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Making quick work of fretwork

Posted by Don Goguen on September 25, 2010 at 6:51pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion
Just adding a pictorial post on a few things I've worked out for making this task go smoothly.

Cutting: a rotary tool with a cut off wheel.  I use a small clamp on vice and mark the jaw with blue tape  to the width I need.  Just clamp, cut and repeat.


Next I converted an old sheet metal nipper into a fret tang cutter.  I just unscrewed the die plate and used a cutting wheel on the dremel.  This can be done with the same greenlee type found in hardware stores.


I used a small round file to cut a groove into a small piece of maple.  This allows me to use a flat file to dress the fret tang that I cut above.


As I like to bind my fret boards, cutting the fret tangs is a requirement but even for unbound fret boards cutting the tang back makes it the fret dressing job smoother.  Also you can fill the fret slot with filler to add to a better hand feel.


The last tip is I like to use a small tack hammer to do the initial edge work on the frets.  This also ensures that the fret ends are driven in with a slight dip.  From there I file with a flat file till I'm flush with the binding.  From there all that is needed is minimal fret dressing after I level the frets and then I use fine grit wet dry paper glued to a piece of small hardwood.


On this one I did the fret work before gluing to the neck.  Typically I glue the fret board first but did this one differently to make the photo work easier.

Hope some find this post useful.

Don

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Replies

  • Mama Mojo October 6, 2010 at 10:13am
    I began using similar techniques out of sheer frustration and exhaustion from doing it the "usual" ways. My hands are not as strong as they used to be and the end cutters do take some strength to use. The dremel works great for me. RE the sanding: I didn't use a belt sander - I used the rotary sander and am careful to keep it flush to the neck so I don't sand in-between frets by accident. I burned a neck or two in the beginning, but those mistakes helped me perfect my method. I was happy to see Darren's technique because I won't be so afraid of the belt sander in the next bunch of necks that I do. It is even faster than the rotary sander method that I use. Thanks for posting - I have Darren's DVD but haven't gotten to the neck part of it yet. And Don - thanks for sharing your method! Terrific stuff!


    Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:
    God, you sure would need a steady hand for this. DD has cranked out probably hundreds of guitars and has had lots of practice but I would advise caution for someone trying that for the first time. A belt sander takes material off so freaking fast.

    Michael Gajeski said:
    A tip i picked up from back porch mojo was to fret your neck and then use a belt sander to dress it. a few quick passes on both sides will get them nice and flush, and then you can use it to put the bevel on also. after that, a little (VERY little) work with the files to clean everything up and you're in business.
  • Don Goguen October 6, 2010 at 7:58am
    I've been on the road again and will be for another week or so. Once I'm back home, I'll mill up some fret board stock and shoot some pictures of the next batch.
  • Paul H (PRH) October 5, 2010 at 11:44pm

    I'm interested in any suggestions/pix/info on binding, the one's you've shared have been great to look at.
    Thanks a lot,
    Paul H

    Don Goguen said:
    I use Weld-On #16 Acrylic solvent cement from Stew Mac.

    I also buy my binding stock from them. It is more costly than say Ebay but I like the quality. The edges are square so there is no prep work involved. I bought some binding stock for a $1 off of Ebay and the edges are very rough. It requires more work than I think its worth to square the edges so I just buy from Stew Mac and pay the premium. My time is far more valuable.

    At my last job, I wrote user manuals, set-up guides and such. I kind of miss my writing days so I've taken to doing it here. Hope no one minds.

    If anyone is interested in a binding post, I could photo document the next one. I have some zebra and leopard wood I need to mill for some up coming builds. I also plan on trying laminating black and white binding for that classic look.
  • Michael Gajeski September 28, 2010 at 1:02pm
    yeah, it really is easy to do though. I've done it on 3 guitars now with excellent results every time. just remember to check after every pass and also remember that it only takes maybe 3 quick passes per side to get everything about right (for me anyway). as with any powertool though, take it slow lest you ruin good materials...

    Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:
    God, you sure would need a steady hand for this. DD has cranked out probably hundreds of guitars and has had lots of practice but I would advise caution for someone trying that for the first time. A belt sander takes material off so freaking fast.

    Michael Gajeski said:
    A tip i picked up from back porch mojo was to fret your neck and then use a belt sander to dress it. a few quick passes on both sides will get them nice and flush, and then you can use it to put the bevel on also. after that, a little (VERY little) work with the files to clean everything up and you're in business.
  • Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) September 28, 2010 at 12:13pm
    God, you sure would need a steady hand for this. DD has cranked out probably hundreds of guitars and has had lots of practice but I would advise caution for someone trying that for the first time. A belt sander takes material off so freaking fast.

    Michael Gajeski said:
    A tip i picked up from back porch mojo was to fret your neck and then use a belt sander to dress it. a few quick passes on both sides will get them nice and flush, and then you can use it to put the bevel on also. after that, a little (VERY little) work with the files to clean everything up and you're in business.
  • Michael Gajeski September 28, 2010 at 1:50am
  • Michael Gajeski September 28, 2010 at 1:37am
    A tip i picked up from back porch mojo was to fret your neck and then use a belt sander to dress it. a few quick passes on both sides will get them nice and flush, and then you can use it to put the bevel on also. after that, a little (VERY little) work with the files to clean everything up and you're in business.
  • Don Goguen September 27, 2010 at 6:24pm
    I didn't think you were. I am just naturally careful in making sure I'm clear and positive. It probably comes from it being inferred that I had some kind of a "tude" back when I was new to the community. Too much enthusiasm perhaps.

    Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:
    I didn't want to imply that I thought you were doing something wrong. My nature is usually to assume that someone has caught something that I missed, so I was just curious what the pros and cons were.

    Thanks!

    Don Goguen said:
    End cutters are indeed faster for making the cuts but the one advantage I find with using a cut off wheel (dremel and air grinder) is that I get a nice square cut. I used two cheap wheels for twenty frets and the second one still has some cut left. What I do find is that the vice holding the wire still helps with blade life a bit.

    The end cutting pliers mash the fret wire a bit more than I like and I end up spending more time with a file dressing them up before installing. One offsets the other in terms of time savings. I've tried this a variety of ways. Not saying this is the definitive way of doing it, only what seems to work for me.

    Yesterday working from raw fret wire to dressing and glue up, less than an hour. For me this has been the fastest so far. Always room for improvement if you have ideas.
  • Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) September 27, 2010 at 12:05pm
    I didn't want to imply that I thought you were doing something wrong. My nature is usually to assume that someone has caught something that I missed, so I was just curious what the pros and cons were.

    Thanks!

    Don Goguen said:
    End cutters are indeed faster for making the cuts but the one advantage I find with using a cut off wheel (dremel and air grinder) is that I get a nice square cut. I used two cheap wheels for twenty frets and the second one still has some cut left. What I do find is that the vice holding the wire still helps with blade life a bit.

    The end cutting pliers mash the fret wire a bit more than I like and I end up spending more time with a file dressing them up before installing. One offsets the other in terms of time savings. I've tried this a variety of ways. Not saying this is the definitive way of doing it, only what seems to work for me.

    Yesterday working from raw fret wire to dressing and glue up, less than an hour. For me this has been the fastest so far. Always room for improvement if you have ideas.
  • Don Goguen September 26, 2010 at 9:02pm
    End cutters are indeed faster for making the cuts but the one advantage I find with using a cut off wheel (dremel and air grinder) is that I get a nice square cut. I used two cheap wheels for twenty frets and the second one still has some cut left. What I do find is that the vice holding the wire still helps with blade life a bit.

    The end cutting pliers mash the fret wire a bit more than I like and I end up spending more time with a file dressing them up before installing. One offsets the other in terms of time savings. I've tried this a variety of ways. Not saying this is the definitive way of doing it, only what seems to work for me.

    Yesterday working from raw fret wire to dressing and glue up, less than an hour. For me this has been the fastest so far. Always room for improvement if you have ideas.
This reply was deleted.