Tuning Tips: How to grip a board

Fingerboard tuning is constantly evolving, and with it, the methods of fine tuning your set up. Here I am going to teach you one of the most basic fingerboard tuning skills, gripping the deck. Now there are many different ways to grip a board, I am going to show what I have found to be the easiest, and quickest way that works for me. Keep in mind this is using Rip Tape, or some kind of soft fingerboard tape, not grip tape.
First you will need three things.

A deck of course, a sheet of tape(in this case I happen to prefer Rip Tape, but feel free to use any type of tape you prefer)
a file(a small round file works best) here I am using a triangular file, now if using a triangular or flat file, be sure to use the flat side of it and not the corner.
First step is to place your deck on a flat surface and peel the backing of the tape off.

Next, place the tape on top of the deck, completely covering it.(if you prefer a line or some type of design, be sure to cut it out prior to peeling and placing your tape on the deck.)



Now, take your file FLAT side to the tape, begin to file forward and at a downward angle, filing away the tape and leaving a nice clean line.


Continue to file around the board at a downward angle until you can see a complete outline of the deck.

Once you have the deck outlined, go around once more with the file to make sure you are completely through the adhesive backing. After you have done that, peel off the excess tape.


After peel the tape completely off, take the file and go around the board again to remove any excess and smooth out your edges.

After smoothing your edges, you are going to need a Tech Deck tool, or some type of small screwdriver.
Feel around the tape Lightly until you find the indentation of the mounting hole to press the tool into and twist around until you create a hole for your hardware.

Once you are through all eight holes, it's time to set up your new deck and shred.