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The wide end of your fretboard is square, and it may extend a little beyond the supporting
part of the neck. This is fine, as it will not interfere with the body, but you may sand a curve to
match the end of the neck if you wish. You may also scallop the topside to give more strum-
ming space under the strings at that end. You’ll need a drum sander for those curves.
Use the same pattern that you used for cutting the peghead shape to mark the location of the
tuning machines on the peghead. Use the 1/16” bit to drill a guide hole.
Be sure to drill these
holes perpendicular to the peghead.
Now use the 3/8” bit to drill out the holes to the correct size but PLEASE -
take care to test the
hole size in a piece of scrap wood first
. Our tuner stock can vary and may require a different
size bit.
Using a wood backing underneath the peghead will help prevent tearout.
If you went off the deep end and designed something wild and crazy, then we suggest making a
paper outline of it and drawing the string lines up from the nut to see where you want to place
the tuning pegs.
Now you are ready for final sanding. Take your time to scrub out machining marks and remove
glue residue from all the areas that will be visible on the finished instrument. Use 60 or 80 grit
sandpaper for heavy shaping, but then switch to 100 or 120 grit to smooth the surfaces more,
and then move to 180 grit for finer smoothing. This will prepare the instrument for finishing.
A random orbital sander will hasten this process dramatically!
NOTE: It is smart to keep the back ring screwed to the main body while sanding, so you
smooth and shape the outside of those parts equally.
OPTIONAL: If you want to decorate the body of your banjo, this would be a good time to do
that work. Some people enjoy carving solid wood like this, and others like decorating with a
woodburning tool. Another nice option is to install inlay around the body. If you want to add
painted decorations, we recommend sealing the wood with one clear coat first, then sand it
smooth before applying the decorative paints. Further clear coats will seal in the decorations.
STAINS or DYES
-- These are coloring agents and should only be used if you want to change
the natural color of the wood. We usually do not apply stains to our projects, especially when
they are made with naturally beautiful hardwoods such as cherry or walnut. These woods
look best with a clear finish. But, if you want to color the wood, your staining should be accom-
plished before applying a surface finish such as oil, varnish, or lacquer.
GENERAL FINISHING GUIDELINES
DRILL THE FOUR HOLES FOR THE TUNING MACHINES
FINAL SANDING
Mask off the top playing surface of the fretboard with masking tape. It is best to avoid
putting varnish or lacquer on this playing surface. After finishing the rest of the instrument,
you can remove the masking tape and lightly oil the fretboard with linseed oil, or just leave
it unfinished (that wood has natural oils for protection).
