Making fretboard inlay dots

[paulmon]

Anyone else here make musical instruments? I just spent a few days working on different ways to make fretboard marker inlay dots, although there MUST be another use for this. I would imagine there are some clever people here with idea?

Here's the video I made of the materials and tools I tested.

[video=youtube] https://youtu.be/WfGWtFhsUKA[/video]

[Handplanesandmore]

That you started the shop day with the music on...your presentation deserved a 10/10 rating.
 

Simon

[R Clark]

Shatterage is a word as far as I'm concerned.  I understood it immediately in context, so why not?

[Timberwolf]

Anyone else here make musical instruments? I just spent a few days working on different ways to make fretboard marker inlay dots, although there MUST be another use for this. I would imagine there are some clever people here with idea?

Here's the video I made of the materials and tools I tested.

[video=youtube] https://youtu.be/WfGWtFhsUKA[/video]

.......................
I see you have a small metal lathe....so why not make your own plug or dot cutter?  Make whatever size you need..You can use plain old cold rolled steel if you you are not planning to mass produce them..It will stay sharp quite a long time on soft material..or you could buy drill rod, make your cutter and harden and temper them....choose the diameter rod you need then drill completely through it prior to hardening..The rod could be two inches long..Then file a few small teeth on the end of it, {no "set" needed } chuck it in your drill press and drill them..As they "stack up" inside, remove from the chuck and push the dots out...This is a " centerless" tool and the work will have to be securely held so that it does not move as the "dots" are being drilled...If you wanted to make abalone dots, omit filing the teeth and use silicon carbide powder from a lapidary supply house.

I have made counterbores like this also and they stay sharp a good while, and they can be resharpened...A Dremel tool could be used to sharpen a hardened cutter....the metal lathe is a very handy thing to have for making tools, as I am sure you know..I would not ever be without one.


Edit...I found a video that kinda shows the tool I try to describe...but mine would be drilled all the way through so the "dots" could be pushed through..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH6OAPkkLjw

[paulmon]

Having started this, there are some other ideas I'd like to explore but, alas. I could also clean my messy shop. Hmmm...

Thanks all.

[Cooler]

I always assumed that these were purchased items.  Stu-Mac sells  mother of pearl dots and tortoise shell (I assume imitation on these) and other types for $0.70 to $1.05 each. 

https://www.stewmac.com/SiteSearch/?sear...t%20inlays

The abalone dots look nice.