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I got my ukulele set up today. I still need to put the finish on it but I had to throw the strings on and see how it sounded..

and I noticed the fret ends are pretty sharp. I have filed them down so they don't stick past the edge of the fret board and I have put a nice 45 or so degree bevel on them. but they are sharp.

How can I clean up the ends so they feel smooth in my hand?

45 degree is a little bit steep to bevel the fret ends, you may end up loosing space for the outer strings to sit on the frets if you're not careful.

Anyway, to your question.

When I file the edges of my frets, I always make sure that I can see the corner of the fretboard start to bevel as well, that way I know I'm getting the frets back from the edge of the fretboard. Once the filing is done, I take a flat block of hardwood (I use a thick maple block) and use some 100 grit aluminum oxide paper to sand the edge/corner smooth, than go to 240 grit after that I'm done and none of the frets stick out.

Of course the other side of all this is humidity, but if you've recently completed the instrument (which it sounds like) than I don't think that is your issue.

I think you just need to work at it till the corner of the fretboard is nice and smooth with no sharp frets ends sticking out.

There are no short cuts (I have to tell myself this every time I step into my shop).

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I always nip a little bit of the tang off from underneath the ends of my frets before they go in (I press them in), then go back and fill the exposed slots afterward. (at least that's how I used to do it...now I bind all my fretboards to hide the slots)

After I've milled in the bevel, I go back over it with finer and finer paper; 320-400-600-1000 Abralon-2000 Abralon-4000 Abralon then buffing. I have a separate StewMac foam pad just for buffing frets because it tends to dirty up the pad, or I'll use one of those small buffing wheels on a Dremel.

Some folks like to file the edges of their bevels, but I've found that this sanding schedule does just as well, with less risk of marring the fretboard.

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The member formerly known as erikbojerik....

Is the problem with the fret ends, or with the fret corner where the bevel meets the side of the fret? If it's the ends, they either aren't fully seated or the bevel doesn't go into the corner of the board.. If it's the fret corners, they should be rounded with an appropriate file--usually a triangular or cantsaw file with a safe edge (ground and polished) where it contacts the board--and then sanded and polished with the rest of the fret. Some fret crowning files can work by running them down over the fret end; it's also possible to use a flat or pillar file with a corner made safe.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I use(d) a Japanese sharpening file from Lee Valley for the bevelling and filing flush to the side of the fretboard:


http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... 43089&ap=1

The files will not cut wood, but they cut frets quite well, so they're perfect for this job!

To 'make safe' the edges after that op I just use some 400 grit wrapped around a finger. It's less than a 10 minute process in total, maybe down to five.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

The problem is because of the beveled edge meeting the rest of the fret, not the ends of the fret themselves. if that makes sense. I guess it's probably like a little burr from the file.

I'll put it under a magnifier later today and see if I can sand the issues away.

Thanks!

I get ya,

take some 300 wet dry and fold it into 3 equal sections, now take that in your hand and run it along the length of the fret board really fast covering the entire width of the fret board (and frets). This should cut that little burr off the edge of the frets. Or you could just do the edge of the fret where the burr is.

This would also be part of the leveling, crowning and polishing proceedure for setting up the fret board. If you have gone through the entire proceedure you shouldn't have that burr. If the frets and board are level than you may not need to crown the frets but you might want to go through the polishing process to get them nice and shinny looking. There are several ways to do this all the way from fine grit papers, mini buffing pads on a dremel to a large buffing wheel and jewelers rouge.

My guess is you're excitted to see how this instrument has turned out and have missed a few steps along the way to completion (not to mention the finish as you already stated)

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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

I do know what you mean. And on a uke it is a real pain. One of the problems of playing the uke is that we tend to play with the right hand around the 12th fret for the tonal sweet spot. Now, when fingerpicking there, my nails "snag" on that little sharp edge.... which kinda upsets the rhythm.

So what I now do on my uke builds is to round off the fret chamfers... both from the top of the fret to the fingerboard sides and also around the end of those chamfers. The fret ends are now rounded in both planes.

Rounding from the top of the fret is easy...
Rounding the ends of the frets... I do with a small really fine toothed file (it has a non-toothed edge, so that helps not to mark the fingerboard, and only a couple of very light strokes are needed. Then finish with 1200 grit paper to polish them.



end result...


Rod