Hi all I am new here and new to 3 string CBG s I have built a few UkUleles but with pre fretted finger boards. I now wish to built a 3 string CBG and I am about to order a stew mac fretsaw. As I am shipping to Australia I thought I should ask here about some other basic items and tools I should include in the order to make things easier. I would love the miter box set up but its not cheap so I will look at other options here. I did look at a thread which talked about dovetail saws but it seems the width of cut is crucial and the stew macs should be correct? Stew mac talks about their saw and their fret wire matching so should I get a supply of their wire as well > Which tuners do you guy recommend etc, you get the idea hold my hand on this first order , I am sure there will be others but get me started. Thanks in advance. Mitchell
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The landlord here, mr gitty is far cheaper for shipping to au than stew Mac in my experience, stew Mac will often use too large a box, send you a nice litre of USA air..
Following the suggestion of a fellow ukulele-builder I just flattened the regular (small) metal saw with a file. It makes more or less 0.6 mm wide cuts, perfect for the fretwire. Use the miter!
Tuners: if you're planning to use friction tuners - I'm very happy with the Grover tuners. Not very cheap (11 EUR) but really good.
If you want a $7.99 solution, I use the Harbor Freight japanese saw
http://www.harborfreight.com/japanese-flush-cut-saw-39273.html
When it has cut enough that I do not see the teeth, it is just right- like a built in depth guage.
For a miter box, some 3/4 x 2" stock makes a nice one - just make your cut with a table / radial arm saw & put a approx 1/16" shim to tighten the kerf. I also print the scale from a drawing program (Corel Draw) then tape the printed scale on the fretboard to eliminate any measurement transfer errors.
I have done 6 this way & very happy with it.
I bought one of these for frets:
3-in-1 Razor saw
The biggest saw is about right and I attach a strip of wood to the blade using a bulldog clip. This acts as a crude but very effective depth guide. I've only used it once and the limitation was my skill, not the saw !
Edited to clarify that the strip of wood rests against the spine of the saw so that it stays in place.
You might consider getting your hands on a standard coping saw for your first try at fretting. And don't believe everything you read on a company's website or this comment. Fret saw and fret wire matching? I guess if you want to believe it.
I have used a coping saw without a jig or fixture and it works just fine if you take a little care. I haven't had a fret fall out yet and I have my (almost) seven year old daughter hammer most of them in. It isn't so hard.
Isn't that child labor, I think we have laws against that up here.
Yes, but I'm not paying her anything so it all evens out.
What kind of coping saw? I'm pretty sure mine would leave too much kerf to hold frets.
I dunno. Some cheap little 6" / 150mm coping saw that has a nice narrow blade. I've never measured it and didn't buy it for cutting frets. But it is what I have and it works just fine. Try yours on a scrap and see what you get.
The hardest parts of fretting are not hitting your thumb and not cutting yourself when you file down the edges.
Have you compared total costs between Stewmac and Australian luthier supply companies?
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