Which luthier tool would you recommend for spot fret leveling.

[GAS Man]

I doubt it will be anytime soon that I'll be doing my own re-fretting, but I'd like to get a tool for taking care of the occasional high fret(s).

 

I've started looking at files from Stew Mac, such as this one http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools...ing_Files.html

Thinking possibly the 3" instead of the 6".

 

But there's lot's of options out there, including the Fret Guru leveling beam that uses adhesive sandpaper (which seems fairly popular on Amazon)

 

Also, I realize that with the Stew Mac file, there might be a bit more finishing that might need to be done in addition to crowning, such as sand papering. And the sandpaper sticks from Stew Mac get fairly pricing once you add in all the grits of paper.

 

Your suggestions/experiences appreciated!

[mrbrown49]

I have a variety of tools for leveling, and my favorite for spot leveling is the short great planes leveler. I spray a little adhesive on some good sandpaper and slap it on and it works great. Can't beat the price either.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Planes-Easy-Touch-Hand-Sander/dp/B0017LKJCK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467314277&sr=8-1&keywords=easy+touch+sander

[billybilly]

Sandpaper and a block, too easy.

[Freeman Keller]

The problem with doing fretwork is that you need a variety of tools. I have a long beam like your picture that I use for leveling the entire board - a carpenter's level works pretty good. Probably my most used for leveling is this 8 inch hunk of aluminum that is perfectly flat - I put sticky back sand paper (400 and 800 grit) on it for what you are calling "spot leveling"

 

 

A couple of mill bastard files are pretty necessary - I have two 6 inchers, one is perfectly flat that the other has a little rocker which helps when filing fret ends

 

 

Long straightedges (18 and 24 inch) for checking the entire board, a short one that you can rock groups of three frets (this is also my string action ruler, one of my most used tools)

 

 

You'll need a fret crowning file - get one for the size frets that you'll be working on (a diamond 300 grit medium/jumbo will pay for itself real fast). I've also got a couple of little jeweler's files, mostly for dressing the ends. The metal thingie is an old drafting eraser shield - keeps from gouging the f/b while working on the ends

 

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I have a couple of radiused sanding blocks in 16 and 20 inch radius - I use them far more on the board than frets. In this picture I'm doing a partial refret and using the radiused block to hold the fret down after hammering it in.

 

 

As far as sandpapers, I use 120, 220 and 320 on the board itself, I use 400, 800, 1000, 1200 on the frets. I also use 0000 steel wool on both board and frets. Lastly, I'll polish frets with either micro mesh (say 2000 or 2500) or with a little polishing compound on a dremel wheel (be very careful of plastic bindings, compound will eat right thru them)

 

If you only work on one or two scale instruments a notched straightedge is nice to have. I fret everything from mandolins to baritones and bases so I've never bothered.

 

[WRGKMC]

The problem with using something flat is you can screw up the fret radius making the center of the fret board flat. When you do single fret leveling its sometimes better to simply use a crowning fret to take the one fret down a little after you identify the high spot using a fret rocker.

 

Its common to get notches in the lower frets and frets worn flat where you play leads the most. This cause an area of low frets which usually need to be dealt with by doing an entire leveling. Its one of those glass half empty or half full scenarios. If you have say 3 or 4 worn frets, its a matter of the other 19 or 19 being too high at that point.

 

If for example, the middle frets are worn around the 5th fret and you tighten the truss to compensate, you may get the frets level but you are back bowing the neck in the process which is bad. You can have frets pop up and compound the issue or warp a neck.

 

Another example is say the first few frets have notches and you level them up to the 5th then loosen the truss to get the frets level. The fret board itself may have too much relief and you may develop tuning issues or have problems with strings fretting out on the upper frets.

 

I always use a notched straight edge to check and see if the fret board is level first before I do any fret leveling. Then when I get the frets level, the fret board is level too. If I need to do and entire fret board, I remove the neck and nut when possible. Then I use a radiused sanding beam.

I picked up an excellent 3" 12" radius beam on EBay for around $20.

