Fret Rounding Files With Flat Crown Surface

[Prostheta]

I'm on the lookout for a fretfile which i'm SURE I didn't just dream up....basically a half-round concave file with a smooth inner apex to rider over a crowned fret top. Looking through LMII, SM and Allparts hasn't turned one up (unless i'm being blind) so....do I just possess an overactive imagination?

[87kevin]

I'm on the lookout for a fretfile which i'm SURE I didn't just dream up....basically a half-round concave file with a smooth inner apex to rider over a crowned fret top. Looking through LMII, SM and Allparts hasn't turned one up (unless i'm being blind) so....do I just possess an overactive imagination?

that's a great idea. Let me know if you find one.

[Flon Klar Guitars]

So are you saying you want to file the sides of the fret without affecting the crown?

[Prostheta]

Basically, although of course there are many other ways of profiling frets for this. I probably just imagined it.

I was thinking of this type of file for making semi-hemispherical frets....using a quarter-round to create the profile from the crown down to the side, then rounding over using this file. If the worst comes to the worst and this file doesn't exist, I can at a push modify a half-round file so the apex doesn't cut.

[jammy]

This may do what you want...

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_suppl..._Fret_File.html

[Prostheta]

Nah - that would do the job however. I was thinking a half round like this:

	  x-----flat bit

|	/ \	|

|___|   |___|[/code]


...so the entire half round cuts, although the very top of the rounded part doesn't.

Edited June 21, 2008 by Prostheta

[Mattia]

OK, out of curiosity...why? Marking the top of the fret and paying attention to what you're doing (ie, checking progress) only takes 10-15 seconds per fret, assuming a decent fret job to begin with.

[Prostheta]

I presume then, that this file doesn't exist

I was thinking that you could cut the fret to the correct width of the fingerboard, then use a quarter-round file perpendicular to the fret end, parallel with the fingerboard to round off the newly cut edges of the fret. Running this imaginary file from the crown, around and down the quarter-rounded edges would then create a perfect semi-hemispherical fret end.

A simple repeatable two-stage process.

Edited June 21, 2008 by Prostheta

[scab]

I presume then, that this file doesn't exist

I was thinking that you could cut the fret to the correct width of the fingerboard, then use a quarter-round file perpendicular to the fret end, parallel with the fingerboard to round off the newly cut edges of the fret. Running this imaginary file from the crown, around and down the quarter-rounded edges would then create a perfect semi-hemispherical fret end.

A simple repeatable two-stage process.

just use a mill bastard file w/o a handle and hold it at a slight angle.. then crown the fretends w/ a fret crowning file. you can make a perfectly "semi-sloped" fret end.

mike