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Now its time to start the fret work! Once again we start with a bench full of tools. I try to make as many of my own tools as possible.
First I cover the back of the neck with masking tape to protect it. Then I clamp it down with the same jig I used for shaping the neck (notice that it's grown a hole so I can clamp the neck in the middle. I keep finding new uses for this jig and it gets modified constantly).
StewMac makes a handy fret slot depth gauge. I use the flat side to determine how deep the tang on the fretwire is. Next I'll use the 9.5" radius side to check the slots in the neck. I also use it to clean the gunk out of the slots.
Here I'm checking the depth at the center of the slot. Looks good.
The bottom of the slots are flat, and the top of the fretboard has been radiused since I cut those slots. This pic confirms that the outsides of the slots are not deep enough.
I use a fret saw to deepen the slots on the outsides. In this pic I'm working on the side opposite the handle of the saw. If you try to pull it through and do the near side you could end up with tearout. So once I finish all the slots on the far side, I spin the jig around and do the other side. The piece of tape on the left side of the slot I'm working is to protect the fretboard from the depth stop on the saw which can leave marks.
Before installing the frets, I use a small 3 corner file to bevel both sides of the slot ever so slightly. If anyone ever has to pull the frets this will hopefully prevent or at least cut down on the chipping. Same deal as using the fret saw except the file works best on the push for me instead of on the pull, so I do all the near sides, spin the jig and do the other side.
You can't just hammer or press straight fret wire into the slots, it needs to be pre-radiused. Here's my handy-dandy fret wire radius jig. I found plans for this over at Project Guitar and it works like a charm. I have it set to a radius smaller than 9.5" and I'll open it up by hand, but you want want to end up with it over radiused.
Here's the obligatory numbered fret holder made out of scrap. I used to try to cut the frets as short as possible so I could squeak by with 2 two foot lengths of fret wire instead of breaking on a third. Then I learned a secret that I'll share in a couple of pics.
Here's something super simple you can do that will make a huge difference on the feel of the finished neck. Grab the biggest screwdriver you have (round shaft, no nicks or scratches!) and roll the fretboard edges. Just lean on it with all your weight and zip up and down the length of both sides. You can do this to your already fretted neck too.
Some people glue their frets, others don't. I do. Some use epoxy, some (like me) use Titebond. Before gluing, I use the depth gauge to thoroughly clean out all the slots. Here's a pic of the first fret masked off (did I mention I hate scraping glue off of fretboards?) and some Titebond applied with a toothpick. I make sure the glue is in the slot and not on top of the board. I also made sure the tape is far enough from the slot that it won't get pinned under the fret. From this point on, the process feels like the movie Groundhog Day :)
I hold the fret in place and tap both ends with a small fretting hammer. Then its over to the drill press set up with a StewMac fret press caul.
Remember when I used the fret saw to deepen the slots? Well try as you might, you will end up making some too deep. Some choose to just fill that gap with glue/sawdust (I've done it) but remember that 'secret' I mentioned? If you cut each fret to a generous length you can also fill that gap by hammering the fret ends over a little. I like this method best.
If this were a movie, I'd cut to a scene of the wind blowing pages off a calendar :). Lets just say, rinse and repeat the last step until you get something that looks like this.
Here's a close-up of the hammered fret ends. The super long frets are longer than needed, but they were the last pieces of the 2 foot lengths of wire so I didn't bother trimming them.
Time to snip the frets. Always cut this way (side-to-side as opposed to top-to-bottom) so you don't squash the fret tang and undo what you've accomplished by bending the fret ends over.
It still won't look pretty after you snip it. Pretty comes later. Whatever you do, keep track of the cut-offs or they'll scratch the back of the neck right through the tape.
After a whole lot of snipping, its time to file. Here's another DIY tool that you can find over at Project Guitar. Its basically a block of hard-ish wood (I used poplar) and your nastiest old file.
First you file this way to square up the fret ends. You need to wail on them until you can not even detect them when you scrape your fingernail up from the bottom and over the fret tang.
Next you file this way to get a nice bevel. I think I've got a 30 or 35 degree angle here.
You should end up with something like this. If there are any stubborn frets, you can do a little surgery with the 3 cornered file, but try to go over all of them again with the beveled file.
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