blind fret slots inset

[Sean Craig]

Curious what people use for a typical inset distance from edge of fretbaord?  Is there an ideal distance to provide enough thickness to the edge of the fretboard and also enough of the fret section that has the tang removed to glue down or some other reason im not aware of?

Sean

[romsmith]

I cut them a skosh or two deeper than the fret needs to sit.

[Chris Baer]

I'd say between 2-3mm is ok - I aim for closer to 2mm, but then you have to be careful.  If you put purfling in, you can break through the binding into the purfling when you shape the neck, especially if the binding is thin.  

You don't want to be a hero and cut the tangs so they fit precisely because the fret may expand when you press (or hammer) it in (due to a difference in the radius of the fretboard and fret), so I think you do want to minimize the amount of "tangless" fretwire flopping around on top of the fretboard.

On this guitar, the binding is ~1.75mm and the purfling was around .5mm.  After cleaning it up and shaping the neck, I sanded through to the red purfling on the side of the fretboard in one small spot.  In the end, I just put a dab of paint there and moved on, but it's something to pay attention to in your design.

[Sean Craig]

Romsmith, I am talking about the distance from the slot you cut for blind fret slots to the edge of the fretboard.  Not the depth of the fret slot.  Sorry I might not have been clear enough in my original post.

Chris thanks for the info.  Do you glue the part of fret down to the fretboard that doesn't have a tang on it?

[romsmith]

Ah, I see. I haven't done those for a while. I just eyeballed the fret ends (just like I eyeball the rest of the guitar 8)).

I've glued the tangless fret parts the couple of times when I made them. I know that in theory a perfectly seated fret shall stay in its place without glue, but I'd rather be on the safe side. Don't want anyone returning my guitar for repairs because a fret has popped its head up.