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Permalink Reply by Mark Bliss on February 7, 2011 at 10:36am

Fretting over fretting:

Well I havent heard that one yet.... this month! LOL!

There are tons of tips all over here on the subjects of measuring, laying out, slotting, installing, truing, dressing......

Yeah its an art. Some make it look easy. Others never seem to get the hang of it.

Heres a link to one centrally located source of information on these subjects. There are a lot more here too if you look around. Join some groups and study up. Keep practicing. Have fun. 

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Permalink Reply by Don Thompson on February 7, 2011 at 12:32pm

Hammering is somewhat of a misnomer, the action is more like tapping than driving a nail. A good fret saw has a depth gauge so it will stop when the proper depth is cut. You need go no farther than the length of the tang. I tap until the bottom of the fret hits the fingerboard. I install all the frets and then take a very straight edge and set it on top of the frets and sight along it and find the high fret(s) and lightly tap them more moving up or down the fretboard until all the frets are as level by tapping as possible. This step saves a lot of filing to level and crown frets. Also are you using a plastic faced hammer or a hard wood block to hammer the frets? If using a block, yes you will have to use more force in your blows.  A plastic faced hammer is a good investment if you plan on doing a bit of fretting.

Don

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Dubman on February 7, 2011 at 2:32pm

Fret tangs measure 1/16".  Cutting a hair deeper, 5/64" to 3/32", gives a bit of extra depth to ensure that the frets can be driven home.  Hit the ends of the fretted slots with a drop of superglue and sand while wet to fill the ends.  That should also fill in the one slot you think you cut too deep.

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Permalink Reply by Andy Kirke on February 8, 2011 at 10:30am

Thanks all, can't believe how easy some make it look on the video's. Just one last question what's the width of the cut, i have medium fret wire.

Cheers

Andy

 

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Permalink Reply by Don Thompson on February 8, 2011 at 11:34am

The width of the cut is the width of your tang less the nibs. http://www.lutherie.net/fret.chart.html You want to use a saw that is the thickness of your tang, the nibs are what grabs the wood, so you would measure just the tang, not the width of the nibs and tang. Generally speaking it's a saw width of .020 to .023, if you have no means to measure with dial indicator or calipers you need to use the trial and error method on scrap wood. Saw a slot, tap in the fret and see if it stays well without glue but not so tight that when driven it it bows the fretboard. The width of the fret itself has nothing to do with the tang width. It is best to cut the slots slightly deeper than the tang for proper seating because of wood compressing downwards by the tangs.Good luck, Don

Andy Kirke said:

Thanks all, can't believe how easy some make it look on the video's. Just one last question what's the width of the cut, i have medium fret wire.

Cheers

Andy

 

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Permalink Reply by dogfinger steve on February 9, 2011 at 9:22am

Find more videos like this on Cigar Box Nation
hope this helps some:0)

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Permalink Reply by Jon Pruett on February 9, 2011 at 2:57pm

There are some great tool tips for fretting over in the Special Tools group area - http://www.cigarboxnation.com/group/specialtoolseitherboughtorhomemade

 

Several good ideas for how to make good cheap fret saws in particular that could help you out. Depending on which saw and fret combo you are using, you shouldn't need to glue them at all. I'm using a 9 dollar saw I bought from an online model train store and fret wire from CB Gitty and having great results.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Bliss on February 10, 2011 at 7:09am

As far as fret wire size and saw kerf goes, at this point I am mostly using the common medium wire and .023" saw mostly. I agree with the advise here, but wanted to point out you dont want to saw too tight a fit on very hard/dense fretboards, nor would you want to go too wide on softer woods. Just something to consider if you are working with non-standard combinations of parts and materials.

Don Thompson said:

The width of the cut is the width of your tang less the nibs. http://www.lutherie.net/fret.chart.html You want to use a saw that is the thickness of your tang, the nibs are what grabs the wood, so you would measure just the tang, not the width of the nibs and tang. Generally speaking it's a saw width of .020 to .023, if you have no means to measure with dial indicator or calipers you need to use the trial and error method on scrap wood. Saw a slot, tap in the fret and see if it stays well without glue but not so tight that when driven it it bows the fretboard. The width of the fret itself has nothing to do with the tang width. It is best to cut the slots slightly deeper than the tang for proper seating because of wood compressing downwards by the tangs.Good luck, Don

Andy Kirke said:

Thanks all, can't believe how easy some make it look on the video's. Just one last question what's the width of the cut, i have medium fret wire.

Cheers

Andy

 

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Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on February 11, 2011 at 4:36am

It is a tricky job, I built a miter box for this and use a hack saw, I have found a blade that fits my frets. Still it takes carefull attention. Making a fret board is easier then trying to do it directly on the neck, errors are les costly.

"pressing" the frets in also takes care, some people have built a little T shaped thing to use in their drill press to press the wire into the slot.       Cheers Ron.       

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Permalink Reply by Jon Pruett on February 11, 2011 at 5:17am

I definately agree with the process of cutting the slots in the fretboard first. My usual order of events is sand the fretboard smooth and apply a few coats of tung or other penetrating oil, cut the slots, glue the fretboard to the neck, shave the fretboard sides down to match the neck width exactly, measure and cut the frets a tiny bit wider than the fretboard, press the frets in place, file the frets smooth, install the neck to the body, and then apply the final coats of tung oil.  I used to file each fret individually smooth before installing - but then I made a file holder that keeps the file in perfect position and can file them right on the neck.

Mungo Park said:

It is a tricky job, I built a miter box for this and use a hack saw, I have found a blade that fits my frets. Still it takes carefull attention. Making a fret board is easier then trying to do it directly on the neck, errors are les costly.

"pressing" the frets in also takes care, some people have built a little T shaped thing to use in their drill press to press the wire into the slot.       Cheers Ron.       

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Permalink Reply by Andy Kirke on February 13, 2011 at 4:37am

Well i managed to get my frets done. I made a tool gluing a blade in a piece of wood - sorted, although i did stuff up fret 15. Aslo found a good use for golf tee's.

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