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Fretting Question

Posted by Doc Caution on January 26, 2010 at 12:48pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion
Hey all,

This is my first post here and I'm looking for some specific help.  I've had the cigar box bug for awhile now and am just getting into fretting. I've downloading a fret calculator and after some aborted tries using other strategies got a stewmac fret saw and over all its working just great.  Only thing I'm having trouble with is "finishing" the frets.  I've beveled them with a bastard file and they look nice, but they are a little on the sharp side.  The slightly rough edges catch the fingers when you slide down the neck.  

Does anybody out there have any suggestions for this final stage of fret finishing?  I've tried fine grit sand paper but it's pretty tough to do much with out hurting the finish of the neck.  Let me know your thoughts and thanks in advance.

Doc Caution

PS.  By the way, I'll post some pics of my first few builds asap...  it's time to quit lurking and I'd like to see what y'all think!

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Tags: frets, fretting
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Replies

  • BT Cohosh February 16, 2010 at 10:41am
    Hey!

    I've done all my fretting with non-standard material, mostly brass wire, recently (looks really purty against a dark-stained fretboard). I rough finish the ends with a small bastard file, but then do the fine work with a nail-file/emery board. Works *great*.
  • John Drake February 11, 2010 at 2:54am
    Another quick way of trimming and finishing frets. I've used this successfully and found the results very satisfactory. The second video shows another quick and easy way of cutting fret slots with a scroll saw. Both need a bit of care in doing but they work well. Both from Back Porch Mojo. Regards John D


  • Wichita Sam February 11, 2010 at 12:34am
    I just have a little table top 24 X 4" belt sander... If you use a light touch, you can get away with using 60 grit without any extra "dressing"... If I need a little dressing, a 120 grit belt does the job... Anymore I almost always build with seperate fretboard, that I fret, dress, and finish before gluing to the neck.

    If I have a job that calls for building on the neck and I wanted to use this technique, I would have to do this BEFORE gluing on headstock wings (if the design called for such)...

    I like this practice, it produces a very nice, uniform quality fretboard with very little work...

    And, if you think of it this will not only finish the frets, but finish the neck/fretboard.....
    the best,

    Wichita Sam

    Wes Yates said:
    Love it, but I still have to say that the fretboard needs to be as flat as possible so that one doesn't have to file any one fret down too much. Found that out on my first fret job. Now, as my neck and fretboards are as flat as I can get and I have a great fret saw, I can hammer in the frets in perfectly most every time. My last fret job was almost perfect.

    I wonder what grit he is using? Do you go back and polish the frets up any Sam?

    -WY

    Wichita Sam said:
    The McNally Strumstick site has this vid

    http://www.strumstick.com/images/Making%20SS%20Video%20Medium.mov

    It shows the construction of a strumstick. early (@10 sec.) it show the finishing of frets using a table belt sander... I use this technique and can dress all the frets on a cbg neck or fretboard in a minute or less, with excellent results....

    The idea of dressing frets one at a time gives me the willies.....

    the best,

    Wichita Sam
  • Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates February 11, 2010 at 12:17am
    Love it, but I still have to say that the fretboard needs to be as flat as possible so that one doesn't have to file any one fret down too much. Found that out on my first fret job. Now, as my neck and fretboards are as flat as I can get and I have a great fret saw, I can hammer in the frets in perfectly most every time. My last fret job was almost perfect.

    I wonder what grit he is using? Do you go back and polish the frets up any Sam?

    -WY

    Wichita Sam said:
    The McNally Strumstick site has this vid

    http://www.strumstick.com/images/Making%20SS%20Video%20Medium.mov

    It shows the construction of a strumstick. early (@10 sec.) it show the finishing of frets using a table belt sander... I use this technique and can dress all the frets on a cbg neck or fretboard in a minute or less, with excellent results....

    The idea of dressing frets one at a time gives me the willies.....

    the best,

    Wichita Sam
  • Wichita Sam February 10, 2010 at 10:09pm
    The McNally Strumstick site has this vid

    http://www.strumstick.com/images/Making%20SS%20Video%20Medium.mov

    It shows the construction of a strumstick. early (@10 sec.) it show the finishing of frets using a table belt sander... I use this technique and can dress all the frets on a cbg neck or fretboard in a minute or less, with excellent results....

    The idea of dressing frets one at a time gives me the willies.....

    the best,

    Wichita Sam
  • Converted Stratslinger February 10, 2010 at 9:39pm
    I took a bastard file (I love saying that for some reason) and inserted it, along with a little bit of superglue, into a slot that i cut lengthways at a 45 degree angle on the end of a piece of 1x2. It works great as a fret beveling file, and is certainly a lot cheaper than the Stewart MacDonald tool.
  • Shawn February 9, 2010 at 11:50pm
    I just got a stewmac fret beveling file the 7 1/2 and have been really happy with it. I first plane the frets with the basterd file then run tape up to the frets along the neck and use the beveling file. The job comes out smooth and pro like no sharp edges. I built my first guitar at a Luthier school and they had one. After doing it by hand with a small file I found the job still was not up to the look and feel I knew could be done with this tool. It is expensive but if you plan on doing this for long it's worth every cent. If you have a table saw you could build one cheaper. Take a peice of hard wood and cut a 35 degree angle into it and slip a file into the groove and snug it in with some wood screws. Look in stewmac's catalog for a picture. With this tool what took me 3 hours the old way to do now takes me 20 min
  • Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates February 9, 2010 at 8:41pm
    Hey all, I tried the soda can dressing shield. Worked great. Would have worked better had my implementation been better but overall great.

    -WY
  • Doc Caution February 9, 2010 at 7:54pm
    Just wanted to say and overdue thanks to everybody who responded! Great suggestions and advice! I'm truly glad to have joined the NATION!
  • Diane in Chicago January 26, 2010 at 6:25pm
    Thanks, Nathan! That is one of those true "right tool for the job" tools, I just bought one.

    Nathan King said:
    Check out this here file. After you flush and bevel the frets to the fretboard, there's still those sharp little points, right? Well, this file might just be your hero. It's ground safe one two sides, so you can take those sharp points off pretty darn easily. There's a video demo on the ebay listing which shows ya.

    In all my fretting experience (limited as it may be), I've bought two specialized guitar making tools: the stewmac fret saw, and this file. I do not regret either purchase in the least.

    You can get away with using other saws, and you could probably make your own file that would work just as well as this one... but making one is probably not as easy as buying one :-)
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