thing, but even with that, only if you have an oddly wide neck, much more width than the strings require. 

Just my thoughts/process.

[Grez]

I mean, "In the end, you can't see"   I can't figure out how to edit my comment above.......