page 13
Within the four 1/4" holes, just barely start a secondary hole
with a 7/32" twist drill (not a brad-point)
(26)
. These sec-
ondary holes bevel the bottom of the 1/4" holes to form the
right shape for the fingerboard mounting screws. These
holes are difficult to drill without overdoing it, so practice on
scrap! This chamfering is very delicate; the slightest turn of
the drill bit will produce the desired shape.
Next, drill 1/8" holes through these chamfered holes at frets
15 and 19 for the four mounting screws to pass through the
fingerboard during final assembly.
Put on your protective safety glasses! Then, one at a time,
place a drop of medium-viscosity superglue in each drilled
hole and set the dot inlay in place. By using a piece of clear
acrylic as a caul (lightly waxed with paste-wax), you can
apply pressure without sticking to the superglue, and still be
able to see when the inlay is flush. Remember not to inlay at
frets 15 and 19! You may need to tap gently on the caul with
a hammer to seat the dot inlays. Don’t overdo the superglue,
and you won’t have a messy fretboard to clean up. Flush the
inlays to the fingerboard using a smooth mill file and a sand-
ing block. Sand equally from end to end so you don’t change
the flat surface of the fretboard.
A 1/16"-diameter plastic dowel is included with your kit for
making side dot fret position markers along the bass edge of
the fingerboard (for right-handed players, that is). Install
them now at frets 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17, and 19. The 12th fret often
gets two dots, spaced evenly between the 11th and 12th
frets, but some makers use only one. Often, side dots are not
used past the 12th fret — the choice is yours.
Clamp the fretboard on edge, mark the centers of each hole
with an awl, and carefully drill the holes with a sharp 1/16"
drill bit. Drill square to the fingerboard edge at all times.
Nip short lengths from the plastic inlay dowel and superglue
them into the drilled holes — they should extend out slight-
ly above the surface. When dry, file and sand the dots
smooth.
TIP: Smooth side dots
Clamp the fingerboard back on the spacer block
used earlier for truing the edge of the fingerboard,
and re-sand the edges lightly with the carpenter’s
level and 220-grit sandpaper.
Installing side dots
26.
Create chamfers within the four 1/4" holes using a 7/32" twist
drill.
