Luthiery/frets: stupid questions and crazy tips

[Steve A.]

StewMac sells a fret press that works for all of the frets that you can slide into the press- not an issue with a bolt-on neck but I wondered if there is a way to use the caul and inserts to press in the frets that cannot be accessed by the StewMac fret press ($110.89).



STEWMAC.COM - Fret Arbor Press only, with table

And then the answer came to me like a bolt of lightning from the skies: mount the caul in a Harbor Freight handscrew clamp:



12 in. Handscrew Clamp

I have been using such a clamp to hold down wooden radiused blocks as a gluing caul for the upper frets (I put a strip of neoprene on the bottom jaw to keep it from damaging the back of the guitar.)

So how to attach the fret press caul? The answer struck me like a 7/8" bolt thrown at me by someone who wanted me to "just shut the fuck up with these tired old cliches" to quote his exact words... Drill a hole in the top jaw of the wooden clamp and insert a piece of tubing or pipe with an ID of ~.375" (or 9.5mm).

Okay- so how to keep the caul in the wooden clamp? (No more bolts, thank you!) Before gluing in the pipe place a neo magnet in the bottom of the hole. (I checked and the caul shaft is ferrous.) Hopefully I can find a magnet which can be held in place by the pipe or tubing. (If not I could drill a larger hole on the opposite side of the wooden jaw.)

One caveat: I'm sure that the wooden clamp will not exert as much pressure as the fret press but the other (low cost) option is to just hammer the fret in. I'll see how the wooden clamp works when I put together the jig.

Bonus idea: you could use a smaller wooden handclamp to use the fret press caul and inserts on the accessible frets. If you already have the StewMac neck caul you are in business. Otherwise you could shape the bottom jaw to fit the neck back and line it with cork.

Here is what the fret press caul ($52.42) and neck support caul ($11.27) look like:



STEWMAC.COM - Fret Press Caul with 5 Fret Press Inserts



STEWMAC.COM - Neck Support Caul

Steve Ahola

P.S. If you don't already have the fret press caul and neck support caul it is cheaper to buy the fret press system ($169.12) which is out of stock at this time.



STEWMAC.COM - Fret Arbor Press System

The brass inserts included with the fret press caul are (6", 7-1/4", 9-1/2", 12" and 16") so you might want to order additional sizes for $4.45 each...

STEWMAC.COM - Fret Press Inserts

P.P.S Since I already had the fret press caul and neck support caul I decided to pull the trigger on the $110 fret press. This was after looking at arbor presses at Harbor Freight and deciding that there was too much work to be done to make them half-way as good as the StewMac press.

[Steve A.]

I ordered this $14.19 set of needle files the other day and that they are a big step up from the cheap sets at Harbor Freight, etc. The teeth on these files are sharp. They should come in very handy for shaping nuts and starting the slots. For this application a hardened steel seems to be better than the cheaper grades of diamond grit which eventually rubs off.





http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MZY6DXM

Steve Ahola

[Steve A.]

How to make a nut slot saw for $16 or less

How to make a nut slot saw for $16 or less

There is a Guitar Nut Slot File Set Kit sold on eBay for $36 plus $4 s/h- with serrated stainless steel rods which will almost last forever.



Heck it's like half of the price of a set of 6 nut files from StewMac. Such a tool has its purpose- it is good for starting nut slots as it will cut much faster and save wear and tear on your nut files. However if you look at what comprises the kit you can see that it is grossly over-priced.

I'm sure that many of us already have a jeweler's saw since it is handy to have around. If not they cost around $10. As for the special serrate stainless steel rods it turns out they are just welding tip cleaners with drill gauges between 77 and 53 which would cost around $6. Here is an attached PDF file showing drill gauge sizes:

I_DrillSizeDecimalEquivalent&TapDrillChart.pdf



Steve Ahola

[Steve A.]

A notched straight edge for Gibsons and Fenders... $4.99 w/ free shipping!

I just ordered one of these along with one for PRS and Martin guitars which was $9.99.
Buy American... buy United Appalachian Aluminum Company! They also sell fret rockers dirt cheap- I just ordered 4 for $14.25 w/ free Priority Mail shipping.

