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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on July 2, 2013 at 2:18am

others who have more knowledge than me will probably follow david,but my experiance is  that if your saw is the correct thickness.023 inch i think,the most likely issue will be overcutting as in depth,as for the saw guide,juist make softwood square guides,and replace them when they become worn,don,t run your pullsaw against an unfriendly face,hope this helps

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Permalink Reply by jeff maurer on July 2, 2013 at 2:39am

i use a coping saw to cut my slots and i use the cedar blocks that came in perfecto garcia cigar boxes as my square as i wasnt satisfied with my speed square

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on July 2, 2013 at 2:56am

I also use a coping saw.  I carefully mark lines with a speed square and use it as a cutting guide for just a scratch.  Then I cut to the depth of the blade (on my saw) without a guide.  This makes a good slot that hammers in, but doesn't fall out.  Truthfully, this takes too long.  Even longer than shaping the back of the neck.  But it is worth it.

I've tried an Xacto pull saw but found the blade to be too thin.  I couldn't hammer in the frets without most of them laying over instead of seating in the slot.  I ended up recutting the slots with the coping saw.

I've also been known to pass some of this off to my 7 year old daughter to do.  She's great at it.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on July 2, 2013 at 3:09am

As already mentioned, a coping saw is pretty close to the proper width.

You just have to be careful that you don't put too much downward pressure as you are sawing. If you do, you can make the blade bend a bit, which can result in the depth of the cut being deeper at the edges, and shallower in the middle.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Trommater on July 7, 2013 at 3:43am

That's exactly my experience.  But, if the fretboard is radiused, that rounded cut depth is perfect.  Before I got my proper fret saw (http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=61618&cat=1,42884,...), I used a jeweler's saw fitted with the proper size saw from this set - http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32916&cat=1,42884,...

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on July 2, 2013 at 3:15am

For fret slotting, I believe you need to shell out and buy the proper tool for the job. Even if you don't make many guitars, it saves so much messing around and aggravation. Spend $30 or $40 on a proper fretsaw, make a simple wooden mitre box and you're good for making hundreds of guitars before you wear out the saw.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on July 2, 2013 at 3:23am

I also made a beginners video for fretting and posted it on my page here. It may help a bit:

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/video/how-to-fret-a-neck

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on July 2, 2013 at 3:25am

the go to page for new fretters dan,hola

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Permalink Reply by Clarky on July 2, 2013 at 3:24am

I've made three fretted guitars so far, and used my small hacksaw which has thin blades and has done fine so far.  I've done it the old fashioned way too, cut by steady hand very slowly.  Takes ages though.

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Permalink Reply by Suspect Device on July 2, 2013 at 3:43am

I'm with Chickenbone John. Just buy the right tool for the job. A proper fret saw with a depth-stop saves time & aggravation.  Mine was @ $40 from Stewmac. Sure, there are plenty of ways to get around it and other tools you can use to get the job done reasonably well, but I found it wasn't worth the stress and time. I use very few pro luthier tools on my builds, but a fret saw is one I won't go without. The Stewmac and LMI tools are great. Regardless of what you may hear from some of the cheaper skates and number skulls around here- they are VERY reasonably priced for the high quality/specialized nature.

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on July 2, 2013 at 3:45am

yup

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on July 2, 2013 at 3:59am

I'm all for home made work-arounds, but a decent purpose-made saw for fretting is, for me, indispensable. I've only ever had to buy two..although my last one is worn out, so I could use another. I made (and wore out) a couple of slotting jigs..so that's the bit I don't buy from StewMac or other commercial outfits. The rest of my tools are either inherited or slowly acquired over the years, and you can re-purpose and economise on lots of stuff...but a good fret saw will serve you well in the long term. You can get by with a hacksaw or coping saw, but the kerf may not be right on the money, and the worst part is their tendency to rotate from side to side and flex, leading to inaccuracy and over-wide slots. A decent rigid-backed "gents saw" type fretting saw should cut straight and true, giving a consistently tight kerf and level bottom to the slot. Combine that with a home-made slotting jig and it can take a lot of the aggravation out of fretting..that and a decent (or even cheapo, like mine) soft faced hammer will make fretting much more of a satisfying process rather than a frustrating trial.

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