How to separate fretboard from neck?
Appelation Controlee
I have a spare telecaster neck that became redundant when I replaced it
with a better one. As part of a project to make a lap steel from salvage
parts, I want to use the rosewoood fretboard to save myself the bother of
calibration (I'll be pulling the frets and replacing them with flat
infills, and making a new, raised nut), but I need to separate it from the
neck. Is there a straightforward way to get the bond to release, while
keeping the fretboard reasonably undamaged?
TIA,
--
Peter
Cyberserf
Score the edge of the board to break the finish. Heat the board with a
heat lamp (keep an eye on it). Heat a large artists pallet knife and
slip it in between the neck and the board. Work your way from one end
to the other making sure the knife is kept hot enough to melt the glue
as it goes...clean and reheat it often. Keep in mind that you will
have to use the same scale length for your new instrument or the fret
positions (what you refer to as callibration) will be off.
-CS
nog
> On Dec 22, 2:24�am, Appelation Controlee <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>> I have a spare telecaster neck that became redundant when I replaced it
>> with a better one. As part of a project to make a lap steel from salvage
>> parts, I want to use the rosewoood fretboard to save myself the bother of
>> calibration (I'll be pulling the frets and replacing them with flat
>> infills, and making a new, raised nut), but I need to separate it from the
>> neck. Is there a straightforward way to get the bond to release, while
>> keeping the fretboard reasonably undamaged?
>
> Score the edge of the board to break the finish. Heat the board with a
> heat lamp (keep an eye on it). Heat a large artists pallet knife and
> slip it in between the neck and the board. Work your way from one end
> to the other making sure the knife is kept hot enough to melt the glue
> as it goes...clean and reheat it often. Keep in mind that you will
> have to use the same scale length for your new instrument or the fret
> positions (what you refer to as callibration) will be off.
Thanks CS. I'll follow your advice. The scale length is to be as per the
donor tele (I plan also to use a tele bridge) and this is a means of
minimising the need for designed-in precision on my part.
Thanks again.
Tony Done
"Cyberserf" <cybr...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:b9e88b5a-2643-44d2...@e27g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
-CS
I've often wondered whether an ordinary clothes iron would do the job. My
music store mate has a heating iron that works the same way, except it
covers the full length of the board in one go. He says that you leave it in
place until the back of the neck feels hot. With a clothes iron you could
start at one edge and wedge the gap open as you go.
I've made three electric lap steels, but went for clear acrylic stenciled
and painted from back like the Valcos. (See the Flickr link after my sig)
You don't have to remove the frets to make a lap steel (think Dobro), but I
have considered this as a design for a fretless slide guitar. I would use
filling strips in the fret slots, as I think simply filling them with some
kind of contrasting bog would look untidy. I have a maple board and bought
some black guitar body binding strip to use as filler, but I haven't used it
yet. For rosewood I would be trying to find aluminium sheet of the right
thickness, or failing that white binding. Pale wood veneer might work, but
it would be hard to get enough contrast. I've also heard of simply filing
the frets down to leave just the tangs to make fretless basses.
--
Tony D
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=784456
http://www.flickr.com/photos/done_family/
JimLowther
> "Cyberserf" <cybrs...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
I have used a clothes iron to do this job. However, be careful--
sometimes the fretboard comes off warped. I also use a heat artist's
palette knife after scoring the seem, just as CS said.
Best wishes,
Dr. Jim Lowther
Cyberserf
> "Cyberserf" <cybrs...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
Tony,
I've no doubt a regular clothe iron works wonders (though taking the
frets off first helps distribute the heat more evenly underneath the
fingerboard and avoids having the frets pop up after the fact due to
overheating the fret slots)...perhaps a damp cloth on top and a nice
steam heat on the iron. There are some irons you can buy
(www.stewmac.com or www.lmii.com) that are meant for the job...they
have wide fret slots in between the iron shoes and aren't so big as to
obstruct your view of the "business side" of your work...some even
have adjustable heat settings (particularly useful over the body of an
acoustic where the tongue reaches the body...you want that hot without
heating the braces loose). These more elaborate models are plug-in
electric, but the vast majority are simply heated on a hotplate (much
cheaper)...again, protecting the finger board itself is
essential...simply throwing heat can cause damage to the wood cells
(so they won't hold moisture anymore and get punky)...if you're not
quick about it, a little moisture (while messier) will greatly ease
the way. I've personally gotten used to the heat lamp and have a bunch
of different size/shaped body shields to isolate the heat...it's quick
and typically doesn't require anything more than a quick swipe (I
actually use a modified (blunted and thinned) spokeshave...but still
have a bunch of pallet knives for this type of work). In any event,
given that the OP wants this board for a lap, taking the frets out
first should not be an issue and so using a regular clothe iron makes
a lot of sense.
Regards, CS
David Hajicek
Tony,
Regards, CS
=====================
Having tried this on a Fender acoustic, I would suggest leaving the frets in
place to help spread the heat.
I didn't pick up as to WHY you want to remove the fingerboard? It you raise
the nut and the bridge, you have a slide guitar. Maybe replace the frets
with solid bars, but what is wrong with the fretboard as it is?
Dave Hajicek
Dave Hajicek
Tony Done
"David Hajicek" <haj...@skypoint.com> wrote in message
news:HsWdnSYlou7GZK_W...@skypoint.com...
