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Finding the Right Fret Saw

I think many eventually come to a point where they want to start fretting their guitars. That's where I have arrived. Not knowing much about the procedure, I pretty much jumped into it with both feet.

Finding fret wire was easy--it's actually inexpensive. Where I ran into trouble was when trying to find the right saw for cutting the fret slots. It's just natural for me to try saving a few bucks, but sometimes that inclination works against me, and this is a perfect example.

I first went to Amazon in search of a cheap saw that would serve the purpose of cutting the fret slots. Twice I thought I had found the right saws, twice I was terribly disappointed--either the cut was too wide or it was too narrow. The tang on the fret wire is .023", and apparently the fret slot must also be .023". Taking hints from a YouTube video, I went to the hardware store and bought yet another inexpensive saw, and again I was disappointed. I had purchased three saws and none worked.

So here is the lesson I learned: sometimes it's just better to pay the extra money than keep banging your head against the wall trying to save a few bucks. I now have ordered a "fret saw." from StewMac. What could have cost around $31.00 has actually cost around $60.00 when I account for the three saws I purchased earlier.

If I were to advise anyone on fretting, it would be to buy a saw that is intended for fretting. Don't waste your time trying to find a cheap replacement.

StewMac Fret Saw

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on January 1, 2016 at 2:11pm

You could get one of these:

http://images.rockler.com/articles/images/Nobex-miter-250.jpg

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on January 7, 2016 at 8:50am

I had a Craftsman version that I used to good effect building a giagntic mantelpiece in one of my old apartments. It cut true angles as long as you let the saw do the work.

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Permalink Reply by Titch the Clown on January 2, 2016 at 2:38am

My first fret saw was a junior hack saw blade held between two lumps of wood - a design apparently from an early banjo how to book. The blade cut a kerf that was too wide so I cured that with a hammer.

My current fret saw is a standard Jack dovetail saw. It has the added advantage that if you stop cutting just after you can not see under the teeth/light does not shine under the teeth then the slots are just the right depth.

Adjusting the kerf on a saw is not too hard.

- Too wide - hammer flatter

- too narrow - bend the teeth apart wider- aka adjusting the set.

All this is within reason of course and a junior hack saw is the small one- not the full size one.

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Permalink Reply by John Fitzgerald on January 6, 2016 at 9:49pm

I want to thank you guys. Glenn Watt especially. I bought a Gitty saw a month or so ago and have worn it out it seems. Don't know if it had defective blade or what. Went to Lowes and bought the pull saw mentioned and it cuts so well I am very happy with it. Makes short work of the Oak I am working with.

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on January 7, 2016 at 6:19am

To get a clean slot, a fret saw has to have its teeth not larger than the blade's width. So take a blade with the appropriate width and file down the teeth to the width of the blade. But if you do a lot of fretting buy a japanese fret saw that cuts on pull stroke.

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Permalink Reply by Eliud Rosales on January 8, 2016 at 11:39pm

So here's the combo that worked for me: the Stanley FatMax 20-331, a 2 lb. deadblow hammer, and the .023 fretwire from cbgitty. The saw measures 0.018" thick, but left a kerf just wide enough for a secure fit. FWIW, the wood in question was maple and was pretty dry -- it'd sat around for 10+ years.

I've since picked up a .57mm (0.224") Japanese fretsaw -- a nice pull saw with a brass spine (http://www.philadelphialuthiertools.com/), but on my current build using solid walnut, the frets seems a bit less secure.

- ER