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Fretting help

I am having trouble with fitting frets. My first couple of builds were successful using a hack saw to cut the grove for the frets, but since then I cannot get the correct size 9ended gluing some in place). I purchased a fine blade pull saw but this appears to be too fine. My question is what is the best saw for the job and how do you keep the cut square? Using a mitre block has damaged my pull saw. Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks David

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Permalink Reply by Suspect Device on July 2, 2013 at 4:49am

I made a fret caul out of scrap hardwood. It is cut with a slight taper and to slot the groove I used a needle file, though you could also just wrap a fret in sandpaper and make the groove with that. The hammer is a 14oz claw hammer from the dollar store with a plastic soda bottlecap hot-glued to the face. The homemade slotting box is built from the cutoffs of the aluminum yardsticks I use for fret scales. I often build and use homemade/inexpensive tools, but a .023" kerfed blade ain't one of them.

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on July 2, 2013 at 4:58am

wouldn,t it be easier to just use the fretsaw with the depthstop in the background sd?

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on July 2, 2013 at 4:59am

my bad sd missed your point sorry

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Permalink Reply by Suspect Device on July 2, 2013 at 5:01am

The saw does work great, but no matter how loud I yell at it, it still won't set the frets for me!

I use the caul to set the frets in the slots without marring the fboard.

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on July 2, 2013 at 5:02am

i hoped you would let me get away with that 1,lol

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Permalink Reply by Suspect Device on July 2, 2013 at 5:05am

Too much coffee today. I am far too ...alert! :- )

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on July 2, 2013 at 5:06am

i am far from 12.06 am,all cxool

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on July 2, 2013 at 5:10am

good idea btw sd

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on July 2, 2013 at 8:31am

It is not marring. It is distress or patina. Or vintage. Or retro-cool, road-worn. Or just sloppy building. But it is NOT marring.

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Permalink Reply by David Bowes on July 2, 2013 at 8:55am

Thanks to all for the advice, I am going to invest in a fret saw can anyone recommend a UK supplier?

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on July 2, 2013 at 4:48pm

Try ToneTech Luthiers supplies. I usually use Touchstone Tonewoods, but they didn't have any last time I looked. ToneTech seem a bit pricey, but I've used them in the past and got no complaints about the stuff I've bought.