StewMac Fingerboard Inlay Jig + Templates
Perfectly placed inlays—every time.
At first glance, cutting inlay pockets for familiar shapes like crowns and blocks looks simple, right? But in practice it's one of the most deceptively unforgiving operations in guitar making. The human eye is incredibly sensitive to alignment, and the smallest error, a block that's rotated a hair, a crown that's slightly off-center, or a dot that's slightly off can jump out immediately and distract from an otherwise beautiful instrument.
This system removes all that pressure. You'll be confidently cutting inlay pockets in a fraction of the time with no measuring, and ZERO stress.
Bringing a proven system to the small shop
For decades, large manufacturers solved this problem using pin routers and dedicated templates. The challenge was bringing that level of accuracy into a small shop without the space, cost, or complexity of industrial equipment.
The spark for this solution came from Matt Flaherty and Chris Fesker of Texas Toast Guitars, who showed us their method of bringing the accuracy of production pin routing to the home workshop. From there, our toolmaking team refined, engineered, and expanded the concept into a complete, repeatable system created specifically for today's builders.
How it works
The StewMac Fingerboard Inlay Routing Jig uses a precision guide bushing mounted to our plunge router base, paired with custom acrylic template that aligns with the fingerboard's centerline and fret slots. Once the template is affixed, every pocket is automatically positioned, aligned, and sized correctly, no measuring, no guesswork, no stress.
The result is clean, straight, perfectly centered inlay pockets that fit our precut pearl and pearloid inlays with minimal cleanup and virtually no filler.
Features
- Rout inlay pockets on slotted, un-radiused fingerboards
- Templates align from the fingerboard centerline and fret slots for accurate positioning
- #103758 Plunge Base includes 1/16" carbide downcut bit for clean edges and perfectly fitting corners
- Includes complete instructions
- Perfectly matched pearl inlay sets are pre-cut and ready to drop in. Shop inlay blocks, crowns, and dots
If you already own a StewMac Plunge Router Base, you can simply swap the baseplate with this #103078 Inlay Plate Retrofit so you can use it with the templates.
Templates available for six inlay styles and four scale lengths:
- 1/4" guitar dots for guitar and bass
- Gibson crown inlays
- Small block inlays
- Custom block inlays
- Fender bass block inlays
- Options available for four popular scale lengths 24.625", 24.75", 25.5" 34"
If you've ever hesitated before cutting inlay pockets, knowing there's no margin for error, this jig is for you. It turns one of the most nerve-wracking jobs in guitar making into an easy, enjoyable, predictable process you can rely on.
