Phenolic ~ Luthiery Laboratories

Phenolic

Phenolic - good for fixtures, templates, nuts, saddles, maybe even fretboards?

from Wikipedia:

Phenol formaldehyde resins (PF) or phenolic resins are synthetic polymers obtained by the reaction of phenol or substituted phenol with formaldehyde. Used as the basis for Bakelite, PFs were the first commercial synthetic resins (plastics). They have been widely used for the production of molded products including billiard balls, laboratory countertops, and as coatings and adhesives. They were at one time the primary material used for the production of circuit boards but have been largely replaced with epoxy resins and fiberglass cloth, as with fire-resistant FR-4 circuit board materials.

McMaster-Carr

Woods etc

Here at Luthiery Labs, we're only interested in woods that are reasonably priced and locally available.

Wood Notes:

Since the gubment made rosewood illegal, ** despite the fact that there is no real definition of what rosewood is, alternative fretboard woods are going to become more mainstream in loothery. Bubinga is also illegal now, but that's no great loss.

** For a while, no longer

More: Woods etc ...

Templates & Jigs

These are guides that you can buy or make yourself to accurately and easily make tricky cuts and routs.

More: Templates & Jigs ...

Comments on Phenolic

Questions or Inquiries?

Just want to say Hello? Sign the .

Submit a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Fret Slot Cleaning Tool

This is a fret slot cleaning tool that I made from my old favorite steel packing strap in about 5 minutes. Once again, the inspiration is the StewMac catalog, where their tool is much nicer, and about $15. I ground the strap to a hooked point on the bench grinder and made the handle from popsicle sticks and tape. My tool is double-ended, very similar to my binding scrapers. The material is nearly the right thickness, a few passes on a file and it was perfect. The edges are all square, so the tip is a tiny chisel.

More: Fret Slot Cleaning Tool ...