UAAC - United Appalachian Aluminum Company-Straight Edge for Gibson or Fender, Luthiers Tool, Guitar Neck, Notched, 24.75 and 25.5 Scales



Steve Ahola

EDIT 03/28: I received the notched straight-edges in the mail yesterday. They were not in a box but wrapped in plastic with a "Do Not Bend" request. Fortunately they were not damaged but I would recommend calling in your order and if necessary paying extra for them (or it) to be shipped in a mailing tube. The $4.95 one has the 25.5" and 24.75" scales for Fender and Gibson. The less popular $9.95 on has the 25.0" and 24.5" scales for PRS and Martin.

They will replace my DIY "bargain basement" notched straight-edges which I made from $7 aluminum rulers 24" long from Amazon, notched with a Dremel and their router bit (which normally costs $10 or more- I used 2 or 3 of them because they kept getting chewed up, something that I might have been able to prevent if I had put chalk on the cutting edges and had clamped down the rulers.)

EDIT: Be warned that as shipped the 24.75" notched straight-edge does NOT work on most of my Gibsons because the scales have varied over the years- many sites mention the actual scale being more like 24.57". Had the round notches been larger in diameter there would have not been a problem so it took some Dremeling to get it to work on my Gibsons. (Funny thing is that it did work okay with other mfgs using Gibson scales.)

Considering the price of $4.95 including shipping it is still a great deal if you have the tools to make it right. I have had problems using my homemade 24" notched straightedge on some of my guitars because the bridge pickup can be in the way...

[Steve A.]

Slick trick for holding guitar neck level!

Slick trick for holding guitar neck level! I was redoing the recent superglue/baking soda repair of a guitar nut slot and wanted to keep the guitar neck perfectly level. With laziness and sloth being the mother of invention I grabbed a nearby empty gallon distilled water bottle and taking a page out of the Tom Brady playbook I adjusted the volume of air inside the jug so when crinkled up just right it held the guitar neck in the perfect position.

So why did I have to redo CA glue/baking soda repair of a nut? The recommended method is fill the nut slot with baking soda and then put a drop or two of the CA glue on top of the baking soda. After doing this and setting the nut slot perfectly everything worked great until I changed strings and was back to square one with the low E string buzzing. Evidently the repair mixture did not bond well with the Corian nut, probably because the CA did not soak through the baking sofa. In redoing the repair I tried a new technique: I enlarged the nut slot with it being slightly wider at the bottom in the hopes that the repair patch adheres better to the corian nut. (I will post results of this experiment here.)

For my next nut slot repair I am going to try a different material- the liquid and powder from an $8 acrylic nail kit from Walgreens.

Steve A

[Steve A.]

$26 Klein 76011B Nibbler back in stock at Amazon!

Klein 76011B Nibbler back in stock at Amazon for $26 shipped! I bought the last one in August and have been very happy with it. You need to cut a small notch for the crown and IMO it is every bit as good as the one that StewMac sells for $60.93 plus s/h.

Klein Tools 76011B Nibbler Tool - Power Nibblers - Amazon.com

Fret Tang Nipper | stewmac.com

The Wholesale Power Tools site has it for $24.47 and it sounds like they may have free shipping for orders over $25 (chat not open in the middle of the night.)

Klein Nibbler Tool Catalog Number 76011B

Steve A.

[Steve A.]

Crazy cheap pliers for bending fretwire

For $3.95 a pair (plus $2.00 to $2.75 s/h) these flat nose smooth jaw pliers are great for bending fretwire. You just need to cut a slot in one jaw for the tang and a rounded slot in the other for the crown. Of course 2 of them work a lot better than 1 and you would probably want a 3rd one to leave uncut for other tasks. Might as well order 4 for $18.55 to bring down the net unit cost...


Amazon.com: Sale Price Beadsmith Jewelry Micro Pliers Duckbill: Arts, Crafts & Sewing

Steve Ahola

P.S. A *lot* of the third party sellers on Amazon multiply the listed s/h charge by the number of units purchased which is a total rip-off for items which will fit in the same box or padded envelope and will not incur a substantial increase in the shipping charge

BTW I stopped buying used CDs from Amazon when they raised the s/h charge for 3rd party sellers from $2.95 to $3.95. Especially since they are almost always shipped in a padded envelope and arrive with a cracked jewel case. When factoring in s/h quite often it is not that much more to buy a new CD with free Amazon Prime shipping...
HINT: the $3.95 s/h charge is for a single item whether it includes 1 CD or 10.