 

This one is a little more but its likely the same company. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Guitar-radius-sanding-block-beam-long-choose-radius-fret-leveling-inlay-/231150354983?hash=item35d1a28227:g:WcYAAOSwstxVXzxD Its very well made out of some hard wood. I bought the 3M sandpaper separately after digging hard to find the best pricing

 

 

 

You have to be sure the radius matches your fret board of course.

 

This is for major leveling when the frets are getting really bad. The key is to preserve fret material and you can only do a complete leveling a couple of times before you need a refret. The trick of using magic marker on the frets helps you with taking them down evenly. Having a longer neck cradle is important too because the neck can flex, especially when you relieve some truss tension to get the fret board level.

 

For smaller spots getting a diamond fret file works like a gem too. These aren't radiused of course so using them across a fret instead of lengthwise down the fret board is sometimes better.

 

 

 

After you get the frets level you still have to crown them, which in itself can take you right back to having some frets higher then others if you overdo it. You want to crown the sides and leave the center that you just leveled where it was. Again, painting the frets with a magic marker can help you eyeball how much material you remove.

 

The type of fret file is optional. These are pretty handy, especially on necks that are glued on . If you only do your own guitars, its unlikely you need to spend $100 on a diamond file. You can buy very good fret files as low as $10 if you do some digging.

 

 

After you crown, you still need to smooth and polish them. I use the finest sandpaper I can get locally. I cut a thin strip and put it over the same crowning file and use its curve to remove all scratches. It does a heck of a job polishing frets to get them nearly flaw free too.

 

Afterwards I simply use a small piece of 00000 steel wool to polish them to a high gloss. They make those polishing erasers you can use by hand too.

 

I have bought some of those Stu Mac polishing wheels recently which are made of that same kind of eraser material. I even bought a new dremmil with the flexible extension to use these wheels. I've tried using them a couple of times, but the jury is still out on my recommending them.

 

You have to use a file to get a groove going and since I use super jumbo frets on many guitars, these wheels are barely wide enough.

Two things happen when you use these wheels, when you pull the wheel across the fret its tough keeping it in a straight line. Its also tough getting the wheel speed just right too. If you apply too much pressure the wheel can stall and cause jump marks. Too fact it can run out of alignment too easily.

 

Last one I did I went back and forth first using the steel wool, then coming back with these and getting an ultra smooth glass like finish.

I think it might be better on removable necks because its difficult using the flex extension on a mounted neck draped across the body or headstock. I eventually started doing a good job using it but I cant say its superior to manual methods. Maybe with more time I'll develop some better methods. I was fighting that dremmil extension all the time I was buffing. Placing a piece of cardboard over the body so the flex extension moves over it smoothly without catching on the knobs and pickups would allow a smooth pass across the fret which is key to getting a smooth finish. .

 

 

[Freeman Keller]

A trick that I just read about and haven't tried (but will) - for very minor leveling take your 3 or 4 inch flat piece of wood or metal and glue a piece of sandpaper about 1 inch wide in the middle. Then put two more on either side of it but glue them on with the sanding side to the block. That will give you a perfectly level surface that only sands the fret that needs it. Mark all of the frets with a black magic marker and you can watch the removal of the crown.

 

Edit to add - after writing that I realized that I have an old D28 on the bench that I'm refretting so I thought I would try it. Here are two little pieces of aluminum bar 3/4 by 3/8 by 3 inch long (anything about that size would work). On one I've just put sandpaper using 3M double sided carpet tape (really handy for lots of stuff, the other I put a 1" inch piece in the middle and turned two pieces upside down. On the reverse side I put a 1" piece on one end and 2" upside down. With those two little blocks I can do almost any "spot" leveling

 

 

Here is the entire arsenal.

 

 

If I had to cut that to the minimum it would be the 3 inch aluminum bar, an 8 inch aluminum bar, one fret crowning file, the 6" mill bastard file, either the little jewelers file or a triagular file with the edges made "safe" and several grits of sandpaper and steel wool.

[Mr Temporary]

I used to do the flat file thing, but lately I just used the radiused block and sandpaper.

[GAS Man]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond, and especially the level of detail written out by Freeman and WRGKMG.

[WRGKMC]

No problem. Fretwork is really an art form that takes some practice. If you can dig up some old beater neck to practice on first before moving to your better instruments you'll save yourself allot of trouble. I used an old Strat neck for my first few refrets and leaned allot in the process. I didn't have the best tools back then either and you quickly realize why certain tools are used.

