Fretboard Radius Jig

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Fretboard Radius Jig

$225.00

A NEW and simple way to put a radius on your fretboard using a thickness/drum sander! Ever radiused a fretboard in under 5 minutes using a sanding block? This is every guitar makers dream. Well now it can be done with this new jig and a wide belt sander OR a drum sander.

This jig was created and used by Edward Victor Dick of Victor Guitars , and Director of The Colorado School of Lutherie. Edward has been trying to find a way to make this step as quick and painless as possible, and has finally overcome this after 30 years of building. When we tested this jig, we were amazed that we could radius a fretboard in under 5 minutes and it was within 10 thousandths of accuracy!

It's no secret that one of the most painful jobs of building a fretted instrument is radiusing the fretboard. There are many ways to do this, but if you already own a wide belt sander or a drum sander, like a performax or delta, or grizzly, you can do this job in minutes. It is as simple as sticking the fretboard on top of the jig and sending it through your sander. After every pass, loosen the knobs and move the fretboard about 1/4 inch and send it back through your sander. After about 5 passes, you have a radiused fretboard.

Price includes shipping delivered in the US only. Please contact me to get a shipping quote if outside the US.

Total is $207 + $18 shipping - $225

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The jig has 4 main parts. A base made out of 3/4" thick no-void Birch Ply, and a fret board rest made out of 2" thick no-void Birch Ply, and 2 end pieces that contain the curved radius' dado so the rest can move in the desired radius. Knobs on the outside of the jig lock the fret board rest into place. We also imbed 1 steel rod in the rest to resist deflection as it passes through the sander. The jig comes with interchangeable end pieces. We offer 12", 14", 16" and 20" radii. Custom Radii are available for an extra $25 for 2 end pieces. Please contact us for more information. 

This jig will not do a compound radius. 

This jig will work with all Wide Belt Sanders that have an opening of 3 inches or more. 

You must use a ¼” thick fret board to get the correct radius. The curves of the end pieces are calculated for a ¼” thick fret board. If you use a slightly thicker fret board you will not get the exact radius, but you will get very close to the desired radius.

Overall Dimensions: 24" L x 2 5/8" H x 6" W

Fretboard Rest Dimensions: 21" L x 3" W 

NOTE: Not all sanders are made the same, so the deflection in the middle of jig could be more than 10 thousands of an inch. However, this can easily be overcome by placing masking tape under the fretboard before passing it through the thickness sander. 

NOTE: Since the pictures were taken, we now reference the bases by using dots imprinted. So 1 dot is equal to 12" radius, 2 dots are equal to 14" radius, and so on. We do this as an easy way to tell what radius you are using