Can I Make A Fret Press Bit?

[Mitch]

Can I make one of those fret press bits that Stewart MacDonald sell? I know the proper brass ones are cheap but because I live in the uk it will take ages for it to come through the post and the postage will be quite expensive if that's all I'm ordering (I just got a stewmac order through but I forgot to put the thing in). Is it possible to make one out of a very solid wood like rosewood? or out of plastic?

Thanks in advance.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Mitch

[soapbarstrat]

A hard plastic will work fine. I have made them out of Lexan. Look at it this way : Does anybody ever use a plastic face hammer to hammer in frets ? (yes, many do)

I once made some out of MDF and they did not work well enough for me.

[Mitch]

A hard plastic will work fine. I have made them out of Lexan. Look at it this way : Does anybody ever use a plastic face hammer to hammer in frets ? (yes, many do)

I once made some out of MDF and they did not work well enough for me.

TYVM. I'll give it a go and put it in my drill press.

[John Abbett]

I made one out of ipe.. A very hard wood. Works great. I cut it on my bandsaw, and put a sheet of sandpaper on a screwed up fretboard and sanded it to shape by running it across the sandpaper.

I took a little file and filed a slight 'V" shape in it so the fretwire wouldn't slip around when I use it.

-J

[Jim endo]

I made one out of ipe.. A very hard wood. Works great. I cut it on my bandsaw, and put a sheet of sandpaper on a screwed up fretboard and sanded it to shape by running it across the sandpaper.

I took a little file and filed a slight 'V" shape in it so the fretwire wouldn't slip around when I use it.

-J

This question is really for anyone that has made these. Can you post pictures? I would also like to see your entire system. Thank you

[John Abbett]

I can't easily take a picture. But I can describe it.

I took a hunk of left ove ipe from a neighbors deck. 2 inch by 3 inch by 3/4 inch. This stuff is so dense it doesn't burn if you put a torch on it. Anyway I marked a 12 inch arc on it with a compass. Cut that out on a band saw. Now I had a rough neck radious. My press is a little thing that I got somwhere. It has a 1/2 inch rod that drops when you pull the handle. I drilled a 1/2 inch hole in the side opposite the curve.

I put some 100 grit sandpape on a screwed up fretboard and rubbed the press block on it until it was sanded out. I then drew a line down the middle longways where I wanted the fret to sit, and took my chisel and quickly cut shallow V's in the underside of the press block along the line. I just just enough so the fret wouldn't slip around. I ran some sandpaper in the groove so that it would be even.

I made a little cradle for the neck under the press.

I set the neck in the cradle, drop a fret in the slot, make sure the press is lined up (I have a line on the press where it's right) and pull the handle. Takes seconds each.

-John

[guitar_player]

I made one out of ipe.. A very hard wood. Works great. I cut it on my bandsaw, and put a sheet of sandpaper on a screwed up fretboard and sanded it to shape by running it across the sandpaper.

I took a little file and filed a slight 'V" shape in it so the fretwire wouldn't slip around when I use it.

-J

This question is really for anyone that has made these. Can you post pictures? I would also like to see your entire system. Thank you

Here's mine, it's nothing fancy you could easily make the radius in the bottom and chisel a slot in it.

http://s490.photobucket.com/albums/rr266/g...nt=IMG_2703.jpg