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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on March 29, 2017 at 6:45pm

Don't get Sapele here Michael, but i can say some woods definitely grip frets better than others, tear out on such a fine tooth blade would be a bit odd, all i can suggest is make sure your saw is not rocking side to side as you cut, opening the kerf etc, also , maybe a bit of beeswax or olive oil on your blade might help, but check to make sure it's compatible with whatever finish you intend to use first, i do know others have used sapele for fretboards, and don't recall hearing of this issue with sapele particularly. Pretty sure when everyone wakes up, someone will give you a better answer.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Zack on March 29, 2017 at 7:10pm

Thank you Darryl. I think you are probably right that the saw may be rocking side to side. I am using a Gitty fret mitre box, and the saw sits somewhat loosely in the slot of the box. I am thinking I might be needing a more sophisticated fret mitre box to hold the saw more tightly. The saw buzzed through the sapele very quickly and I may have just gotten a little cocky at how easily it was going through the wood and was careless.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on March 29, 2017 at 10:16pm

All cheap, even aluminum or steel, miter boxes have a little play in them; otherwise, they'd bind the saw. Try using a try square instead of the miter box. Clamp the square down, along with your fretboard,keep the saw blade in contact with the square, and don't force the saw in your rush to complete the task, but let the saw do the work. If you're worried about tear out, use blue painter's tape on your fretboard, and mark your fret locations on that, then cut right down through it. Your fretsaw should have a kerf no more than .023"; anything larger, and the fret tang won't bite. You can use any of the good wood glues or a couple drops of PVA if your frets are still wobbly due to not keeping the saw blade straight and true. I doubt it's the wood.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Zack on March 30, 2017 at 6:39am

Thanks, I always appreciate your thoughtful comments. I'm going to try the square.

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Permalink Reply by JL on March 30, 2017 at 12:21am

troubleshooting basics, change 1 thing at a time till it works

101: try a scrap of a different type of wood, cut a slot exactly the same way and install a fret from the exact same batch of fret wire.  If its tight, its the wood, it its loose its the slot or the fret's tang

102: the same cutting technique, and a fret wire from a different batch.  it its tight now, it was the old fret wire tang, if its still loose its likely the slot

103: try to improve your slot cutting technique to not wander/waver/see-saw using a better rig.  If its tight now you're golden, if its still loose your saw might be the culprit.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Zack on March 30, 2017 at 6:41am

Thanks, JL. You are right about the troubleshooting basics. After "fretting" about it all yesterday, I am doing exactly that this morning.

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