Houdini Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 I can't seem to find anything on the forum about seating a new nut into a new fingerboard. I've built the neck for my new tele and am in the process of cutting the slot in the fingerboard to fit a 1/8" nut. The problem is that I can't get the nut to fit squarely on the bottom. When I put the nut in the slot, you can still see light between the fingerboard and the bottom of the nut. My guess is that the bottom of the nut slot is not perfectly square and instead of having perfect right angles there are little round edges that prevent seating the nut properly. I have tried a small file and razor blades in order to try and square up the slot, but to no avail. The fingerboard is already attached to the neck, so I guess trying to run a sawblade through it is out of the question. Anybody have any ideas, or should I bite the bullet and buy a stewmac nut seating file. Anyone used one of these before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemleggat Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 On some fender type guitars the nut slot is radiused like the fingerboard and the same radius has to be put on to the bottom of the new nut. You can also make the slot flat with a file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 as gemlegatt said it could be that the nut slot follows the radius of the fingerboard or it could be that the bottom of the nut slot was cut at a slight angle. put the nut in the slot and press down and see if it rocks left to right. if so the slot is radiused. if it doesn't rock and there's a slight gap between the nut and the fingerboard the gap will probably be wider at the top of the nut. in that case get a piece of fine sandpaper, lay it on a flat surface and rub the bottom of the nut on it matching the angle of the nut slot..take a little at a time and eventually you'll match it up perfectly. good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarGuy Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 I've found that the square file in a set of needle files fits right in and is easier to get the bottom and sides square because it cant tilt in the slot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houdini Posted September 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2005 Thanks for the help guys. I just thought of another idea as well. Glue a pice of sandpaper to the bottom of the nut and use the nut as a sanding block to square the bottom of the slot. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted September 23, 2005 Report Share Posted September 23, 2005 Your sandpapered nut is very similar to what I used to do. I'd use a piece of plexiglas , which is slightly under 1/8" thick, if I remember correctly. I'd double-stick tape sandpaper to the edge, cutting it flush with a razor blade. Well I don't have to use the plexi on 1/8" nut slots anymore, because several months ago a customer gave me the Stew-Mac file as part of a tip (thank you pro musicians who are generous with the tips !). So this Stew-Mac file has coarse teeth on one side, and fine teeth on the other side. I think I've only needed to use the fine teeth, so far. I guess the coarse teeth is for when you really need to deepen the slot. It's a nice tool. I don't like all of Stew-Mac's tools, but this one is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houdini Posted September 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2005 I tried sandpaper on the bottom of the nut, and it worked like a champ. Gave me an exact fit. All I did was cut a piece of narrow sandpaper with a razorblade the size of the nut. In this case 1/8" and glued it to the bottom of the nut with a few drops of superglue, then used it as a sanding block. When I was done, I just peeled off the sandpaper. Why didn't I think of this before, it would have saved so much frustration. Thanks for the inputs guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted September 25, 2005 Report Share Posted September 25, 2005 that's pretty good thinking..might try that myself sometime. glad it worked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted September 25, 2005 Report Share Posted September 25, 2005 The only problem is, with a "well fitting" nut, it fits too tight in the slot to move back and forth that easily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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