Is a radius sanding block necessary?
I’m getting ready to level and crown my frets, and I was wondering if using a radius sanding block is necessary over using a flat block. I’ve seen some say that radius sanding blocks are only needed when leveling the fretboard itself and that a flat block will suffice for the frets. Does anyone have any opinions on this?
Also on the topic of leveling frets, is it okay to do it before I glue in the neck, or should I wait until it’s in the body?
A lot of people use a flat block for levelling frets. I now use a radius block as I feel I get better results from doing it (I like really low actions), but profiling the frets correctly and not taking anything off the very crown once levelled is probably slightly more important.
I find it easier to level frets with the neck off, as with the neck on, the upper frets need profiling from both sides as the body gets in the way. I’ve done plenty of necks when glued in, but if you can do it when off, it makes life easier. If you do it on the body, mask off the body either side of the neck, as it’s very eady to scratch the finish with a fret file.
+1 on this.I find it easier to level frets with the neck off, as with the neck on, the upper frets need profiling from both sides as the body gets in the way. I’ve done plenty of necks when glued in, but if you can do it when off, it makes life easier. If you do it on the body, mask off the body either side of the neck, as it’s very eady to scratch the finish with a fret file.
However I prefer using a levelling beam on the frets. My first couple of fret levels I used radius blocks, but tried a 8" levelling beam after that and found I liked it better. I still use the blocks for radiusing fretboards.
That said, blocks certainly have their place in doing frets and I think it's good to have both options.
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I also prefer to level with the nut removed, if possible. If the nut is left in place, it’s very easy to keep banging it with the block/beam. With en end-of-fretboard style nut, the worst that can normally happen is the nut comes loose and you re-glue it. But with a slotted nut (Fender style), if unlucky, you can break off some of the fretboard on the headstock side of the nut, especially if it’s still full height so there’s more leverage if you knock the top.
If I have to do a level with the nut in situ, I’ll cover it in several layers of masking tape to provide some cushioning and a bit if mechanical support.
+1 on removing the nut... makes it so much easier! I use a 600mm levelling beam for levelling the frets with black marker on the crowns. As for radiusing the fretboard, I have a router jig for thatOriginally Posted by Simon Barden
. Just needs smoothing with a few swipes of the block.
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