A DIY tool for a DIY build...

[Greplington]

I wanted a template of some sort for marking the fret slots on the Tele I'm just starting to build, and I also wanted a notched straight edge for working on the neck and fretboard.

I may not have had either, but I did have some aluminium flat bar, an angle grinder, a coping saw, a file, and a spare 15 or 20 minutes today...

The saw cuts on the closer edge are to work with a sharp marking knife to mark up fret positions, and the notches will correspond perfectly to the frets for the build...

 

[KokoTele]

Did you lap it so that it's flat and true after you notched it? I learned the hard way when I was a pup that notching an aluminum straight edge will make it not straight.

 

[Greplington]

Did you lap it so that it's flat and true after you notched it? I learned the hard way when I was a pup that notching an aluminum straight edge will make it not straight.

Not yet, but I will do that before I use it. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Peegoo]

Shop-made tools make building stuff way more fun.

Nice!!!

 

[Greplington]

Another self - built tool today. A 10" radius sanding block for shaping the fretboard. I know traditional for a tele is 9.5", but 10"was simple to make.



I set up my table saw with the cross-cut sled I built for it.

Next I adjusted the blade and the position of the sled to make sure the protruding blade matched the width of the timber block.


I then lowered the blade so only a tiny amount was showing.

Then with the saw running, I passed the timber over the blade by sliding the piece along the fence of the cross cut sled several times, raising the blade fractionally each time until the cut reached both edges of the block.

 

[carpenter]

Looks like my garage.

 

[RolandG]

View attachment 934800

Just what I need. I’m planning a scratch build, and have been wondering how best to radius the fretboard.

 

[Greplington]

Looks like my garage.

I'm actually in the process of tidying and rearranging it today... There's actually some good visible!

 

[Greplington]

Just what I need. I’m planning a scratch build, and have been wondering how best to radius the fretboard.

Happy to help! You definitely want to take very, very small amounts off with each pass, or it wants to grab and gives a really rough finish. This definitely isn't the best option for radiusing a fret board, but it will do the job!

 

[Greplington]

Another self - built tool today. A 10" radius sanding block for shaping the fretboard. I know traditional for a tele is 9.5", but 10"was simple to make.

View attachment 934796

I set up my table saw with the cross-cut sled I built for it.

View attachment 934797 Next I adjusted the blade and the position of the sled to make sure the protruding blade matched the width of the timber block.

View attachment 934798
I then lowered the blade so only a tiny amount was showing.

Then with the saw running, I passed the timber over the blade by sliding the piece along the fence of the cross cut sled several times, raising the blade fractionally each time until the cut reached both edges of the block.

View attachment 934800 View attachment 934799

Now, did anyone spot the "deliberate error" I made when I made myself this sanding block?

Long story short, a 10" table saw doesn't give a 10" radius. It gives a 5" radius and a 10" DIAMETER... Thankfully I noticed when I decided to sand my fretboard to shape and it seemed to only be taking material off the very edges quite aggressively.

So, change of plans. Ordered a 10" radius sanding block off ebay and made a radius routing jig instead. A couple of hours work in making the jig and getting it set up right, less than 5 minutes to actually rout the fret board...