nsherman2006 Posted November 21, 2004 Report Share Posted November 21, 2004 I am building my ESP f-series copy in wood shop, and it is going fairly well so far, but i have run into a problem. I need to cut the fret slots, but i can't find a saw blade small enough. I am building this on a budget, and if this guitar comes out ok, then i may buy some proper tools, but i don't feel like paying for the special saws. Do you think an extra fine coping saw blade might work? any other suggestions for tools i could find locally and fairly cheaply. Thanks. Neal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted November 21, 2004 Report Share Posted November 21, 2004 thats what i used when i did my RRV, it was a little hard to fret it and i ended up going one size bigger then the ultra fine for the frets to fit properly Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted November 21, 2004 Report Share Posted November 21, 2004 Save yourself alot of time and trouble and buy a preslotted board. they arent expensive and they're right. if youtry and cut the slots yourself without the proper tools chances are good you'll make a mistake and could end up with a guitar that looks great but doesn't play in tune because you cut a fret slot in the wrong spot or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirkentesquire Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 I bought my fret saw at a hobby store for about $10. It was intended for cutting stuff with models and such, but it had a 0.021" cutting width that was perfect for what I need. Despite what companies like StewMac would like people to believe, you can find a lot of "specialty" tools in a lot of places, you just have to look. I would be leery about using a coping saw for fret slots as the blade is too thin to use correctly in a jig, which you DEFINITELY need to make sure your cuts are at a consistent depth and perpendicular to the board. If you can't afford to buy a saw just for fretting than I would say don't bother, buy a preslotted board like Scott was saying. It's not that you couldn't do it with a coping saw, or something else, it's just that it probably would go wrong and you would kick yourself in the groin afterwards. I would argue that fretwork may be the single most important factor in a guitar's playability, so while it may be tempting, don't skimp in doing it as perfect as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 I bought my fret saw at a hobby store for about $10. It was intended for cutting stuff with models and such, but it had a 0.021" cutting width that was perfect for what I need. Despite what companies like StewMac would like people to believe, you can find a lot of "specialty" tools in a lot of places, you just have to look. This is sooooooo true. Exacto makes a couple of different model types of saws. Some of them have a .021 kerf I found one that has a .024 kerf but its not an exacto saw, will have to look at the brand when I get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDust_Junkie Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 That's a good idea sirkent. I will have to check my local hobby stores and see if I can find a saw. I have found a Japanese pull saw at a local woodworking shop with a .024" kerf. What I am curious about is those of you who have bought a saw locally, what do you use for a miter ? Did you build your own jig or what ? Also I have looked around a bit, and have been unable to find a metal ruler or yardstick that measures to the 64ths of an inch. I would think I would need one in order to build a jig and miter to be able to properly meaure the fret spacing. I say a metal ruler, because I would want something that last for quite awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 I would argue that fretwork may be the single most important factor in a guitar's playability, so while it may be tempting, don't skimp in doing it as perfect as possible. Wise words! Buy a preslotted fretboard. Costs not much more then an unslotted board and saves you tons of work and increases the quality of your end product. Then you still have to radius the board, fret it and level the frets which is very difficult to do right as well, so why not avoid one unnecessary difficulty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CudBucket Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 nsherman, for me, doing the fretboard was the thing I most wanted to do myself. Anyone can build a body and even mill a neck. Do your own fretboard. Do many and get it perfect. Then, you can build any guitar you ever wanted. Good luck. BTW, I used the Stew Mac saw with a home-made Oak fence. Check out my project guitar site and see it. Dave www.downinfrontht.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracked Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 (edited) Cud, you are the Jig King! I'm wondering if I can use my router (mounted like your spindle sander) for a spindle sander, or if it would be too fast?? Anyway, I really dig your tutorial, great pics and nice work too! It's so cool how you can get inspired by others here huh? Edited November 23, 2004 by Cracked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 If you had an older router, or a heavy duty professional model, where the bearings are heavy duty, you might get away with it, although I wouldn't recommend it anyway. With a new consumer grade router, the pressure as using it as a sander would probably blow a (plastic) bearing before long. Besides, that much weight (the actual sander barrel) on a router going that fast...hmmm, I don't like the sound of it at all for safety sake. It only takes one shop accident to lose a valued body part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cracked Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 (edited) I hear ya Drak, I was a bit wary, it's just a cheapo, I'll invest in a proper smaller one. Sorry 'bout the threadjack Edited November 23, 2004 by Cracked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirkentesquire Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Also I have looked around a bit, and have been unable to find a metal ruler or yardstick that measures to the 64ths of an inch. Actually, I recently used a tape measure. Not one of the stiff, curved ones, but one of the flexible, flat ones, like you would use to measure long jump or something. The ends of tape measures are always questionable, so I started at the 10 cm mark at the end of the fretboard and went from there. I slotted the board after it was radiused, so a metal ruler wouldn't stay flat. I just used double-sided tape at both ends and marked the positions. As an aside, and as a Canadian, I thoroughly tout the metric system in this instance of fret slotting. Hear me out, measuring in millimeters is, well, immeasurably easier to work with than fractions of an inch, and in some cases even thousandths of an inch. While I may be biased, compare for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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