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Just got my first table saw, and the included blade is a cheap 40 tooth combination blade that will be fine for jig making/household chores. The most demanding cut for a blade that I foresee in my guitar building is tapering fretboards. For those using a tablesaw for this task, what type of blade have you found to do the job without chipping?
Thanks in advance,
Mike

Is use a 50 tooth combination blade from Freud. No chipping in ebony and a nice clean finish.

Josh

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Josh House

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A lot of good blades available that will accomplish the task well. Hard to go wrong with frued. A10 inch diablo its a good choice in addition to the others already mentioned. A Forrest woodworker II is an excellent blade if its in your budget.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Todd, why do you need a supporting jig to cut a taper on a fretboard? A zero clearance insert and a double stepped spacer off the fence is all you need, shirley?

A double stepped spacer is a supporting jig, it just supports against the fence and not the table. Common practice is to use a sled to carry the fret board, he is referring to the bottom of the sled supporting the FB all the way to the blade. What ever you use, please make sure it is secure and the FB can't slip while cutting, stuff happens quick.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Thanks for all the help guys - just the kind of experience based knowledge I was looking for!
Mike

LOL. Just FTR, Todd, I got it ... but that's not important right now ...

I have to put in my bid for Infinity cutting tool blades. I have no connection with them other than being a very satisfied customer. I have freud blades, forrest blades, and infinity blades and I chose my infinity blades every time over the others. I have not used them for guitar building, just furniture. But I have cut lots of rosewoods, ebony's, etc with the infinity's and just can't be happier. I had an issue in dimensions with my dado set (off by .004") and posted question to see if it was within spec on sawmillcreek. The first reply I got was a rep. from infinity and I dealt with him personally to solve the issue. I was just amazed by their customer support therefore will recommend them every time over the other's as I know they take care of their customers.

A jointer makes a very quick and easy taper. I have made tapered legs countless times with a jointer but its better seen than explained. See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZTXvsrzbSQ&sns=em


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

I use a little Diablo blade, too, thanks to recommendations from here, and love it. My FB taper sled does not support the board all the way to the edge, but I avoid chipout by always cutting in the "downhill" direction. Works for me.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Todd, I'm sure I should know, but could you explain the "always cut downhill" comment. I've built one guitar, but am not an experienced wood worker.
thanks, Mike

Sure, Mike. I'm referring to the direction of the cut in relation to the runout of the grain. In this case, it means cutting from the wide end of the taper toward the narrow end. That way, you're cutting in toward the center of the board as you go, so that if a tooth of the blade chips out a bit of wood -- essentially breaking off a short section of a group of wood fibers as it hits -- that chip will be on the waste side of the cut. At least, almost all of the time it will be. I haven't had any chipout on my FB edges since I started doing it this way.

This would be easier to explain if we were in the same room with a piece of wood in hand.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

So I've been scratching my head and I still don't see why you wouldn't taper the fretboard off the fence ? Seems a lot less faffing than making up sleds and having to make accurate stops and fitting toggle clamps and so forth.

If you are using a double stepped spacer, and have a zero clearance insert, assuming your fretboard is truly rectangular (which it will be 'cos you've slotted it) then you simply make up a double stepped spacer by supergluing three lengths of scrap at half the taper width, run the first cut with the fence to the left hand side of the saw, and the second cut with the fence on the right (accurately set to give the correct width at the wide end of the board) .

You can't use featherboards in this situation, admittedly, but if you use a sensible "hold-down" with a proper friction grip, in conjunction with a push-stick, and a piece of duct tape to hold the spacer to the fretboard, I don't see what can go wrong ...

Thanks Todd, I had to take a piece of wood out to the table saw to really visualize the teeth biting into the wood, but your explanation makes perfect sense to me. I'll need to keep that in mind.
Mike

For me, the sled just provides a much faster set up. I mark out the FB center line, and how far off each side I want to cut, then line up the marks with the edge of my sled, zip flip and zip and I am done. Takes maybe 5 minutes as most to cut both sides this way.
Probably matters most with what your comfortable with.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Using duct tape to hold the piece to the jig, in conjunction with a push stick, and you can't see what can go wrong????? You are apt to seriously injure yourself like that .And of course you will need two different spacers because after the first cut the dimensions off the fence change, or are you jigging to the scrap side? Another big safety no no! I just threw a board on my sled to demonstrate, no extra stops or anything just align wherever you want the cut and clamp then cut. Simple, effective and SAFE,. No offense but maybe this isn't your game.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

No offense taken whatsoever, Brian ...but I don't think you are fully grasping what I mean by a double stepped spacer ...there is no registration off the scrap side involved...I have cut tapers this way (in thicker material admittedly) for 30 ...35 years, and I still have all my fingers...I see no reason why I can't cut my first fret board like this.

If you have been duct taping pieces of wood together and pushing them through a running table saw and still have all your fingers, you should by a lottery ticket right now cause you are a lucky fellow. That is a recipe for injury if I ever heard one. I used to quip about a 30 year career in high end woodworking and having all my fingers too......it happens real fast! One poor decision and that's that, they don't grow back.

In effect I see how you index to the fence, I get it. Geometrically it works if you reverse the jig and the fence but I would still rather something that solidly holds the piece being worked. If not for the sake of your own personal safety, than at least from a quality standpoint. The slightest slip between the jig and the piece and the taper is off and the board likely ruined. These are not table legs that can vary slightly from one to the other, the string along the edge of the board on a finished instrument will be absolutely straight and any waver in the boards edge or deviation from the proper angle will show. Honestly a 3/4" X 1/2" strip glued to a scrap of plywood with two toggle clamps attached to it is not a large investment in jigging. I've built far more elaborate jigs to make one component of a project just to toss them after completion.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I use a sled I picked up at Rockler when it was on sale...and the 7.25 diablo blade....

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MK5acoustics.com

Thanks for the tip, Todd!

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

I just knew Wayne Henderson and I were twins separated at birth ...we both play guitar the same way, (except he's a little better) and we both have the same adventurous approach to wood machining ...who could fail to be entranced by this video of Wayne machining a ukulele back freehand ...http://vimeo.com/13184455

In all seriousness I have decided I will in fact make a sled to cut the fretboard taper ..or rather two sleds, you can't do it with one sled, unless you turn the fretboard upside down for the second cut, which is probably a bad idea ... or I suppose you could use one sled and use it in each miter slot alternately with two separate stops glued, a left hand and a right hand ...I assume that that is in fact what everybody does ? ...

[quote="Todd Stock" I just reverse the board...I know there is potential for a little more tearout, but I think a sharp blade makes up for a lot of that. Just one sled for me.[/quote]
Just to clarify, Todd, by "reversing the board", you mean you are turning it upside down for the second cut, am I right ? ie slotted side down ...

I use a bandsaw and clean it up with a block plane. It takes far less time than it would take to change the blade on my tablesaw. If I were mass producing, then maybe a tablesaw would work better. But then again, if I were mass producing, I would just get a CNC machine and not hassle with the tablesaw blade either.

Just to clarify, Todd, by "reversing the board", you mean you are turning it upside down for the second cut, am I right ? ie slotted side down ...[/quote]


I think Todd and I do it the same. The board is always right side up. One cut is made from the nut end of the board the other towards.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Filippo,
What kind of pore filler do you use on your jigs ?





Nice looking jig dude. Clean and simple. I am going to have to make myself one, albeit not as nice as yours !
L.

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