Fret Slotting Sled & Fret Spacing Templates - the Next Project

[@BobStCyr]

Thanks - this is the best method I've seen yet for making a fret slot cutting jig for the table saw.

[@theNextProject]

Bob, thanks for watching. Good luck with your projects, take care!

[@realitystudioscustomshop]

verify the printed paper scale... cannot understate this... one of the first things I was taught when printing from CAD. Very useful vid... thanks for sharing

[@theNextProject]

Andrew, thanks for watching! Great comment. I'm guilty of attempting to use printouts without checking them for dimension...ugh. Glad you enjoyed the vid. Happy New Year man!

[@realitystudioscustomshop]

@@theNextProject guilty here too, despite that early training!! Happy new year to you too!

[@kmichaelp4508]

You know… you could start a KZbin channel with this kind of content! The time you’re putting into these Vlogs , not to mention the expertise and ingenuity, you should have 500K subscribers. If not 1M. I’m always looking for them to pop up. Of course working and putting out content doesn’t always go in that direction. Well done my friend. Cudo’s

[@Bapto_o]

Do you think there is 1M luthiers...?

[@kmichaelp4508]

@@Bapto_o , I’m not one myself but love, I mean LOVE this kind of content. I’m sure there’s more of me out there.

[@theNextProject]

Hey Mike, thanks for watching and the great comment too! I have mixed feelings about this becoming a big channel. I'm really blessed with the good group of people that watch this channel, and I think most are aware I don't crank out material very fast - I appreciate that. I don't know if I'd feel pressure to produce more if there were a larger audience...I'd need to clone myself, lol. If it grows, I'll just keep chipping away at projects. Hope you are doing well, and thank you again! Happy New Year!

[@theNextProject]

Baptiste thanks for watching! There seems to be a million luthiers online, I've drudged through the forums. They seem to be everywhere 😂 Luckily, I'm not a luthier, rather just a fella who likes to do things the hard way. "Challenged" is my middle name. Hope you are well, be safe and Happy New Year!

[@theNextProject]

Mike, glad you're enjoying the projects. I need to get your guitar(s) on the channel. Hmm.

[@chrismitchum452]

SHOOP! Just like that LOL... Good Job sir. Especially luv the fancy magnetic pin action. Gonna have to build one of those. \m/

[@theNextProject]

Chris, thanks for watching! The sled does com in handy, saves a lot of physical effort cutting slots and kerfing. Happy New Year!

[@virgilroumo9771]

Thank you sir! I have been using another setup that i found at highline guitars to radius my fretboards. It works but it takes up valuable floor space. Ive seen other versions of this device, but yours was the best explained, and the templates were very helpful. Thanks again.

[@theNextProject]

Thanks for watching and glad the video is of some help. There are a lot of great ideas out there, and I often change the way I work. Sometimes I find a better way, others it is space related as you mention. It's good to know more than one way to do a task, MacGyver everything! Good luck with your projects, and hope to hear from you again soon. Be safe and take care!

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

Love the fret slotting sled! I use a tinier one made for a tabletop table saw, the Mighty Mite from Harbor Freight. This is a direct copy of Del Puckett's that he uses for his cigar box guitars. Instead of an indexing pin a paper fret template is taped to the fretboard and lined up with a line on the sled etc.. it has made cutting frets soooooo much easier and faster! The nice thing with paper templates you can modify them anyway you want, print them and use'em quickly... Great video, dude!!! You're animation of how it is built is terrific!! The interchangeable indexing pins (and storing the extra in a slot with magnets) is genius!!

[@theNextProject]

Hurdygurdyguy1, many thanks for watching! Hey, I've got some sawblades for you, maybe some old tuners too. Send me a message! [e-mail] Happy New Year!

[@tedrowland7800]

So Stew Mac had a special that ends today, where there is 10% off anything you buy, and join Max with free shipping for a year with any purchase for $24.95. I bought something and may buy the template later. I don't have any MDF laying around, but I have a lot of sheet plastic, including Lexan. I will make that my template, after I run one edge through my router table with an offset fence, (unless you see a problem with that). Thank you so much for your videos/template downloads

[@theNextProject]

Ted, thanks for watching! Lexan will work well for templates, I actually have a few Plexi/Lexan templates laying about. As long as you cut where you need to, all will go well. Good luck with your projects!

[@ChinJazz]

As always, great instructional vid! Happy New year my friend!

[@theNextProject]

ChinJazz, good to hear from you and Happy New Year! Hope you found something useful in the vid. Hope all is well, take care!

[@dalloguitars]

Thank you for your cool lesson videos. It really helps me👍👍

[@theNextProject]

Thank you for watching, and I'm glad you found the video helpful.

[@peterjohnson4932]

Simple yet effective. Thanks so much for this! Wishing you all the best for the New Year!

[@theNextProject]

Peter, thanks for watching! Simple things are the best, less to go wrong. So when things do go wrong, it's easy to see the issue (it's me typically). Hope all is well, Happy New Year!

