Cutting a Fanned-Fret Fingerboard

by Mike Doolin

Originally published in American Lutherie #76, 2003, Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015



Here’s a simple method for accurately slotting a fanned-fret fingerboard using fretting templates. I made two saw guides of 1/2˝ aluminum angle stock, slotting them using my usual Stew-Mac blade and templates. Then I double-stick taped them to the fretboard and sawed the slots with a backsaw, using the slots in the aluminum to guide the saw.

I chose my two scales and purchased plexiglas templates for them to fit my Stew-Mac fretting setup. Then I made a dummy fretboard to allow me to slot the aluminum pieces using that same setup. The dummy fretboard is made out of scrap which is 1/4˝ thick along one edge and 1/2˝ thick along the other edge. I attached one of the fretting templates to the 1/4˝ edge with double-sided carpet tape, taped the aluminum to the 1/2˝ edge, and slotted the leading edge of the aluminum to a depth of 5/16˝. Photo 1 shows the dummy fretboard and an aluminum piece in the slotting setup.