It Worked for Me: Bound Fretboard

by Greg Nelson

Originally published in American Lutherie #114, 2013

Removing the last little bits of the tang when preparing a fret for a bound fretboard is not all that difficult to do by hand with a fine file, but here is a small jig that powers the operation and removes some of the drudgery.

The pictures should prove self-explanatory. I use a Foredom tool, but the idea of the jig can easily be adapted to almost any rotary tool. Almost any bit capable of grinding the fret material will do. My jig is set up to use a diamond wheel.

I must stress that this is simply for cleaning up what is left after clipping the bulk of the tang off. Even at that, and at low speed, the tang can get hot quickly. ◆