Ive been peeling away layers of skull and gray matter trying to come up with what you just demo'd. Plenty of skull left, but not a whole lot of gray matter... You have literally saved me from a self induced lobotomy. Thanks!
Excellent tip! Been crowning frets for almost 40 yrs and still learned something new. This would also be great to make specially "files" for those oddball fret wire sizes you only see once in a blue moon.
Brilliant! This is a great tip. I am just finishing my first refret and was trying to hand-shape the crowns on each fret unsuccessfully. This is exactly the advice I was looking for. Thanks!
Start by cutting a guide in your wood with a hack saw. Your not trying to get the final shape but it will allow you to start with a much more precise "trough" to get your fret shape correct the first time.
This is Brilliant! I did my Fender Strat frets with this little piece of wood and sandpaper and it turned out better than I expected! Bloody Good Idea! 🎸🎸🎸 K.
I make my own crowning tool based on this video from Chris. This is a great idea and it works like a charm. I used a paint mixing stick made of wood. The side is a bit narrow but it still works great.
Oh man I wish I saw that vid earlier, my build is currently on hold because I lack specialized tools, I would never have thought I could do something as simple but effective, thank you very much !
Nice! Even if you have A $75 diamond grit fret file, this is a great tool to add, and I will tell you why. Expensive fret crowning files do not work on low frets unless you grind down the sides because they are too deep and the sides touch the fretboard while the crowning are doesn't touch the fret top. You can make this shallow to properly shape the top. A nice alternative to what I usually do, which is use small triangle files on worn frets. Thanks for posting this excellent video!! You can never have too many files!! Another good looking file I have to get is the one that works from the sides for crowning instead of the top. Although I never used one, in my mind I see it as something that will make viewing my work in progress easier which will in turn save me fixing some mistakes that no matter how careful you are will occur from time to time. The last thing that I definitely want is one of those old big magnifying glasses that you can attach to a table and adjust the angle on. Pushing 60, my 2020 vision is long gone, and magnification makes this detailed work much easier, again, to continually check your progress without having to stop and pick up a magnifying glass.
I need to take care of a single fret only and could not bring myself to pay $40 for a tool to do that. Great tip, very creative - will definitely give it a shot. Thank you for sharing!
i seen this technique used in shaping a wood bridge to your guitar top, and used it a few times, but it never dawned on me to use this principle for frets. My mind was thinking, Okay, I'll a find a nice stone, use a triangle file and make a groove into the rock. But I think I like your idea a whole lot better, thanks for the inspiration guidance
Not try to be too critical or anything , but once your frets are leveled mask off your board and just use 2 appropriate grades of paper around your finger and run it fast back and forth over the frets. I got this from the guy at Frets.com and except for maybe the first and last frets, it crowns them perfectly just using simple kinetic principles. That guy has so many good ideas on his website. Check it out. He was probably the first to come up with using Rare-earth mags for guitar repair WAY before Stewmac started selling them at least.
I don't think that will be as good as an actual file. I like to mark the top of the fret with permanent marker until I have just a tiny spot on the top so I don't take it down past the leveling, but I could see this method removing the marker from the top. It's probably perfect for someone doing a couple of frets though, but would hate to do a whole fretboard like that.
Melvin Punymeyer If you superglue the sanding paper in the groove and clamp it with a piece of fret until it dries, the top part will never sand the marker off.
You will not remove the marker on the top, because you are doing this technique before with a well crowned fret. After leveling however, your frets are not crowned anymore. That way this DIY tool will only round of the edges of your levelled fret, but not harm the top peak of the fret itself.
Cool, I mean groovy. I was wonder how I could avoid paying $30 to $50 bucks for a fret file. I came up with a similar idea with the wood but I was wondering how to make the groove. Thanks. What kind of steel wool do you use to polish them?
You should only be sanding off the tool scratches left by the leveling process. Those scratches should be very minor. If you have to do a lot of sanding to get rid of them, you need to level with a finer tool.
