Official Luthiers Forum!

From Luthiers' Cool Tools Fret Vise, which'll set you back 15 bucks:

" This handy tool has saved us countless hours trying to hold the fret still while shaping it, for example when finishing the end with semi-hemispherical shape."

"Complete instructions for use including how to create this great fret end treatment detail that your customers will rave about."

There ya go. I'm a beveller, no personal interest.

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https://soundcloud.com/jeffreylsuits/he ... -runnin-13

Very cool.

I just ordered one for myself. Thanks!

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

From the pics on the site I can't visualize how this tool works. Can someone enlighten me? Thanks

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

I dont get it, couldnt you just cut an oversized slot in a bit of radiused wood and be done with it? Or hold onto a fret any number of simple ways? I always feel like i am missing something when people talk about the "secrets" of semihemispherical fret ends. Its a piece of metal, and you make the end rounded instead of beveled, right?

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Jordan Aceto
Ithaca, NY

Yup, that's pretty much it. I've closely guarded my secret to digging a round hole in the dirt for many years though, so I can fully understand the desire to protect your trade secrets. I'm still not givin' that one up.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

David, Come on, it's Spring, lots of us will be planting summer roses soon.

Please tell us your secrets of round holes in dirt.

I use my post hold digger, but if there is a better way, please tell us.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Rats!

I demand to know who leaked my secret!

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Bruce, you have a post hole digger? Now did you buy that from a gardening store? You know those specialty stores always upcharge you for such a task specific item . I just use a spade. I find it works just as well (might take me a minute or two longer) as the post hole digger, but at 1/2 the price, I'll keep on my merry way

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

The tool:
Take a block of real hard wood thats 1"x2"x3". Round one end to match your fret board radius. Cut on the band saw like you were going to make 2 blocks 1/2"x2"x3" but stop cutting before you get al the way thru. Stick it in your vice and put the fret tang in the slot. Tighten the vice and it clamps down on the fret tang thus holding the fret wire securely.

Semi Hemi Fret ends:
The whole point of these is to have a nice finished end on your fret that will not need to be re-dressed if the fretboard shrinks. Cut a piece of fret wire .020" shorter than the width of your fretboard for the given slot. Use your fret crowning file to round the end of the fret wire. First holding the file 90 degrees to the top of the fret wire and then at 45 degrees and finally file in a sweeping motion to remove any facets.

As David said no big secret. I figured this out by looking at the same pictures that everyone else has seen.

Steve

It's a little known fact that I invented gravy.

Next challenge, toast!

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https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110

On behalf of everyone, everywhere...thank you

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

David,

Ah-hah!!! Are you the one to blame for the lumps? I just knew that there was someone behind those lumps in my gravy!!

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Peter

thanks Steven!

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Just thinking about machine generating hemi-spherical fret ends......has anyone seen an inverted ball mill that could be used to machine the hemi?
Or perhaps a radiused fly cutter?
(Sorry, it's the old machinist in me.)
Nelson Palen

I guess I'll never be a real professional at this, filing nice fret ends is one of the quiet jobs that I enjoy spending time at.

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https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110

That's okay, David. We all have our favorite instrument building operations.
I particularly enjoy carving necks.

Who makes $15/hr making guitars?

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

I'll bet it would be pretty easy to get a tool and die to grind a semi circle into a wheel or perhaps make a dressing tool to do it yourself. With that, you could have a hemi end on a fret with one swipe.

That said, I'll bet it would go pretty darn quick using those diamond fret dressing files and a vice. Start with the file parallel to the fret and rotate down 90 degrees as you swipe it. 4 or 5 swipes and off to the buffer.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

With the risk of being severly chastised........
This could probably be done on CNC by cutting a half circle tool path with a 1/16" radius corner rounding endmill.

Only if the frets aren't radiused yet. The fastest way I can think of making them in production is clipping to length by machine and then grinding the profile onto both ends with a hollow-ground wheel (aka: rotary fret file). It's only slightly faster than doing it by hand, though, assuming you're using some sort of accurate jig to cut them to length and a good fret file.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

Bob--The frets would be pre-radiused as usual.
The cutting tool would simply "wrap" the existing radius 180 degrees around the end of the fret to form the semi-hemi.
Or am I missing something? (It happened one other time. )
I agree that there would probably not be enough difference in speed to justify this method.
Better consistency maybe but still need hand polishing.
Just trying to think outside the box a little.
(Need to quit doing that)

Sylvan Wells has a cool article on quick hemi's on his website.

I was talking about the other radius (the bend to put them in the fretboard). The only way I can think of the CNC speeding up production would be if it could do it after they were on the board. Otherwise, the fixturing time would eat up most speed advantages. If you do them 'in the flat' before they're on a board, then the fixturing time is by far the major component. A custom machine could whip them out super-fast, but it would only need to run for about an hour a year to supply the (very small) worldwide annual demand!

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services