[@akiraneulae]

Happy new year! Greetings from Spain

[@theNextProject]

Akira, thanks for watching, and Happy New Year! Be safe and take care

[@Hans_914]

Great video as usual. Thank you for putting out such quality content. Happy New Year!!

[@theNextProject]

Hans, thanks for watching! Glad to hear you are enjoying the videos. Hope they are helpful in some way. Happy New Year!

[@darrylportelli]

I was thinking about how to make a fret slotting template and i came to the same method that you are using , making notches to ONE SIDE of the line .. my thought was to actually use a cross cut sled on my table saw and make the notches with the table saw in a piece of aluminum, then cut a notch with the same blade in my miter box and then i can make a pin the same exact width as my saw blade

[@theNextProject]

Darryl, thanks for watching! Sounds like you have a pretty good plan. Aluminum will be a great material for a template, If I had some, I'd use it too! Good luck with your projects, Be safe and take care!

[@darrylportelli]

@@theNextProject cheers .. do you need the compensation if you're using a regular nut or is it only for a 0 fret? I couldnt understand it perfectly.. cheers

[@theNextProject]

Darryl, that's a great question and sorry my verbal explanation probably confused things. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXLSoaOApqesaKcsi=3gaaJhTpV1wC1UHS&t=661 The center-to-center of the zero fret and first fret slots should match the calculated for slot-to-slot distance. If using a nut, the face of the nut slot may need compensation to achieve the actual distance from the face of the nut to the crown of the first fret.... what?! Some builders actually place the nut a bit closer to the first fret intentionally. PRS has been know to do this, but I don't know how much offset they use. This is basically nut compensation. I think Ernie Ball Music Man may do this as well, in combination with a compensated nut on some models. Sorry, I think I'm just making this more confusing.

[@darrylportelli]

​@@theNextProject cheers , ive been racking my brain to understand it but after drawing it out i realized what is going on. If using a 0 fret you just use the actual measurement , if using just a nut , you should offset that pin slot with HALF the kerf of the saw more ❤ Keep up the good work. Im also thinking of NOT making one of the fret slotting blades for my table saw like you did - great stuff !!

[@jurgenzoller4407]

Great work again, just a bit scared to make the blade as you did in an earlier video..just like your vids anyhow

[@theNextProject]

Jurgen, thanks for watching and Happy New Year! LOL, I did say "don't make the blade", so you're off the hook. I do wish there were some affordable options out there. A big brand blade company could easily crank out a few thousand of these for pennies. But we need someone else to order and sell them to us. Just not enough demand in the market I guess. Maybe someone will give you a birthday present or some such thing. It could happen. Hope you are doing well, take care my friend!

[@jurgenzoller4407]

@@theNextProject thanks John, all the very best for 2023!

[@juanokita4401]

That's greatttt🐅thanks for share

[@theNextProject]

Juan, thanks for watching! Take the idea and improve it, make it your own. Take care!

[@bobvador]

Nice video ! I'm too scared to make a fretboard !

[@theNextProject]

Hey Bob, good to hear from you! No need to fear, just jump in and learn on the job. Before you know it you've had some fun, made up a few new words, killed a couple trees, developed a new skill and have a beautiful fretboard in hand. Hope all is well for you, take care!

[@dexter13601]

I like the video but you left out the most important piece of information. Where did you get your saw blade and what is the kirf of that blade

[@theNextProject]

Dexter13601, thanks for watching! I was using a StewMac blade, I believe it has a +/- 0.022" kerf. StewMac: www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/saws/fret-slotting-table-saw-blade/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAx6ugBhCcARIsAGNmMbgUWYUbFiy-gG0BQcNXSZih1iL941EZIsQ4nFu4xHtv2LCJNnHqkoAaAgwOEALw_wcB LMI also has a blade system: www.lmii.com/fretting-setup-tools/2711-power-slotting-system-blade-58-arbor-023-kerf.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAx6ugBhCcARIsAGNmMbjmGjfmGEiEuoZaoNLdcd7a9u9Pvh32GU4N_tVaG_XHaxpFO1XG8SUaAs8CEALw_wcB Also Rall Guitars: shop.rall-online.net/epages/61511639.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61511639/Products/04080030&Locale=en_GB&ClassicView=1 There may be a few other options depending on what part of the world you're living. Hope this helps, take care!

[@chriscutress1702]

Does that mean my EASY button from Staples doesn't work for guitars ??? 🤓

[@theNextProject]

Hey Chris, thanks for watching! Maybe your easy button will work, but not mine. I tried to fix it, didn't work. I only have a "difficult" button now. Hope all is well for you. Have a Happy New Year!

[@Furtheronmusic]

The maths is actually 12th root of 2. 12 notes in the scale, octave is half the scale en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_root_of_two?wprov=sfla1

[@theNextProject]

Ah, yes....math, with shapes and symbols and...math. Thank goodness for the smart math people who figured it out and engineering that invented the calculator! I get the octave as half the scale, but then dropping progressively diminishing spaced frets in each half of the octave length...ugh - eye twitch. I'll take the F. Thanks for the link Graham, hope you are doing well. Happy New Year!