Finishing the fingerboard ends

[finnfinnviolin]

I have always used a file, or an orbital sander to finish the ends, but recently I tried something new. 
 

I made a wedge that matches the fingerboard taper out of hard oak. 
 

then I Wet the end of the board and plane the end grain of the board and the oak piece with a finely set low angle plane. With a fine cut the oak piece stops any tear out and you get a really nice finish. 
 

Does anyone else do this? 
 

if not what’s your procedure?

[Brad Dorsey]

I sand the end on a disc sander to get the exact length I want and equal angles with the sides.  This leaves some pretty course sanding marks.  To remove them, I hand-sand the end with progressively finer sandpapers just as I do on the other finger board surfaces, ending at 600.

[Mark Norfleet]

I simply plane the ends by hand without a jig.  I do wet the ends though and the plane has to be freshly sharpened.

[nathan slobodkin]

12 hours ago, Mark Norfleet said:

I simply plane the ends by hand without a jig.  I do wet the ends though and the plane has to be freshly sharpened.

Before or after shooting the sides?

[Mark Norfleet]

28 minutes ago, nathan slobodkin said:

Before or after shooting the sides?

After.

 

[Andreas Preuss]

A flat sandpapaper board is very useful for this. It never tears of the grain and makes a smooth surface which can be easily polished. For the length of the fingerboard I adjust it from the upper end if necessary.

[Davide Sora]

On 1/11/2020 at 3:16 PM, Mark Norfleet said:

I simply plane the ends by hand without a jig.  I do wet the ends though and the plane has to be freshly sharpened.

Really never even a little chip? It seems unlikely to me.

Maybe my plane isn't sharp enough to do this with 100% certainty of never chipping, or you love the risk....

[finnfinnviolin]

On 1/11/2020 at 6:16 AM, Mark Norfleet said:

I simply plane the ends by hand without a jig.  I do wet the ends though and the plane has to be freshly sharpened.

No tear out? I’d have to see it to believe it! 
 

With my Oak wedge and shooting board method I don’t get any chips, although I do do it prior to shaping the sides, just to be on the safe side. 
 

up until now I have always done it  with sandpaper on a granite block, like Andreas describes. 

[Mark Norfleet]

1 hour ago, Davide Sora said:

Really never even a little chip? It seems unlikely to me.

Maybe my plane isn't sharp enough to do this with 100% certainty of never chipping, or you love the risk....

 I do cut from each side and not all the way across in one pass.

This is one I made a few years ago that’s visiting today.  I still see the plane marks (and a tiny step on the bass side.

[finnfinnviolin]

Good for you mark! 
 

looks great! 

[~ Ben Conover]

For the bridge end of the FB end I like to use files and finish with a fine Swiss file, and take the edge off very slightly with some 1500 grit so it's not razor sharp. Been a while though.