Two-piece fingerboard? Am I losing it?

[Robert Hosmer]

Well, my daughter says I can't lose what I don't have, but .....

We're building her a parlor-sized guitar.
During construction of the neck blank, she got to learn about quartersawn wood, as a laminated neck was constructed using narrower strips cut from a flatsawn board and turned on edge to create a "quartersawn" blank.

So now that we have the concept of quartersawn wood down, she's thinking about the fingerboard.
Problem is, the ebony we have set aside to be made into fingerboards is flatsawn, (but it's a thick board).

So while I've been on the search for a vertically-grained ebony blank, a light bulb goes off in my daughter's head and she says "If we did that for the neck to get the grain up, why can't we do it for the fingerboard?"

"Good question", I said. "I've never heard of it being done for a fretboard."


Anyone ever hear of a "bookmatched" fingerboard?


Rob

[ken cierp]

Now reason not to laminate the Fb using as many pieces as you like. There are some really ornate lutes (vintage and modern) that have striped finger-boards made as you suggest. Also I believe there are plenty of guitars that have slab cut Ebony finger-boards --- if Ebony is aged it pretty stable.

[Robert Hosmer]

Thanks, Ken.

Others have also told me to go ahead and use the ebony in flatsawn form, but with this one I'm wanting to take extra precautions.

This one is bound for west Texas a couple months of the year, then back to home- the last one gave us problems even though it was kept "dampened".
With the extended stay, I guess the environment was different enough to take its toll.
I'm hoping a vertical-grain board will somewhat minimize the problems we had.

[TonyinNYC]

If memory serves, ebony moves just as much radially as it does tangentially so it matters not if it's quartered or flat. Pick a more stable hardwood like Indian rosewood if stability is your main concern.
But you can do a laminated board if you want the look of quartered or for other aesthetic reasons. I've seen really nice book matched fret boards that look amazing.

[Robert Hosmer]

Thanks, Tony.

Although aesthetics are important (when are they not?), our overwhelming concern for the fingerboard is stability.
This is gonna be her "traveler" during summer break. Her last one shrunk enough that the ends of the frets started to stick out!
Had some other problems, too!

I've heard varying reports on the ebony. My notes are showing average T/R ratio of 1.4?

The ebony being considered is black and tight-grained. Assuming a well-executed joint, I doubt a bookmatch would even be discernible.

The back/sides for this small guitar are African blackwood.
We were thinking about doing the fingerboard, bridge, and headplate in ebony. But we also have quartered stock available in AB to do those pieces if we decide to go that route.
Also have some quartered Brazilian rosewood that is as "black" as the AB! But only have that in size for the fingerboard and bridge; the headplate blanks have more of the browns/oranges that people tend to think of when Brazilian rosewood is mentioned.

Ultimately, it's up to her.