[Jason Rodgers]

I was in Fry's recently and found a generic nibbler they sell for about $10. I tried cutting/filing the slot for the fret, but screwed that up, so I just cut off the top of the plate at the opening of the square window: you have to hold the fret wire just right, but it works ok. Next time I have a little money to throw at it, I'll just buy the StewMac fret tang nibbler. For this repetitive job - 50 fret ends (I use a 0-fret) - it just needs to be done right. For anyone who can modify these things successfully, more power to ya!

[Steve A.]

The Nibbler and The Better Rotary Grinder

I was in Fry's recently and found a generic nibbler they sell for about $10. I tried cutting/filing the slot for the fret, but screwed that up, so I just cut off the top of the plate at the opening of the square window: you have to hold the fret wire just right, but it works ok. Next time I have a little money to throw at it, I'll just buy the StewMac fret tang nibbler. For this repetitive job - 50 fret ends (I use a 0-fret) - it just needs to be done right. For anyone who can modify these things successfully, more power to ya!

I first tried modifying the generic nibbler like the one you bought at Fry's to get the hang of it. It worked but it did not have enough "oomph!" (to use the technical term) to cut the tangs consistently- I think it might have depended on the specific location of the bumps on the tang.

However I had much better luck with the Klein nibbler (the link I posted is up to $30 w s/h still better than $42 from other vendors- or $60 from StewMac!) I may not have cut the groove perfectly because I still need to file off a small bit of tang remaining- with a Dremel tool that doesn't take much time at all. (I really need to look at the StewMac tool to make exact measurements.)

I spent a bundle on a Dremel 4000 kit with the flex shaft (and several accessory heads I have never used.) For a little more than half of that - $64.95 - American Science and Surplus sells a heavy duty rig with a variable speed footpedal. It is designed to be hung from a shelf over your workbench but a stand could be devised for it.

THE BETTER ROTARY TOOL:
For bigger, or longer, projects, and hands-free operation. This 1/4-hp flex-shaft grinder has a 43" long flexible shaft, a keyed chuck that accepts bits up to 5/32", a variable-speed control foot-pedal power switch, and a comfortable 1" dia hand grip. The motor runs 500 to 22,000 rpm, operates on 120VAC, measures 3-1/4" dia x 4" long, and has a sturdy hook to hang it from an over-the-bench shelf. Intermittent duty.

VARIABLE SPEED FLEX SHANK GRINDER

Steve Ahola

P.S. The cutter for the Klein nibbler is replaceable and costs about $12. I suspect that it would fit the StewMac tool but would need to confurm that with them.

[Jason Rodgers]

When it comes to overall quality of your fretwork, I'm finding the smoothness of the prebending plays a not insignificant role. I made an inexpensive fret bender like the StewMac tool out of hardware store parts, and it works, but does not put a perfect radius on the fret wire. Little flats or bumps (and I'm talking tiny inconsistencies over fractions of an inch) can't be pressed or hammered out, and leads to uneven crowns. Of course, leveling and re-crowning takes care of this, but I think I could get better results with better tools. Again, it's something I'm going to have to throw money at soon to improve my work. (This is something I don't say lightly, as I tend to want to try the DIY route first, but sometimes you just need the real thing.)

[Steve A.]

When it comes to overall quality of your fretwork, I'm finding the smoothness of the prebending plays a not insignificant role. I made an inexpensive fret bender like the StewMac tool out of hardware store parts, and it works, but does not put a perfect radius on the fret wire. Little flats or bumps (and I'm talking tiny inconsistencies over fractions of an inch) can't be pressed or hammered out, and leads to uneven crowns. Of course, leveling and re-crowning takes care of this, but I think I could get better results with better tools. Again, it's something I'm going to have to throw money at soon to improve my work. (This is something I don't say lightly, as I tend to want to try the DIY route first, but sometimes you just need the real thing.)

I agree 100%! Have you looked into the LMII fretwire bender kit plans for $5.95? They have part numbers to order the special items needed and a full-size template to fabricate the plate and base. I was going to have the local plastic fabricator store make the plate and base but then I misplaced the template...

