Steel Guitar Builder

would a good beginner project be to build a simple lap steel
and get practice with making fretboards..installing pickups
bridges, nuts, etc...........OR IS THIS A WASTE OF MY TIME
bud

If you want one, build one. Otherwise it may end up being a waste of your time.

What kind of steel do you want - I mean really want?

I started with a lapsteel that I made out of a 2 by 4 with scavenged tuners and pickups. It wasn't difficult but the key was I learned a few things along the way. I like what Georg said about the waste of time I would encourage you to start something!

I am starting a lap project and am new to everything trying to learn to play with not much luck. Am looking for info on bestway to measure fretboard spacing. maybe it would be better just to order one from the net. but would like to learn to make them and make them right.any info would really help
jim grant

Hello, welcome to the forum. You are at the right place to ask that and any other questions. The theory behind fretboard spacing is not complicated but even then, you don't need to worry about it. Just Google for fret calculators. There are loads of them on the net. Try using a few of them 'till you find one that suits you best and keep it handy.
There are only two kinds of calculator basically. One will give the distance to each fret from the nut and the other will give the distance between frets. The first type is the better way to go since a mistake is a one off occurrence and does not compound as you continue to subsequent frets.
All you need to remember as far as the theory goes is that the 12th fret will come out at half of the scale length. There are other constants also but that doesn't matter for now.
Remember that, on a steel guitar the frets are a guide for your hand/eye only so be as accurate as you can when marking out the fret board but, as they say, 'don't sweat the small stuff' - in other words, a tiny error in transferring the dimensions to the fretboard material is not as critical as it would be on a spanish guitar for instance.
If you have any problems finding a fret calculator let me know the scale length of the guitar you intend to build and I will be happy to post fret spacings for you.

Regards, Allan.....

Allen if I measure the all frets from the nut what is out there for a tool to do it .
I have a 6" caliper but once you get to the end of that I have to do it one fret at a time
and like you say then you are more apt to not be as accurate.
thanks
jim

Hi Jim,
There is a thread in the 'Jigs' section of the forum about cutting frets that gives the way that I do fretboard cutting. It depends on having an accurate drawing to start with. I make my fretboards based on a CAD drawing and that jig. CAD is a very accurate way to produce a fretboard. However, as I said above, in the case of a steel, the fret markers are a guide only. That is NOT a license to be sloppy. With all of that said, before I had access to a CAD system here at home I simply used a 24" steel ruler marked to 32nd's of an inch. I got my one at a craft store where they sell quilters supplies. (for the grand sum of $4.50 too!) If you use reasonable care and a fine point marker you will get a perfectly acceptable fret layout. As you will discover when you start actually making your first fret board, any error in the marking out will jump out at you and can be fixed before it is too late.
You obviously have a computer, do you have access to a good printer also? If you are still having a problem with this after you try it let me know the scale length you are going to work with and I will post a center line drawing of fret spacing for you. I will also let you know, at that time, how to print it full size on a standard printer.

Allan.....

EDIT: Jim, I have started a new thread in the 'Tools and Shop' section of the forum to cover some of this. Here

allen I would really like your drawing and instuctions have not tried 24" ruler yet but your drawing sounds like the answer for me.Have a good printer and am working on a jig from your site
thanks
jim

Hi jgrant42,

I've sent you an email with some dimentions for a 24" scale fretboard.

hope this help also...............Pat C

Someone mentioned using a chromatic tuner to mark all the frets. This sounded like a good idea to me.