Official Luthiers Forum!

Anyone have this? Can you recommend?

More importantly...do I need EVERY FILE?

Thanks,
Chris

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

I love spending money at Stewmac and I don't recall being disappointed with anything from them but....

My local hardware store stocks cheap sets of needle files, like $10 a set. Each set comes with a "rasp", an 1/8" soft steel rod with rasp-like teeth cut in it the full length. A few minutes on the grinder and you have a really fast-cutting file whatever size you want, 2 sizes per rasp if you file each end. So for $20, you get 4 of the fastest slotting tools ever and a bunch of needle files as a bonus.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

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Kent - you know, that's a good idea! I'm gonna do some digging on that.

Tony - They want something like 105 bucks (plus shipping) for the entire set. Problem is I've never slotted a bridge and therefore don't know if I need EVERY FILE.

Anyone else have an opinion?

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

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I use a small saber saw blade then use the files to clean up. I agree that some of the Stew Mac Philosophy is price driven and not quality but then that is the way many businesses are run today.

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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

The pro repair people that I know all love Stew-Mac and we all agree that no one comes close to providing the fairly decent quality in most cases that Stew-Mac provides when you consider that the market for these kinds of things is very small in the traditional business sense. Often Stew-Mac will only sell under 200 or so of some items making manufacturing economies of scale not very fruitful...

The hobbyist builders help Stew-Mac with the numbers game making some of these more obscure tools worth producing and the pros benefit from the strength in numbers that the hobbyists bring to Stew-Mac's opportunities for producing popular and appreciated products.

Recently David Collins participated in a test of one of Stew-Mac's updated offerings that they wanted to improve. By proximity and association with David I also had the opportunity to try out/use the updated product which IMHO is now the best available. I was personally asked some years ago to test out another of Stew-Mac's products that they again were updating and improving. Both of these instances were not new products but further refinement/engineering and updating existing products to make them even better.

Point being Stew-Mac often tests their products in real life situations with Luthiers beyond the usual suspects that we see in Stew-Mac's literature AND it does not stop there the refinements may continue over time providing us with even more value. They invest in their products and try to strike a balance between utility, quality, and price. In my own humble opinion and although I don't have as much Stew-Mac stuff as some folks do I think that Stew-Mac's stuff is great and that we are very lucky to have them serving our industry.

And.... when it comes to customer service Stew-Mac is as good as it gets.

Sorry Chris as to your original question no I don't have these tools from Stew-Mac I made my own from a needle file set....

I like the bridge pin slotting saw, and I'm wondering if you are referring to the NUT slotting file set? If so, I consider it essential. I don't know how many times people have brought me guitars where people slotted the nut slots with needle file, or those multi-slot one size fits all diamond shaped files, and asked me to clean them up because of friction, or the slot was too big and the string was vibrating incorrectly in the slot because it was too wide. In most cases I have to make a new nut entirely.
In my opinion, the gauged files with the rounded profile are invaluable in producing a properly slotted nut that functions correctly, and $105 is not that much to pay, considering the fact that I've slotted hundreds of nuts, maybe thousands, in the 15 years since I bought mine.
The files are the same today as they were then, as my apprentice who recently bought a set would attest, if he were still here. He moved away and we lost contact.
As far as quality, I buy MORE stuff from Stew Mac than I did ten years ago, because I feel that their quality has gone UP, and they are offering more items that are useful and hard to get.
I wish they would bring back their 2 and 3 inch beveled straight edges though, and get rid of that stupid "fret rocker", but that's my only complaint.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I have the nut slotting files and love them...

I don't have a problem with StewMac...I'm a capitalist pig remember?

So does one need 6 different sizes of files for this operation? Looks like that's where it's going.

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

Chris buddy my fellow capitalist... You can slot the bridge, top, and plate for unslotted pins with a simple saw made from an jig saw blade. I use the similar saw from Stew-Mac but I seem to remember that they may not sell this one any more. But they are easy to make and make a handle for. Using this saw with varying pressure and coming in from the sides you can make slots wider or narrower as required. Again this is for using non-slotted pins and slotting the bridge, plate, and top like they used to do before the advent of plastics and the capitalist manufacturers attempting to take cost out of manufacturing guitars...

For the string ramps I use a needle file set as mentioned. Other files in the set can do the narrower ramps. So IMHO you do not need to purchase the Stew-Mac stuff to accomplish this task although it's all good stuff and probably much easier to use than what I do and use.