I do get coiled fretwire which is close to the radius I need. I also use a very fine file to make sure that the long sides of the frets are perfectly straight before shaping and crowning them. I do that with new guitars, too! I think that no matter how it is processed there will be imperfections in fretwire that need to be removed... if you are a perfectionist (nothing wrong with that! )

Steve Ahola

[Jason Rodgers]

Yes, that's the bender I modeled mine on, but I cheaped out and bought plastic rollers for the bottom two, and the feeder wheel slips and doesn't work well. Actually, I just found a great youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_DWA-gBAUk that gives some good solutions. Still hardware store parts, but more durable. Might try this.

[John_H]

I linked to plans for a fret wire bender in the third post of this thread.
I probably would have something like that , but I got the stewmac bender as a gift from my Daughter a few years ago. It does work very well.

I have switched to gluing frets at all times. I'm using thinned titebond, and applying it with a tiny artists paintbrush. By doing this, I can get away without masking.

I've got one of these Foredom rotary tools. I haven't used it in years. Small pneumatic die grinders, and mini grinders are much more convenient for me.K.TXH440, Industrial Kit with Square Drive Shafting

[Steve A.]

I have switched to gluing frets at all times. I'm using thinned titebond, and applying it with a tiny artists paintbrush. By doing this, I can get away without masking.

John: A friend of a friend (a top-notch luthier) tested different glues for frets and found that Franklin Liquid Hide Glue (now sold by Titebond) and superglue worked the best in terms of resonance and stability. While superglue is fine for individual frets the very short setting time does not allow you to clamp the entire neck as you can with the liquid hide glue.

I started out using it thinned and applied with a brush, wiping off the excess with a damp rag but was told to use a woodworkers syringe to apply the unthinned glue directly into the fret slot. I picked up the $8 set from Rockler which uses medical syringes with luer lock fittings to switch between different tips.



http://www.rockler.com/precision-glue-applicators


I happened to have a big box of luer lock syringes filled with saline solution and found a very inexpensive source of blunt needles in the appropriate gauges... if anyone wants a "kit" with two syringes filled with liquid hide glue along with a few tips send me a PM with a snail mail address.

Steve Ahola

P.S. For anyone wanting to step up from a Dremel tool American Science & Surplus sells a 1/4hp rotary grinder kit for $69.50...

THE BETTER ROTARY TOOL
For bigger, or longer, projects, and hands-free operation. This 1/4-hp flex-shaft grinder has a 43" long flexible shaft, a keyed chuck that accepts bits up to 5/32", a variable-speed control foot-pedal power switch, and a comfortable 1" dia hand grip. The motor runs 500 to 22,000 rpm, operates on 120VAC, measures 3-1/4" dia x 4" long, and has a sturdy hook to hang it from an over-the-bench shelf. Intermittent duty.

http://www.sciplus.com/p/VARIABLE-SP...-GRINDER_43486

[Steve A.]

A trick for determining whether a truss rod needs to be a little tighter or looser...

A trick for determining whether a truss rod needs to be just a little tighter or looser...

I've been finding that after getting the truss rod tension into the general ballpark for a particular guitar there is one particular setting in conjunction with the bridge height that makes it a whole lot easier to play, especially for bending notes.

The first time I find that setting for a guitar it never fails that it is off a little bit the next day, presumably as the neck adjusts to the change in tension. The problem is that I usually don't know if it needs to be just a little bit tighter or just a little bit looser so I'll make a guess and if that doesn't work I'll try it the other way.

I discovered this by accident the other day: loosening or tightening the low E string and optionally the A string will have a subtle effect on the neck relief. So if loosening one or both of those strings improves the playability of the guitar then you need to tighten the truss rod just a little bit (perhaps 1/16th or 1/24th of a full turn.) And similarly if loosening the string(s) makes the guitar harder to play then the truss rod needs to be loosened just a little bit.

Reminder: don't try this until the truss rod is dialed in fairly well as the change in string tension will simulate only a very small adjustment of the truss rod nut, basically the final fine tuning.

BTW when I first ran into this phenomenon (working really great one day but not so good the next) I wasn't sure if I needed to adjust the truss rod or the bridge height. I finally figured out to leave the bridge alone once you have gotten great results... the elves aren't coming in when you are sleeping to raise or lower the bridge!

Steve Ahola

P.S. This tip may be helpful whenever seasonal changes in temperature and humidity necessitate truss rod adjustments.