Ive been peeling away layers of skull and gray matter trying to come up with what you just demo'd.
Plenty of skull left, but not a whole lot of gray matter...
You have literally saved me from a self induced lobotomy.
Thanks!
Excellent tip! Been crowning frets for almost 40 yrs and still learned something new. This would also be great to make specially "files" for those oddball fret wire sizes you only see once in a blue moon.
Brilliant! This is a great tip. I am just finishing my first refret and was trying to hand-shape the crowns on each fret unsuccessfully. This is exactly the advice I was looking for. Thanks!
Start by cutting a guide in your wood with a hack saw. Your not trying to get the final shape but it will allow you to start with a much more precise "trough" to get your fret shape correct the first time.
the companies will hate you(who cares) we the poor folks love you..THANKS .
I love you all :)
This is Brilliant! I did my Fender Strat frets with this little piece of wood and sandpaper and it turned out better than I expected! Bloody Good Idea! 🎸🎸🎸 K.
Impeccable! I wish I could have met you earlier in life. You're a wealth of knowledge. Love it!
Genius! Always appreciate your guitar and tool building knowledge. Thank you for sharing.
I make my own crowning tool based on this video from Chris. This is a great idea and it works like a charm. I used a paint mixing stick made of wood. The side is a bit narrow but it still works great.
Oh man I wish I saw that vid earlier, my build is currently on hold because I lack specialized tools, I would never have thought I could do something as simple but effective, thank you very much !
Thanks a lot, I was looking for a fret crowning tool in StewMac and it was expensive, now I'm goona make my own tool, thank you!!
Exactly what I was looking for. Trying to avoid buying that damn file out of stubbornness. Thanks Chris!
Wonderful hack...love it! Thank you for taking the time to share!!!!!
U absolute legend!! Nice 1 mate,thanks for sharing that is pure genius
This is exactly the advice I was looking for. Thanks!
What a cool trick! Thanks for sharing, I'm going to be going this route with my upcoming neck project!
Excellent tip! Thank you so much. And no more worries about chewing through expensive tools if you've got stainless frets to deal with.
One more tool to my arsenal
Thank you!!
Ingenious. Brilliant idea. 👍
Thank you, this is exactly the info I was looking for!
Thank you man. I only had one bad fret and this kicked ass thats.
Nice! Even if you have A $75 diamond grit fret file, this is a great tool to add, and I will tell you why. Expensive fret crowning files do not work on low frets unless you grind down the sides because they are too deep and the sides touch the fretboard while the crowning are doesn't touch the fret top. You can make this shallow to properly shape the top. A nice alternative to what I usually do, which is use small triangle files on worn frets. Thanks for posting this excellent video!! You can never have too many files!! Another good looking file I have to get is the one that works from the sides for crowning instead of the top. Although I never used one, in my mind I see it as something that will make viewing my work in progress easier which will in turn save me fixing some mistakes that no matter how careful you are will occur from time to time. The last thing that I definitely want is one of those old big magnifying glasses that you can attach to a table and adjust the angle on. Pushing 60, my 2020 vision is long gone, and magnification makes this detailed work much easier, again, to continually check your progress without having to stop and pick up a magnifying glass.
So simple but effective, well done Bro.
Nice clear instruction. Big thanks!
What a simple but effective method!!!
Exactly what I've been doing for several years. Works as good or better than a fret file
Got my weekend planned. Thanks man!
I'm so grateful to you. Fabulous!
so simple - so good. Great stuff thanks!
Thanks for sharing! luthiers + DIY = the last words about companies...squared!
thanks bro much appreciated,,,cheers from Australia
Wonderful little creation, thank you
Fantastic tip! Thank You
Thanks, I was looking at the Geetargizmo, the diamond files the gurian file, the three square file .... now I will try this out!
Awesome tip Chris!
Thanks for that. You saved me some money!
