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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on March 29, 2017 at 2:29am

Here's a couple  of videos on how to cut fret slots and install the fretwire. It's not the only way to do it, but it might help if you've never tackled the job before. Personally I don't like using a fret end bevel file as it's really easy to mark the face of the frets, I just use regular medium and smooth cut flat files. It's not impossible to rip down timber for fretboards by hand and plane them to thickness. I've done it, but it is a tedious job that needs some hard graft, so you might prefer to buy pre-thicknessed blanks. You can of course set the frets direct into the neck providing you've got a thick enough neck blank to start with.

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Permalink Reply by Logan Parker on March 29, 2017 at 2:43am

Thank you very much- this is very helpful!

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on March 29, 2017 at 4:24am

The first thing you will have to decide is whether you will buy a fret slotting saw or a preslotted fretboard. You cannot replace a fret slotting saw with kind of another one, because for a clean slot the blade width has to equal the kerf, and a measure of about 0.020" is obligatory to get the frets fixed.

If you saw the slots with a square and a fret slotting saw, next you need is a fret slot depth gauge you can prepare from a thin sheet of plastic, to control the slot is deep enough, about 3/32", with equal depth across the fret board. Try to install your first frets to a piece of scrap wood similar to the one of your fretboard, go on only when you feel comfortable. For the rest, there's a lot of choices and room for improvisation...

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Permalink Reply by Logan Parker on March 29, 2017 at 3:51pm

Great advice, thanks a lot!

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Permalink Reply by JL on March 29, 2017 at 6:51am

You should see some 1/4 x 2 boards  for fret boards right near the 1x2's you are buying.

If free funds are a constraint, just get the saw from cb gitty, its worth every penny and them some.

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Permalink Reply by Logan Parker on March 29, 2017 at 3:51pm

Thank you! I will be ordering the fret saw tomorrow and making a trip to Home Depot!

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on March 30, 2017 at 9:04pm

P.S. Check JL's «troubleshooting basics» on «Frets fitting loosely into slots».

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Permalink Reply by Logan Parker on March 31, 2017 at 1:51am

Ok will do- thanks a lot!

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Permalink Reply by Kigar on March 31, 2017 at 2:57pm

Everyone has the methods well covered.  For the first try, take a piece of scrap and mark a few spots to cut your fret slots and give it a try.  See how square you are and how deep the slots are.  Tap in a fret and bevel it.  Check your measurements and see if you are hitting your dimensions and if your fret edge is smooth.  If anything is not right, figure out why before you scar a nice neck or fretboard. Or if that sounds too tedious, just go for it!

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on March 31, 2017 at 3:21pm

Good advice Kigar, the easiest mistake is to miss your line by a blades width or similar, work out how you best read your mark, and stay with that method for the whole board, if you are 1/2 a fret out, they will all be the same and stay relative to each other

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Permalink Reply by Logan Parker on April 1, 2017 at 4:59am

Awesome advice! Thank you Kigar!

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Crociata on April 4, 2017 at 12:33am

First thing you should do is scour craigslist and spend the 90 bucks on a table saw. I picked this one up for 80 and it came with a set of dado blades.

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