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Fret ends twisting while cutting tangs
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Fret ends twisting while cutting tangs
Hey guys,
Sorry, this may be a dumb question. I’m cutting some new frets for this D-28 with a bound fretboard. Does anyone know of a good way to prevent the fret ends from twisting when cutting the tangs? They’re stainless steel frets, not sure if that would matter. I’m using a fret tang nipper from StewMac. It seems like no matter how little material I try to bite off at a time, the tang nipper twists the fret, which leads to the ends seating poorly in the slot. I’m not really sure what I can do about it. Sorry again if this is something I should probably know. If anyone has any tips I appreciate it.
Incidentally….does anyone know if the little handheld fret presses are any good? I saw some on Ebay and was thinking of trying one, because I’d rather not just use a hammer to install frets but also I can’t afford a large fret press at the moment.
Thanks!
-Beatriz
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6 Replies
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I found that if I angle the cutter rather than try to take a smaller bite it works better. If you’re pining for the old school cutter, it’s just a sheet metal nibbler with a groove for the fret. I’ve taken those apart and sharpened the cutter with water stones to pretty good affects.
One last thing, those come with different fittings for different fret sizes. Not that you didn’t, but I thought I’d ask if you made sure the fittings were fitting the fret shape correctly.
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In my experience, neither of the Stewmac cutters work well on stainless steel fret tangs. I usually end up bending the frets back with soft-jaw pliers. I’ve been considering other methods, like using the edge of a belt sander or something, but haven’t committed yet. I add a $200 fee for stainless, due to the extra dancing I have to do.
The ebay handheld presses work okay, but not great (I have three of them). Danny West ordered them and didn’t like them at all. If you can spare the cash, the Stewmac Jaws version is apparently much more adjustable.
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I use the LMI fret tang filer. I’ve used one for several years and when LMI announced closing I ordered another so I’m retired before I wear out two! 🙂 I find filing the tangs is better than cutting, but in reality, most do both. (See Doug Proper’s latest video). One of my employees has a discontinued Frank Ford jig for filing the tangs. it’s pretty awesome too.
I also use the Stewmac Jaws. I own two, both the old version and the new version. The new version will open about 4 inches. The old one is nice too. I sometimes use both at once so I can press and glue more than one fret at a time.
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Frank’s tang filer is one of the coolest tools anyone’s ever put out! My old apprentice has one and won’t sell it at any cost.
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I have the LMI fret tang filer also. One of the best tools I own. With it, I can do a bound fingerboard almost as fast as an unbound.
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Wow, thanks guys! Really lamenting the fact that LMI is no longer in operation right now, haha. I definitely should have looked into their tang filer.
I’ll look into the Stewmac Jaws as well.
Thanks again for all your kind advice, it really helps.
-Beatriz
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