I do instant switches between normal and lap steel using a homemade nut
raiser (see my Flickr site). In my experience it isn't necessary to raise
the saddle, though I suppose it would be help prevent fret damage on the
high frets if you have a heavy touch, use a heavy bar or have very light
strings. I use a glass bottleneck as a bar on electrics, and I rarely hammer
the frets; even if I do the bottleneck isn't heavy enough to do much damage.
Cyberserf
> Having tried this on a Fender acoustic, I would suggest leaving the frets in
> place to help spread the heat.
>
> I didn't pick up as to WHY you want to remove the fingerboard? It you raise
> the nut and the bridge, you have a slide guitar. Maybe replace the frets
> with solid bars, but what is wrong with the fretboard as it is?
>
> Dave Hajicek
>
> Dave Hajicek- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Sorry Dave...but how does leaving the frets in help spread the heat
(seems to me the opposite would occur...it would localize the heat in
the slot and directly underneath as the metal frets suck up the heat
leaving the rest relatively unheated, whereas removing the frets would
provide even heat along he entire board in contact with the iron
(possibly a little less around the slots where the frets used to be)
rather then only every inch or so)...and how do you stop the frets
from springing up afterwards (many times held down by glue that can
break down with heat)...and how do you keep the more localized heat
from damaging the fret slots walls making them shrink, dry and become
more brittle, in turn making it harder for them to hold the fret
tangs...simply an academic question since I don't plan to use a clothe
iron, but the OP indicated wanting to remove the frets anyway, and
leaving them in with an unslotted iron seems a little counter
intuitive to me (admittedly, I have never tried doing it with frets
and no frets to see the difference).
Happy Holidays, CS
nog
> I didn't pick up as to WHY you want to remove the fingerboard? It you raise
> the nut and the bridge, you have a slide guitar. Maybe replace the frets
> with solid bars, but what is wrong with the fretboard as it is?
True but, at this point, I only have a spare Tele neck (and no body). The
notion is to build a lap steel out of a decent plank of wood, and to inlay
this fingerboard (I have a router) and so save myself the bother of
accurately marking out the fret spacings. I also have a spare Tele bridge
(which will permit me to adjust height and scale length without the need to
accurately position the bridge itself.
David Hajicek
Happy Holidays, CS
============
If one had an iron or heat blanket that fit the shape of the neck, I'd take
the frets out. The problem I had after pulling the frets was that a flat
iron did not uniformly heat the board to the edges. I tried putting
aluminum tape on the board and that was better, but I was still unsuccessful
in getting the board to start to lift properly. I think epoxy had been used
and it was not letting go. The frets conduct the heat across the board.
Having already pulled the frets, in my case, I can't say that the results
would be better. But I have read elsewhere to leave the frets in place.
Frank Ford's removal article in FRETS
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Structural/NewFingerBoard/85hd28board.html
Doesn't say to not remove the frets, but he doesn't.
If you use a heat blanket like Frank did, it should work better than a flat
iron which did not work well for me. But maybe it was the epoxy as I have
no problem with something like Titebond.
Dave Hajicek
David Hajicek
"nog" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:1wxrwamwsgybq$.1lhv2v4izttd7.dlg@40tude.net...
Fretboards are cheap. You can get seconds from Martin for next to nothing,
short scale like a Fender.
So if that is all you want, I'd just buy a fretboard. LMII or Stu-Mac or
many others have them. It could save you a lot of frustration and you still
have your neck if you want to make your own Tele.
Dave Hajicek
Tony Done
Why do you want to inlay the board? I play lap steels with the board flush
with the body and others with the board above the body like a conventional
guitar. I don't think that there is any disadvantage in having the board
above the body, though a neatly done inlay could look classy. Like David
said, boards are cheap enough from various sources. Also, you don't need
accurate bridge placement because the fret markers are only indicative - I
place the bridge at twice the 12th fret distance from the nut, no extra
length as in a conventional guitar.
Merry Christmas,
Tony D
JimLowther
I tend to agree about just buying a fretboard, but I've always been
the other way around--taking the fretboard I considered expendable off
a nek I wanted to keep. Pre-slotted fretboards are easily had these
days, though. Actually, a lap steel application makes it a much
easier proposition (IMHO), since intonation is not so critical. Most
players "zero in" my ear rather than marker, and generally glissade
into a vibrato over the note anyway. (I am trying to think if I have
ever seen a lap steel with an adjustable bridge, and I cannot. I
interpret this as unneccesary because exact intonation is not needed,
although it is also true that correction fretting the string is not an
issue, either.) Another thing to consider--most lap steels have a
singnificantly shorter scal than a Tlecaster has, like around 22.5
inches.
Anyway, if I had a Telecaster neck and wanted a fretboard for a
lapteel, I would probably jus sell the neck and buy the fretboard.
But that really isn't my decision to make.
nog
Indeed - it was only that the adjustability is intrinsic to a Tele bridge,
and that I already have one.
With all the considerations raised by everyone, I think I'm going to take a
step back and let my brain absorb the new knowledge, and perhaps re-assess
this project.
Thanks to all, and have a very Merry Christmas!
Cyberserf
> "Cyberserf" <cybrs...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
> Doesn't say to not remove the frets, but he doesn't.
>
> If you use a heat blanket like Frank did, it should work better than a flat
> iron which did not work well for me. But maybe it was the epoxy as I have
> no problem with something like Titebond.
>
> Dave Hajicek
Cool...many thanks for the details. Happy Holidays, CS