Official Luthiers Forum!

I just chipped my second set of Stewmac fret cutters this year. I dont use them often, as I am a hobbyist, and I only use standard nickel-silver fretwire (no steel). Its a pretty simple tool to use. Put fret between teeth, then squeeze handle. I keep these tucked away until its time to do fretwork, and I use them for nothing else. They replaced the first set for free, but I'm not going to enjoy calling them up and sounding like a nut job having chipped yet another set. Stewmac has yet to dissapoint as far as quality, but I am really just not happy with these cutters. Maybe Im mistaken, but I really feel that the chipping is due to the cutters, not me.Has anyone had a similar problem with this tool? What different cutters are you guys using?

I've used $5 cutters and don't have a problem after 4 builds, and although they have marked at the edges, they stil cut clean.
Nearly $30 for SM cutters should not be chipping after a couple of builds.
One thing I noticed was a review of the SM -
Evo wire?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

My stewmac fret cutter has chipped too. So annoying. I think I'll contact them so they know it isn't just you that is having the problem Colin.

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Martin Taylor
http://martintaylorguitars.com.au

I don't know if they have changed their supplier, but the SM fret cutters I own have been used on more than 60 guitars now and with three cuts per fret, that works out at nearly 4000 cuts and they are still unmarked. Mine are branded as 'Silverline'. I should certainly talk to them about the problem.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I modified a sear nipper on a sander. Going strong after 10 years. Most of these tools are china made . They look nice but I think they over heated the steel in the grinding process , this makes them brittle.

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I've used evo wire (which does indeed take more force to cut) without problems. Sounds like a manufacturing issue that's only affecting the recent ones... definitely talk to them.

Tang nippers or fret cutters?

I just looked at mine and saw a chip too. Maybe they over heat them when grinding the edge flush??

Colin, where on your cutters does it say silverline? I couldnt find "silverline" anywhere on mine, but I just want to be sure before I bring it up to them. I did a google search and it turns out that Silverline is a tool company. Im guessing good ol' stewmac switched to a lower quality supplier. Kind of disheartening, as they're chargeing premium prices and are supposed to be the "Dewalt" or "Craftsman" of luthierie tools.

Here in UK, Silverline is just about the cheapest tool brand with quite a wide range of tools, usually cheaper than Faithfull
For example, about $40 for a no.7 jointer plane.
End cutters can be had for about $5,50.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

This. Channellock # 357, less than $20 on Amazon right now.

Thanks for the advice, both of you guys, this may very well be my next set of cutters

For cutters, just go to Sears and get some Craftsman side cutters. They're guaranteed for life, so when(not if, but when) they chip or wear, you just return them and get a new pair. Works great.... I keep a pair dedicated for cutting strings, too. Same deal regarding the warranty.

Do you leave them as bought or do you modify them for closer cuts?

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

These model railroad track cutters work very well on nickel-silver frets. Cut perfectly square & cleanly up against the fretboard. Not for SS. (Ask me how I know.) Don't know about EVO.

http://www.micromark.com/xuron-track-cutter,7465.html

I just ordered a set of these, same hardness as the ones Filippo uses, less leverage, but also less $$$.

http://www.amazon.com/Knipex-7401200SBA ... B000X4OFUE

We'll see how they work out after I grind the face down for a flush cut.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

If you grind them, you have lost the warranty. I leave them as-is; they cut plenty close enough, and most of my fretboards are bound so I'm pre-cutting them anyhow.

If you have issues with cutting SS fretwire, a "ZipCut" disc in an angle ginder works a treat and leaves a nice straight edge. Less waste, too.

Filippo,

are the Knipex-6101200 flush cut? I can't find a good image to see if they the faces.

Thanks,
Steve.

Be careful with using an abrasive disc to flush cut SS frets if it's installed... I charred the maple binding to hell when doing it that way.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

roflmao...

DeWalt is definitely not a real quality tool...maybe sometime in the distant past, but not right now...they have very low quality bearings that fail pretty quickly (talking power tools here)...Makita saws used to be about the best, now the majority of them have blade wobble fresh out of the box...etc, etc, etc....

what it really comes down to is this: a big segment of the market these days are weekend warriors who are trying to save a buck or two and do the work themselves...they buy a tool and use it a few times and rarely get a chance to see just how shoddy the tool they have really is...the manufacturers know this and are competing among themselves to get the product out the door at the lowest possible price (read quality cuts) and it is becoming very hard for people who use their tools for a living to find a real piece of equipment that lasts and performs as it should...I know of one tool repairman that is at his wits end on this subject from some of the stuff he's seen rebuilding tools...and the problem is endemic in that when you rebuild a tool and are forced to use factory parts it's still not going to last as those parts are also POS's...

please note that this rant in no way 'supports' the concept that Stewmac should be able to get away with supplying junk tools...for the boutique prices they charge their tools better be of the highest quality

I'm even surprised a repairman can make a living, sometimes the amount of work needed to repair a tool or other products are so much that the cost is higher than the new tool. So the person is obviously going to buy new ones.

I heard Festool is very good but the cost is so high that I'm not sure if it's really worth it. Anyone using tools for a living in Taiwan generally goes with Bosch.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

...try to avoid any twisting motion when you use them...i chipped a pair of nice branch loppers by doing that...gotta keep all the force with the plane of the blade(s) with harder metals

it's according to the tool and what repairs it needs, but in general your thesis holds a lot of water and the manufacturers are obviously thinking this way...

I had to make the decision of either repairing my rather old Makita LS1211 or replacing it last year...

the specs of the LS1216 surely do look impressive with the increased crosscut capacity of over 15" and the vertical capacity of over 6"...at that time I was already familiar with the blade wobble issue and had intimate knowledge in specific to the LS1016...of the 5 saws of that model in use on my crew, a total of 4 units had to be returned and replaced because of run out on the blade...10" saws are fairly forgiving, but a 12" one is not, and in fact it's pretty dangerous to have a blade running out of true when making small cuts as the wood tends to get ripped out of your hand and towards the blade....

soooo....I spent the $280 (labor included as my employer is the one who actually paid) to replace the armature and every single bearing and gear...apparently a wise choice as I know somebody who bought the LS1216 after that and returned it because of wobble...during the time the saw was in for repairs I was using my DW718 saw...at most a 1/4 of the hours the Makita had seen, and it ate a bearing and froze up during that time...

the point being that the major brands you typically see at the big box retailers are all pretty much worthless in the long run (unless you get lucky and receive one that is actually put together correctly with decent parts)

I have found standard diagonal cutters like those an electrician use work well for cutting standard and stainless. Electricians linesman cutters work even better with stainless. Yes they don't cut flush and you have to do a little more work but it's not that big a deal...Mike

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

Be careful with using an abrasive disc to flush cut SS frets if it's installed... I charred the maple binding to hell when doing it that way.

Geeze, not to be mean or anything, but you deserved that one....