Mitch Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Posted January 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Abbett Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim endo Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Abbett Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_player Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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