4th times a charm

[Michael Lombardi]

I don't know about you but i hate cutting fret slots by hand, it's like mowing grass it never ends. so for the past week ive been trying to make a circular saw blade into a fret cutter. witch involved grinding a normal 7 1/4 down to 023 about 3/8 in from the teeth, it took most of the week trying this way and that, i finally came up with a method to do it. the 3rd blade showed it would work, but i had saw teeth flying off, trying to keep the taper out and grind a nice straight grind. i finally got it right on the 4th blade. I blocked a circular saw up on its side so it couldn't move, then i put a cable tie on the trigger. the i put a 3/8 thick grinding wheel on my 4 1/2" side grinder, then got my welding gloves, face shield, ear muffs, and welding beeny. then shined a bright light on the blade. holding the grinder at 90% to the saw blade. then plugged in the saw and turned on grinder. its important to have the saw rotation opposit from grinder, so it grinds really quick. the light makes the blade glow so you can see the edge of the blade. to keep from making a taper you got to stay away from the edge about 3/32 till the last. after i beat out the kurf i had about 53k. i ground the first side down to about 35k then turned the blade over and ground down to 023k. i slapped together a miter box with a crude slide for the saw to slide back and forth across the top of the box. so i had a scrap piece of wood. after i got to 23k had to take the saw and cut a test slot, to big. so back and forth grinding and test slot, finally at about 020k i had a perfect 023 slot using a 023k feeler gauge. i just finished a fret board it took me 10 min. came out perfect. oh how i love to beat the system.

Mike

[Aaron Helt]

The blade I bought from LMI sounds like a bargain in comparison.

[Michael Lombardi]

The blade I bought from LMI sounds like a bargain in comparison.

the only income i have is from what i can put together and sell. witch is few and far between. plus i enjoyed working out a new problem. what did you do this week.

[Mark Swanson]

I would have made myself a sawblade if I was able to do it, but I don't have the capability to grind my own. I bought one from Stew-Mac, it works great.

[Steve Sawyer]

Wow - impressive. Not sure I would have had the courage to even TRY that approach!!

I made a miter-box style jig that uses a pre-slotted non-radiused fretboard from LMI as a guide that drops over a 23mm feeler gauge epoxied into the base, and a saw guide slot that is aligned with the feeler gauge. The fretboard or neck is fastened to the guide with double-sided tape. I use a fret-cutting saw from StewMac and it probably doesn't take me more than 5-10 minutes to cut all the slots. I've only used the Fender-scale guide so far, but I have a Gibson-scale and short-scale bass (30") guide also - planning ahead...

[Bryan Bear]

I would be too scared to try that approach, I'm glad it worked out. I kicked the tires on finding a machinist who would be set up to grind a blade(s) for me. In the end I decided by the time I found one, paid him/her, bought blades and worked through the inevitable trial and error I would be close to or over the cost of buying the stew mac blade. Being able to grind it yourself saved you the cost of both the labor and set-up but also having to go at it again when the kerf didn't end up where you wanted it. I'm glad you made it through the process unscathed.

[Steve Sawyer]

Being able to grind it yourself saved you the cost of both the labor and set-up but also having to go at it again when the kerf didn't end up where you wanted it.

And...he had the fun of figuring out how to do it, and made it work...that's worth the price of admission...

[Steven Smith]

If you're on a budget then you figure out a way. Nicely done. I'm not on a budget like that yet but will be when I retire - then my StewMac habit will have to go way down.

[Steve Sawyer]

I will be when I retire - then my StewMac habit will have to go way down.

I'm retiring at the end of the year, and while my shop has been getting a make-over, I've been laying in both tools and supplies while still on the corporate payroll. In retirement the hours are great, but the pay sucks!!

[Karl Hoyt]

I will be when I retire - then my StewMac habit will have to go way down.

I'm retiring at the end of the year, and while my shop has been getting a make-over, I've been laying in both tools and supplies while still on the corporate payroll. In retirement the hours are great, but the pay sucks!!

I just made that jump. We're 'o.k.' Financially , but I have to say, the 'commute' to the basement in my flip flops with coffee, music on, and building instruments most of the day certainly make up for the pay. I did the same thing: upgraded a lot of the tools I had prior to starting the big R!...... I'm loving it so far!

