fretboard radiusing router bits

[blackalex1952]

I just bought one of these radiused router bits for my fingerboards...I'll report back when I have tried it!

https://www.amazon.com/Yonico-13005-Rad ... ter&sr=8-1

They are available in a few radii so I bought the 16" radius and will use sanding blocks for refinement into a conical fingerboard.
Cheers! Ross

[asgilbert]

Looks like an awfully large bite Ross. Might chatter due to too the surface area of the cut!! But what would a metal worker know about wood!!

[blackalex1952]

I'm not too worried re chatter as I intend to make light passes, using an adjustable fence on the router table, along with a jig to hold the work using double sided tape. Then I intend to radius the fingerboard with radiused blocks, ending up with a 12" radius at the nut end and a 16" at the soundboard end..conical is good! IMOP. If the system works fine I'll order a 12" and a 14" to speed things up a little more. My usual method is to use a combination of a hand plane, different radius blocks then a sandpaper straight edge prior to fretting in a fret press. I am hoping for some comments from luthiers who have actually used one of these bits.- Cheers! Ross

[RodC]

I've recently used just that sort of bit to radius my fret board.

No problems with chipping or chattering, but I went quite small on the increments - so wasn't taking much off per pass.

I still used a radius sanding block to finish though.

My fret board is cook town iron wood with maple inlay.

[Steve.Toscano]

Out of interest: What's the motivation, or what are you attempting to fix, by using such a method for radiusing fretboards? Versus using more 'traditional' methods?

Is it an accuracy thing? A time thing?

[RodC]

For us it's mostly a time thing.
It is quicker and simpler than the other methods we have tried.

[kiwigeo]

For me it would simply be a time thing....but at my current build rate over all time saving would be minimal. I'd also miss the joys of getting covered in ebony dust and building up the shoulder muscles on my right arm

Out of interest: What's the motivation, or what are you attempting to fix, by using such a method for radiusing fretboards? Versus using more 'traditional' methods?

Is it an accuracy thing? A time thing?

[Steve.Toscano]

Fair enough, each to their own.
Although i struggle to see the time saving using such a method, unless you are mass making fretboards, which i doubt anyone on this forum is doing.

Feels like another over engineered, messy, and noisey, process for the small time builder.
Takes me ~15mins to radius my ebony boards up to 800grit using traditional methods eg nothing but a well tuned handplane, a shooting board, and a radius block with abrasives. Not much longer for a well attentive student.

It would probably take me longer just to find the router bit in my workshop
Let alone the hell of a mess it makes, the noise, and the safety concerns of using such a large bit.

If enough people are interested in a more traditional process I'm happy to do a video on it over the Xmas break.

[RodC]

I would love to see that Steve.

[Andos]

Count me in Steve.

[56nortondomy]

I'd like to see how you do it too Steve.
Wayne

[Alain Lambert]

I'd like to see how you do it too Steve.
Wayne

+1

[Allen]

I use the CNC to built the entire compount radius board, including purfling lines, inlays and stopped fret slots. And go about other things while that is happening.

[blackalex1952]

Kiwigeo wrote:

building up the shoulder muscles on my right arm

All along I thought you were doing that with beer!

[Gazm]

I'm keen too see your method also Thanks Steve.

[TallDad71]

I’ve built all manner of radius sanding blocks with depth stops. I HATE IT. It’s the only part of luthierie I don’t look forward to.

Just dropped £90 on a custom set Spindle Mould cutters to get a run of 10 fretboards radiused and built a jig on a table saw to cut frets slots. I’m very much hoping tri get similar results to the OP with the router bit

Love to see your method Steve.

[Steve.Toscano]

No worries all.
I'll endeavour to record a video on this over the xmas break and will post back here when available.

[56nortondomy]

Looking forward to that Steve, thanks.
Regards Wayne

[peter.coombe]

Mmm, WAY too much stress over what should be a simple easy and quick job. I took one look at the router bit and thought NO WAY, far too dangerous, and for what? I rough out the radius on the linisher, then install the fret maker inlays, then rough out on the linisher again, then a final sand using the radius block and polish it up with 1200 wet/dry (used dry of course). I can usually get it pretty close on the linisher so that the effort with the sanding block is minimal, but then I have done hundreds of fretboards like that so have plenty of practice. The actual radiusing process takes maybe 15mins max, and very little sweat. Occasionally I get an Ebony board that insists on bending, but a bend can be straightened out with a wipe of moisture on one side. Easy. The only thing I don't like is the Ebony dust.