Official Luthiers Forum!

Similar to the thread about a good nut sitting I would like to ask something:
I cut the saddle slot with a router with gives rounded ends. When I come to fit the saddle I have to round the ends with abrasive paper to fit in the slot which so far has never worked out perfectly.
Does anyone have any good method for rounding off the ends of the saddle to fit perfectly?

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

So, no one wants to divulge their secrets of fitting saddles into slots?
Maybe not the most interesting topic but there must be a few tricks out there?

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

I do the same thing you do. I just go slow and then polish the saddle (on a buffer) when I'm finished. I'm usually happy with the result.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I usually round one end with a sanding stick and then sneak up on the other end carefully. Square it off where it's just barely too long , round it off, and then work on the apex to where it squeaks in. It's a fine line and tedious but nothing looks worse on an otherwise beautiful guitar than a little gap at the end of the saddle. I have a drawer full of saddles that didn't quite make the grade. When you polish it you don't have to polish the whole saddle, just the part that sticks out. That makes getting a snug fit easier.

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

Why don't you use a square router bit...that way the ends will be square!!

I generally cut the saddle blank to length, easy enough to do, and round until I don't have to anymore. I use a drill blank the same size as the router bit or smaller as a general reference scribe sometimes, but I don't really need it ...it just takes time. I think more important is to make sure the slot is clean and straight. I go around 3 times with the router or more to get the sides and ends perfectly parallel. If I can get it within a thousandths the better. tapered slots can complicate hand forming to.

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Clamp it in a vise, then use a strip of 220 with a "shoe shine" motion to get the tip rounded. Usually works pretty well although the suggestion for a square router bit is pretty good too!

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

Here's what I did a while back:

Routed a groove along the length of a 12" piece of 3/4" X 3/4" maple, and glued a piece of sandpaper (200 grit) in. The groove was a slightly larger radius than 3/32" (thickness of the saddle). I just used that as file to round both ends. Worked pretty well. I think it's still packed up somewhere downstairs . . .

thanks all for your replies. I thought about that idea too, Stephen but haven't tried yet.
Still looking for that killer little trick that takes the skill out of it. Until then it's out with the 220.

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

I am playing around with the idea of making a "through cut saddle" where one piece is a regular saddle but with square ends, and the other 2 ends will have bone blanks glued in that matches the bridge profile. So far it works really well and you can't tell it's not a through cut saddle until you get up close. Plus it's more correct for vintage style guitars too.

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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

Tai, that sounds very intersting but I can't really picture what you mean. Any chance of a photo?

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

This is what I have been doing on the Stella restoration. Since I can't find a long enough saddle blank I just make a normal saddle without rounded ends, and just cut some scrap pieces to fit around the normal saddle. The scrap is glued into the finished bridge while the saddle drops in like a normal saddle. The only downside is that I can only adjust its height by grinding the top because grinding the bottom changes its look as the 2 end pieces would no longer be flush with the saddle.

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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

Easiest thing I've found is to use the table on the disk/belt sander. Hold the saddle blank vertical on the table and, while turning the disc slowly by the belt, tease the saddle against the disk. It's easy to keep the saddle vertical if it has a good square bottom, and you get a clean radius that's not a compound curve.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Easiest thing I've found is to use the table on the disk/belt sander. Hold the saddle blank vertical on the table and, while turning the disc slowly by the belt, tease the saddle against the disk. It's easy to keep the saddle vertical if it has a good square bottom, and you get a clean radius that's not a compound curve.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

some 220 sandpaper on my bandsaw table (hard flat surface). Handsand the ends of the saddle until they're rounded. Carefully and slowly, refitting every 10 seconds. Takes 5 minutes.

Try using your fret crowning file.

Steve

I file a 45 degree bevel on each corner, then hand sand it round with 220. If each bevel is the same width as the remaining end, a circular arc is easy to generate with sandpaper.

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John