[Michael Lombardi]

Im one of those who suddenly found himself unemployed. but i have lots of skills. so now i make things and sell them. and i love it. while i do a lot of woodworking, i also do a lot of steel fab, plus i make knives out of leaf springs, and saw blades. so it was nothing to grab an old worn out saw blade and rework the edge. i make most of my own tools. i grind down hacksaw blades to make my nut and saddle saws. by pinching them between a bearing and my homemade 2" belt grinder, and check the thickness.

[Steve Sawyer]

i grind down hacksaw blades to make my nut and saddle saws. by pinching them between a bearing and my homemade 2" belt grinder, and check the thickness.

Interesting thread drift here...

Two of my favorite chisels are long narrow mortise-chisel shaped, maybe 1/8" and 3/16". They'really controllable and I can do really fine work like undercutting dovetails. I was thinking of trying to fabricate an even finer chisel with that shape from some 1/16" spring steel I have. Might do for inlay work if I can get it razor sharp. Whaddya think?

Brilliant on those saws, BTW...

[Michael Lombardi]

yes, spring steel make very good chisels. i took some of my broke bandsaw blades, cutem into 12" pieces, sandwiched em together till i have about 3/4 thick, then weld the backbone together, then weld whatever kind of handle works for you. makes a killer rasp.

Mike

[Bob Howell]

I started setting up my shop 25 years back and got hooked on making tools. All I did for a year was make tools. Main focus was specialized hand planes. Fun.

10 years ago I took a blacksmith course at JC Folk School on making woodworking tools. With a grinder, charcoal grill and a hairdryer, your in business.

My project this weekend is to fire up the grill and anneal a 12" section of 3" steel pipe and beat it oval for a bending pipe.

Made some 3/4" planes about 2" long. Now I am using them. A draw knife, 6" across out of 1"x1/8" tool steel. Several carving gouges but have not handled them.

But I must say saws are something I have never tried.

Tried to Sharpen a hand saw. Made a mess.

[Eric Knapp]

I started setting up my shop 25 years back and got hooked on making tools. All I did for a year was make tools. Main focus was specialized hand planes. Fun.

10 years ago I took a blacksmith course at JC Folk School on making woodworking tools. With a grinder, charcoal grill and a hairdryer, your in business.

My project this weekend is to fire up the grill and anneal a 12" section of 3" steel pipe and beat it oval for a bending pipe.

Made some 3/4" planes about 2" long. Now I am using them. A draw knife, 6" across out of 1"x1/8" tool steel. Several carving gouges but have not handled them.

But I must say saws are something I have never tried.

Tried to Sharpen a hand saw. Made a mess.

I would love to see some pics of the tools you've made. I love making them, but I don't have your experience.

-Eric

[Michael Lombardi]

i made my forge out of a 18 wheeler brake drum. and i used the blower out of an old hot tub. a friend of mine has a cabinet shop, the motor on his radial arm saw whet out, so he gave it to me. i repurposed into a great router station. i was gonna post a picture, but i can figure out how to do it.

[Bryan Bear]

i made my forge out of a 18 wheeler brake drum. and i used the blower out of an old hot tub. a friend of mine has a cabinet shop, the motor on his radial arm saw whet out, so he gave it to me. i repurposed into a great router station. i was gonna post a picture, but i can figure out how to do it.

Please do post some picks when you get it all sorted out. I have an RAS in the corner of my shop that I never use but can't bring myself to get rid of. I have a drill chuck for the other side of the motor and once in a great while I will use it to turn a small item. I keep telling myself I will modify it to allow for something resembling pin routing but I haven't been properly inspired yet. . .

[Michael Lombardi]

i made my forge out of a 18 wheeler brake drum. and i used the blower out of an old hot tub. a friend of mine has a cabinet shop, the motor on his radial arm saw whet out, so he gave it to me. i repurposed into a great router station. i was gonna post a picture, but i can figure out how to do it.

Please do post some picks when you get it all sorted out. I have an RAS in the corner of my shop that I never use but can't bring myself to get rid of. I have a drill chuck for the other side of the motor and once in a great while I will use it to turn a small item. I keep telling myself I will modify it to allow for something resembling pin routing but I haven't been properly inspired yet. . .

thats what i did. i mounted a router where the saw was, then i mounted another router in the table, then i took a belt sander, cut off the forward handle and the plastic that covered the front wheel, now i have about 3" of belt on the top part exposed, then layed it over on its side, then i screwed a 3/4 " board on the top of the machine, theres a 3/4 slot in the table, i just slip the board in the slot that locks the sander on its side, now i can take the guitar body and sit on the table and sand all the way around the edge of the body, and the exposed nose gets right into all those tight inside curves. it works great.