Klingspor: One Sanding Block to rule them all

[ack1961]

A fretboard that tapers in width is like a cone. Picture this: suppose you center the sanding block by the nut and draw two parallel lines going to the body end of the board. Easy enough to sand that parallel to the board's centerline. But you will have a long, narrow triangle outside those lines on each side. Each of those sections would have to be sanded exactly parallel to the centerline of the board, not parallel to the sides of the fretboard. It's doable in theory, difficult in practice.

I agree that a flat block won't work. That's fine for fret leveling, maybe Bill was thinking of that.

Gotcha, thanks Dave. Your example makes sense, but here's where my confusion comes in:

Question: An 8 degree radius sanding block (one that overlaps both edges of the fingerboard) is a constant radius, not tapered.  Isn't the idea of a radiused sanding block to center the block on the centerline of the fingerboard and sand it down evenly?
Q Pt.2): Is it because the full-width sanding block can cover the entire fingerboard without moving off the centerline the trick to keeping the constant radius while the fingerboard width fans out?

Thanks for all the help here.

[Dave W]

Yes, that's the idea, but unless the board's width is constant, it's very difficult to sand it evenly when the sanding block is narrower than the board.

Q Pt.2): Yes, that's it exactly.

[ack1961]

Yes, that's the idea, but unless the board's width is constant, it's very difficult to sand it evenly when the sanding block is narrower than the board.

Q Pt.2): Yes, that's it exactly.

Thanks....appreciate the knowledge transfer.

Wanna buy a sanding block?

[Highlander]

Perfect for a mando...

Clearly, this is an excellent preparation for a career in law...

... As in screwing people ... ? 

[drbassman]

A fretboard that tapers in width is like a cone. Picture this: suppose you center the sanding block by the nut and draw two parallel lines going to the body end of the board. Easy enough to sand that parallel to the board's centerline. But you will have a long, narrow triangle outside those lines on each side. Each of those sections would have to be sanded exactly parallel to the centerline of the board, not parallel to the sides of the fretboard. It's doable in theory, difficult in practice.

I agree that a flat block won't work. That's fine for fret leveling, maybe Bill was thinking of that.

I meant a radiused sanding block if you want to maintain the curve of te frets.  Flat blocks are for leveling as Dave said when you have a lot to take off.  Issue both types of blocks.

[ack1961]

Yup...understood.
8 degree radius is apparently an anomaly in the fretboard world, I could not find a block anywhere.

I could make my own, but that would take years and cost thousands of lives.

[drbassman]

Yup...understood.
8 degree radius is apparently an anomaly in the fretboard world, I could not find a block anywhere.

I could make my own, but that would take years and cost thousands of lives.

I hear ya on that one!  Doing the radius would be a major pain.

[dadagoboi]

I could make my own, but that would take years and cost thousands of lives.

Buy a 7.25"R block (vintage Fender radius).  Wrap a sheet of 120 sandpaper or close to that around your 8" radius neck and secure it (grit up) at the heel end.  Recontour the block on the sandpaper wrapped neck to match the 8 inch radius.

I'd dust a very light coat of black spray paint on the block before you start sanding it to size. Then you'll know when the recontouring is correct.

I didn't make up this technique, it's a common way of getting a nonstandard radius from a standard block that's close to what you need.

[drbassman]

Buy a 7.25"R block (vintage Fender radius).  Wrap a sheet of 120 sandpaper or close to that around your 8" radius neck and secure it (grit up) at the heel end.  Recontour the block on the sandpaper wrapped neck to match the 8 inch radius.

I'd dust a very light coat of black spray paint on the block before you start sanding it to size. Then you'll know when the recontouring is correct.

I didn't make up this technique, it's a common way of getting a nonstandard radius from a standard block that's close to what you need.

Great idea.  I wouldn't have thought of it.

[ack1961]

Buy a 7.25"R block (vintage Fender radius).  Wrap a sheet of 120 sandpaper or close to that around your 8" radius neck and secure it (grit up) at the heel end.  Recontour the block on the sandpaper wrapped neck to match the 8 inch radius.

I'd dust a very light coat of black spray paint on the block before you start sanding it to size. Then you'll know when the recontouring is correct.

I didn't make up this technique, it's a common way of getting a nonstandard radius from a standard block that's close to what you need.

That's awesome - thanks.

[dadagoboi]

That's awesome - thanks.

You're welcome.  May be something I read in one of Dan Erlewine's books.