Fretboard Miter Box

thingiverse

Hey all, check out my miter box for cutting fret notches on my guitar I'm making. At first, I had low expectations since I wasn't sure how precise it would be, but after cutting, the results were amazing, so I decided to share it. Everything is printable with a small-scale printer except for the base. I encountered an issue where after lifting it up, the base was slightly bowed inwards. The model shown in the pictures is my old version of the base where I simply screwed it straight down onto particle board and it flattened out right away. My new version of the base features countersunk screw holes all over to mount it securely to a 100% planed/flat board of your choice. If you don't want to print the base, I've also included "Bracing Alt." and "Bracing Alt. Mirror" pieces that can be mounted straight to a flat surface without needing to print the bed (which I highly recommend for saving filament). As per usual, I've included the entire SKP file for easy editing and improvement. Update 2/20/19: I recently finished cutting my ebony fretboard over the weekend. If you're working with softer wood like in the photos, you won't need a clamp system at all; just hand-hold is fine. However, if you're dealing with ebony, you'll definitely want to clamp it down tight. Other than that, it was a huge success. I still recommend using the alternative pieces I provided instead of printing the base and mounting it directly to a board. This way, you can use a square to ensure both sides are even, giving you the freedom to space them apart however far you want, rather than being limited by the set width on the printable base. The bearings worked as depth stops and kept the saw perfectly straight while I was cutting, exactly what I was hoping for from this box.