 

Taking some $10 rosewood neck and practice leveling and crowning and even refretting gets you experienced needed to tackle some of the tougher stuff like bound necks and plain maple. Maple is tough because you have to be careful and tape everything off so you don't scratch the finish between frets. If the finish is worn then its often better to remove the finish, refret it then lacquer over the frets. Once dry you remove the lacquer off the frets.

 

Leveing and crowning should be learned first though.

 

There is an old method I used for years before I ever bought crowning files. I still use it occasionally to this day. Other who have discovered it have called it the bump method. I simply call it a matter of elbow grease. It works amazing well though.

 

This is for unfinished fret boards only like rosewood, unless you tape a maple board off good.

 

You take a piece of super fine sandpaper, the black stuff with the finest grit you can find.

 

Cut a piece about the width of the neck and maybe the length of you hand.

 

Wet the lower part of your palm. Then use the heel of your hand and run it up and down the fret board so your palm bumps over the frets. Pick the neck up often and look down it. You'll see the areas you miss by doing this.

 

This method actually crowns the frets as you level them. Its rid of the flat tops and works amazingly well.

You can actually feel the fret heights as you go over them and when the entire length is smooth you know you're done.

 

You still have to polish the frets to get rid of all the scratched tops, but you'd have to do that with all methods of leveling using files or sharpening stones.

 

I didn't mention stones either. You can find many tools that can do a find job without paying luthier tool prices. One of them is a leveling stone. They are only a couple of bucks and do a good job leveling the guitar neck Thy re about the width of most necks and maybe 8" long. Many stores sell them.

 

This one is like $4.50 on line. I bought several at a dollar store for a buck a piece and will likely last me the rest of my lifetime.

 

https://www.zoro.com/bora-combination-grit-sharpening-stone-501057/i/G3999204/?gclid=CJm84qb30s0CFZE0aQod2ZkNXQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

 

 

 

They have a fine and course side. I'll use the course side to take the high frets down quickly and the smooth side for minor take downs. It actually does a better job then a block of wood and sandpaper because its dead flat and there's no sandpaper there that will load up or wear through. The stone is the sand.

 

As the stone gets used it will actually wear in the center and take on the radius of the necks you refret most. I suppose you could speed that process by finding something made of cement that was 9" or 12" round and running it lengthwise to create a radius.

 

I do mostly 12" radiuses so the stone has worn to that curvature. I don't need to use a radius block when roughing in new frets or leveling them.

 

I also found some flush cut nippers there too. I paid close to $40+ for a good set at Stu Mac that I use for trimming the fret ends. I picked up 4 sets of flush cutters at a dollar store for $1 each. Of course the metal probably isn't as good but what the heck, if they work they work. I only use them for pulling or trimming frets so even if that don't last, I saved a big wad of cash there.

 

I need to take a picture of the fret press I made out of a large wood clamp. The clamp is one of those type with the large jaw and has two hand screws on either side,

 

I cut a piece of radius block about an inch wide which I Velcroed wed to one of the jaws then took a piece of that hard Styrofoam and glued it to the other.

 

The foam side goes on the back of the neck and the radius block is used to press the fret into place as you tighten the clamp down.

 

The clamp only cost $10 and I'm able to glue and press new frets on an neck in about an hour.

 

I'd like to get a real fret press one day but I just cant justify spending $200~500 for a full rig. Most of the work I do is personal at this point and unless I decide to do it for profit to have it pay for itself I'd rather spend that money on something more worthwhile.

[Mr Temporary]

I slapped this thing together years ago, and it works just fine in the drill press. Now that I have a mill/drill, I probably should build a more refined version. Hardest part was grinding the steel bar to the 12" radius, checking and touching up until it was accurate.

 

[Freeman Keller]

I have the commercial version of that which I also use in my drill press, but I worry about the stress on the quill so I'm going to buy an inexpensive arbor press before I do the next fretboard. Generally I only use it on new fretboards because its too difficult to support the entire length of the neck for refrets - those I just hammer in.

 

 

This is a bit of a stretch from the original question about spot leveling, but is one of those important tools in the greater scheme of fretting.