CAD Fretboard Activities

Description:

This collection of learning resources, made available by the STEM Guitar Project, are activities on using computer-aided design and drafting software (CADD) to create guitar fretboards. The collection includes a series of three learning activities on designing and creating fretboards and an additional activity titled Pythagorean Scale Length Triangle Geometric Method for Fret Space Calculation via CADD. 

Contents:

The three part series of guitar fretboard design and construction include the following learning activities: Geometric Method for Calculating Fret Spacing, Designing the Fretboard Shape, and Laser Cutting Fretboard.

In the first lesson, Geometric Method for Calculating Fret Spacing, students "accurately calculate the fret board spacing using [CADD] software."

In the second lesson, Designing the Fretboard Shape, students establish the shape and size of their fretboard using the CADD model they created in the first lesson and prepare their design for the laser cutter. 

In the third lesson, Laser Cutting Fretboards, students create the fretboard they designed over the first two lessons. 

Pythagorean Scale Length Triangle Geometric Method for Fret Space Calculation via CADD, is an additional learning activity on using the Pythagorean Scale Length Triangle (also known as Tangent Line Method) for calculating fret positions and locations via CADD software.

Parts one and three of the series are available in .pdf and .doc formats. Part two of the series is provided in .pdf format. The Pythagorean Scale document is provided in .doc format. 

For orientation purposes 2019 Tangent Line Method for Calculating Fret Spacing 1 of 3.pdf is included as a separate attachment and offers a sample of the type of material included with these resources. 

Below is a list of the files contained within the .zip attachments. The size of each file is included in parenthesis. 

CAD Fretboards (7 files, 10.6 MB)

• Geometric Method for Calculating Fret Spacing (2019 Tangent Line Method for Calculating Fret Spacing 1 of 3.pdf 1.8 MB)
• Geometric Method for Calculating Fret Spacing (2019 Tangent Line Method for Calculating Fret Spacing.docx 1.1 MB)
• Designing the Fret Board Shape (Designing the Fret Board Shape MLA 2 of 3.pdf 1.8 MB)
• Pythagorean Scale Length Triangle Geometric Method for Fret Space Calculation via CADD (Hanford High  Computer-Aided-Design-and-Fret Board Caluculations  MLA.docx 1.6 MB)
• Laser Cutting Fret Boards (Laser Cutting  Fret Boards MLA 3 of 3 ver 2.pdf 2.2 MB)
• Laser Cutting Fret Boards (Laser Cutting  Fret Boards MLA 3 of 3.pdf 2.1 MB)