Very clever. Thank you, Sir!
Thank you very much for taking the trouble!
That’s so simple, I love it.
Wow! Very helpfull tip..really simple and cheap.
Thank you, excellent idea!
Stew Mac will hate this great idea..
I'm gonna make one for the refret of my son's vintage strat..
That's great!! I am gonna give it a try Ty so much!!
had the same idea and this has assured me im not crazy to try it
Thank you so much, this is genius!!!!!!!!
I need to take care of a single fret only and could not bring myself to pay $40 for a tool to do that. Great tip, very creative - will definitely give it a shot. Thank you for sharing!
worked like a charm!
YOU ARE A GENIUS!!! thanks
yes thank you sooo much it work's great thank you again....
Awesome vid/idea, thanks for sharing.
Thank you! Totally cool.
Brilliant. Thanks!
Brilliant idea :)
Great idea! Thanks!
you're the best! thx!
I'll try this tomorrow. Thanks a heap.
i seen this technique used in shaping a wood bridge to your guitar top, and used it a few times, but it never dawned on me to use this principle for frets. My mind was thinking, Okay, I'll a find a nice stone, use a triangle file and make a groove into the rock. But I think I like your idea a whole lot better, thanks for the inspiration guidance
Very cool thank you
Thankyou very much!
Thanks for the great tip
Wow thank u so much. 👍🏻😎
Brilliant!
Great idea!
Great advice!
Thanks for watching!
really helpful thanks
Genius! Cheers.
This is great for one or two frets.
hey thanks a million
Soooo good
Brilliant. I just saved some money.
That's what I like to hear.
thanks bro
I use a flat file. It takes a while, but it works
Not try to be too critical or anything , but once your frets are leveled mask off your board and just use 2 appropriate grades of paper around your finger and run it fast back and forth over the frets. I got this from the guy at Frets.com and except for maybe the first and last frets, it crowns them perfectly just using simple kinetic principles. That guy has so many good ideas on his website. Check it out. He was probably the first to come up with using Rare-earth mags for guitar repair WAY before Stewmac started selling them at least.
I ruined the frets of a Gibson, wished I had seen your video. Thank you!!
I don't think that will be as good as an actual file. I like to mark the top of the fret with permanent marker until I have just a tiny spot on the top so I don't take it down past the leveling, but I could see this method removing the marker from the top. It's probably perfect for someone doing a couple of frets though, but would hate to do a whole fretboard like that.
Melvin Punymeyer XD
Melvin Punymeyer If you superglue the sanding paper in the groove and clamp it with a piece of fret until it dries, the top part will never sand the marker off.
You will not remove the marker on the top, because you are doing this technique before with a well crowned fret. After leveling however, your frets are not crowned anymore. That way this DIY tool will only round of the edges of your levelled fret, but not harm the top peak of the fret itself.
How long should you typically spend sanding each fret?
For a guideline...Dremmel a very shallow straight cut for a guideline....Your tool will fit the fret properly, verse wide and not so straight
genius
Level the frets first with a flat file and use this method to form the new crown.
Thank you!
smart...
Cool, I mean groovy. I was wonder how I could avoid paying $30 to $50 bucks for a fret file. I came up with a similar idea with the wood but I was wondering how to make the groove. Thanks. What kind of steel wool do you use to polish them?
#0000.
I fucking love you, man. (no homo)
Thank you thank you thank you thank you! :)
This is very smart but dont you actually sand off the top as well by doing it this way? or am i missing something?
You should only be sanding off the tool scratches left by the leveling process. Those scratches should be very minor. If you have to do a lot of sanding to get rid of them, you need to level with a finer tool.
Perfect.
Blessing In Love,
JHoney Goddess
but this way you sand also the sides of the frets where the fretboard lays don't you
painters tape
exactly
Tape off the board or else when you you polish the fret you will score the board.
Use an unmolested fret... Rofl