I'll second what GuitarWhisperer said about nut slots needing to be much more accurate and very much worth purchasing the proper tools for. On the other hand when the wrong tools are used for nut slots we repair guys get some business and have the opportunity to turn Bessy into a new nut for someone - life is good....

The beauty of the rasp, besides getting to custom make it to your own specs, is that it doesn't clog like files do in rosewoods. It's fast but still clean.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

Some people actually use a jig saw to do it!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Using a jig saw, believe it or not, does a real nice job. I finally got the nerve to try it on my last guitar after recommendations from others on here, and I was surprised how easy and fast, and how much control you have. You'll have to grind the back of a fine blade to fit a 3/16" hole if you decide to try it. It's not for everyone, but for me it's the jig saw from now on.....I believe Cumpiano uses a jig saw.

Chuck

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I saw Sergei deJonge using a (cordless) drill (with a drill in it) for this job. His guitars look pretty good to me!!

(I use a Dremel tool and a burr, then file, to do bridge slots, myself. Nothing 'specialized'....)

IMO, some of the StewMac (and other suppliers') 'tools' are great for-
a) Pros who are capable of making the tool themselves but calculate the value of their time.
b) Amateurs have $$ but who don't have the confidence (they used to call it 'gumption') to make/improvise tools.
But most of the StewMac offerings are pretty clever, and have been through a few cycles of testing and improvement, so are good choices- at least that's the excuse I use when spending $$ at StewMac!

Cheers
John

That's absolutely right. I've been using a jigsaw for a couple of years now with the same Bosch blade I used to use to slot them by hand (put in a wooden handle). I actually feel like I have better control than I did by hand. It's scary though.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I don't think that this forum should be throwing anyone under the bus. In fact, I don't think it is allowed. I have been dealing with Stewmac for as long as they have been around, and I have never been disappointed with any of their products. They are not cheap, but the old saying goes "You get what you pay for". applies here. Stewmac is the main source for Luther's all over the world. They continue to come up with specialty tools year after year. I hate to think what is going to happen to this company when Dan retires. I hope someone keeps it going. There are many ways to do just about every step of building a guitar, so it just depends on how far an individual wants to go. Some of their tools make it very easy. Do you need all of them? Absolutely not. It's a matter of how much you want to spend. But there are some of their tools that I could not live without. Thank God for Stewmac.........

The stuff they make is expensive because they operate in a really small market, and there is no chance to reach any economy of scale in their marketplace. Yes, there are lots of guitar makers, but it's a pretty small fraternity when compared to other markets.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

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Like this?

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There is no difference between the man that thinks he can....and the man that thinks he cannot.

Hi Tony - Yes my understanding is that Stew-Mac went out and found a new supplier for the nut files and they are indeed WAY better, way sharper and the pattern on the file is more uniform and aggressive. The only problem that I have with these is that if you are used to the old ones you need to be careful with the new ones - they cut much faster.... As someone who has been known to screw up nut slots I'm not sure if this is a bonus or not....

The new files cut as well ad Grobet and I have both - time will tell if they stay sharp as long.

On a related note though I wanted to reiterate the previous point that Stew-Mac does not introduce products and then sit on their hands and rake in the dough... Instead they are seemingly looking to improve things in time too. The nut files are one example, the arbor press is another and several years ago they added a micro-adjust to the router base. There are other examples of product improvement too but these three are all I can think of at this hour of the day...

They also place new or updated products in the field with real life Loothiers... and proactively seek feedback. If I was going to run a company that supplied the Luthier community Stew-Mac would be the model that I would hope to emulate.

PS: Since this discussion is about Stew-Mac it's only fair to mention that LMI is a top notch organization too and I have been very happy with everything that they have provided to me. Customer service is also superb at LMI.

We are very lucky to have these two top notch suppliers!

Very nice Chris - that's the ticket!

Now you get to experience the ripping, tearing noise that comes from your brand new, just finished guitar when you climb on top of it and use this saw....

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I have a key hole saw from Stew Mac that is a round wooden handle with a jig saw blade in it. Easy DIY tool but when i was ordering a bunch of stuff, god probably well over ten years now, the extra 5 bucks or what ever it was for the tool was worth it. Still use it all the time. It's perfect width for the first two strings and you have to cut in on the sides for the thicker ones. I always finish off with needle files.

As for nuts, I think a square bottom is better. My minimal knowledge of physics tells me that there is less friction.