Finally Fretted for the First Time

[Darryl Young]

I used the StewMac caul in my drill press. I used fish glue in the fret slots which acts as a lubricant and helps hold the frets in place.

I've got to admit, it was more difficult than I expected. I had to get the fret perfectly vertical and the caul perfectly aligned with the fret to get it to work. It's very easy to roll the fret over instead of pushing it down in the slot. The tighter radius of the fret makes a hump in the middle which probably makes the problem worse.

Maybe a little more beveling of the slot would have helped, not sure. I tried to get the ends of the tang started in the slot with my thumbs......but I couldn't put enough pressure on the ebony to make a difference. I started at the treble end of the fretboard (thinking these frets were played the least) and it did get better as I went. Not sure if this is because I improved or if the shorter frets are easier to seat <smile>. It took me over 2 hours to get all the frets seated.

Any tips on keeping the fret vertical so it can be pushed stright down in the slot by the fret press caul? I think a little less radius in the frets would have helped (a little closer to the radius of the fretboard).

[JJDonohue]

WTG, Darryl!!! Nothing wrong with 2 hours as long as you invested the time in getting them properly and uniformly set. How level do they appear? It's best to coerce them level now rather than after it's glued to the neck IMO. It makes for less sanding and crowning if you can tap-level them early.

Rick's advice on tap-starting the ends is spot on. I also found that the hammering process best suited my personality and preference. After hammering down with glue, I like to get them clamped flat and let the glue set while in that condition for at least 24 hours with FG.

[Darryl Young]

JJ, the frets appear fairly level. I guess I'll soon find out how level.

I left the board clamped up flat overnight, like this:

FretboardClamped Flat.JPG

This morning I removed the board from the granite where it was clamped flat. It still has a bow so I clamped with 1/2" blocks on each end bowed the opposite direction. I'll leave it like this for the rest of the day then take a look and see how flat it lays. It's now clamped like this:

FretboardReverseBow.JPG

[enalnitram]

I'm with Rick, I prefer banging them in also. I believe you actually have a little more control with fretting hammer.

Darryl you did a great job, kudos to you for being so thorough and deliberate with your process.

[JJDonohue]

Looks good, Darryl...thanks for the pics!