What's the best way to "roll" the fingerboard edges?

[LushTone]

Roasted maple/Indian rosewood Warmoth Pro neck...

I've heard razor blades, but I'm thinking that a small file with smooth sides would work well. Any thoughts?

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I've used the finer grit of emory boards before, but you gotta be careful and make sure the edges are smooth, no grit.

I've also used long strips of fine sandpaper, 500 grit or higher so you don't remove too much too quickly.  Better to take longer and be more precise.

I average strips about 12"-18" long, and up to about 1/4" wide, just wide enough to fit between the upper frets.  Make sure you don't hit the frets, otherwise you'll have to re-dress them.

 

[LushTone]

I've used the finer grit of emory boards before, but you gotta be careful and make sure the edges are smooth, no grit.

I've also used long strips of fine sandpaper, 500 grit or higher so you don't remove too much too quickly.  Better to take longer and be more precise.

I average strips about 12"-18" long, and up to about 1/4" wide, just wide enough to fit between the upper frets.  Make sure you don't hit the frets, otherwise you'll have to re-dress them.

Oh awesome, thanks Tony!

 

[Cagey]

It sorta depends on how much "roll" you want. If you just want to slightly break the edges, then often a screwdriver shank or small deep-well socket can be used to compress the wood a bit. It's a subtle effect, but it feels good and there's less chance of terrorizing your frets than there is if you use abrasives. You simply hold the shank against the edge at a 45° angle and rub it back and forth a few times with some pressure on it.

If you want a more pronounced effect (larger radius), a scraper or the blade from a utility knife works well to remove some wood, then you can use the sandpaper strip method to smooth things out.

You can do it with files as well, but the risk of marring your frets goes up. If you haven't levelled/crowned/dressed/polished the frets yet, then you may not care as any damage you might do will likely be cleaned up anyway.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

It sorta depends on how much "roll" you want. If you just want to slightly break the edges, then often a screwdriver shank or small deep-well socket can be used to compress the wood a bit. It's a subtle effect, but it feels good and there's less chance of terrorizing your frets than there is if you use abrasives. You simply hold the shank against the edge at a 45° angle and rub it back and forth a few times with some pressure on it.

If you want a more pronounced effect (larger radius), a scraper or the blade from a utility knife works well to remove some wood, then you can use the sandpaper strip method to smooth things out.

You can do it with files as well, but the risk of marring your frets goes up. If you haven't levelled/crowned/dressed/polished the frets yet, then you may not care as any damage you might do will likely be cleaned up anyway.

Cagey, I really like your idea because it is essentially "burnishing" the edges and there's no risk at all from abrasives.
Cool tip!!

 

[rgand]

Cagey, I really like your idea because it is essentially "burnishing" the edges and there's no risk at all from abrasives.
Cool tip!!

I agree. That's a great way to go about it.

 

[LushTone]

After some thought and running my hand across the board, I just went and used the narrow screwdriver method. I realized it's kinda overkill to do a heavy roll, although attractive in its own right. The results will work great for me!

Thanks Cagey! :headbang1:

 

[Cagey]

Weckom. Happy to be of help.

 

[dmraco]

I have used Cageys method as well as some 400 grit sand paper.  Both work well.

 

[misterfinn]

If you want a more pronounced effect (larger radius), a scraper or the blade from a utility knife works well to remove some wood, then you can use the sandpaper strip method to smooth things out.

This is what I've done with my Warmoth guitars. As a bonus, I discovered that if you use the 3M polishing papers to take your smoothing all the way up to 4000 grit and slop over onto the frets at grits 400+, you get a sweet burnish on the ends. :icon_thumright: