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Two things from me today.

First is the stick that I use for neck resets and more specifically to clean up the dovetail, both sides. It's specifically designed to do this task, made out of oak but could be made out of any durable wood. The dips and curves all have functionality to get into the dovetail, both sides and help get that perfect fit or just clean up the mess from the f*ctory first.

I put 120 paper on mine and one piece will last a bunch of resets.

I got the idea from Dave Collins and he got it from Bryan Galloup's school I think. It's always been important to me to attribute things I share to the people who shared them with me.

Next is a simple 1/4 wood dowel 14" long. Perfect for going through the hole in the tail block and plugging it right into a pickup jack and then pulling the whole assembly into the tail block hole. I leave the dowel in until I have the proper amount or jack proud of the tail block and then I thread on the nut and washers and pull the dowel. The only thing you really need to do is cut it to length. 14" is optional your's can be shorter or longer deepening on the body styles you work on. I find 14" does em all so that's what I use.

This is also less dangerous than a metal 1/4 drill bit is you slip and poke the guitar wood is softer.

These are two very simple, cheap to make tools that are used every day in a busy commercial shop. With this said most of what we use we made ourselves because at the time we could not purchase them or we are simply crafty and/or cheap. You decide.

I’ve been meaning to post this on one of the “my frets won’t fully seat” threads: The best tool I have found for chamfering the slots is a Dem-Bart
gun stock checkering tool. It cuts easily, even right up to the binding.


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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

Setting the neck angle on electrics using a digital protractor.
I place the bridge and fretboard at the desired location on top of the body.
I lay a straight edge across the end of the fretboard and a bridge saddle.
Place the protractor on the body and zero out the reading.
Place the protractor on the straight edge and record the angle.
I can add a toothpick to simulate fret height, but usually do not.

To cut the neck pocket, zero the protractor on the body, then place it on the template and adjust the template angle to match the previously recorded angle.

My guitars have the fretboard end flush to the body.
This has been a very accurate way to get the perfect angle.
The protractor cost $15

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Casey, that checkering tool looks perfect for that job. So I started searching for it and it looks like Dem-Bart is out of business. I can't find the tool or even replacement cutters available anywhere. Suggestions?

https://www.woodcarverssupply.com/Gunstock-Checkering-Tools/products/190/

Checkering tool source.

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

Another fretting trick. I make a little L shaped tool out of a piece of the fret wire I am going to install. File the barbs off and slide it back and forth in the slot to make sure it is clean and deep enough to take the fret. Note that fretwire, even from the same manufacturer, can have different depths of tangs - I make a tool out of each size wire that I use

Cool, Freeman. Now dip that "handle" in some thick epoxy and make it more finger friendly.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Thanks Brian. I may have to spring for that brand of the tool. Was hoping to find the Dem-Bart version because it would save me about $50.

Re. Chris' suggestion. You could dip it in liquid electric wire insulation to create a handle too.

Chill in tray.

Cut smaller.
Freeze.
Dispense from bottles with SS nuts/bolts to keep upright in hot pot, instead of using the pot and brush. I also use a BabyBot.
Freeze the bottles/Babybot after use to extend shelf life.

I didn't have any problem finding the Dem-Bart site. It's here. However, which tool number is it that you use, Casey?

Thanks.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Yep, I found the site too, but a contact email to them has been unanswered for several days. All of the second tier distributors of Den-Bart tools are out of stock. The writing is on the wall. I am looking for the F-1 cutter which is the fine, single line cutter.

Trevor, you might try looking for distributors in your area who carry these tools.

Thanks, Barry.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Chris that was a sneaky cool way to offer your own tip and trick Very cool!

Well, I was a tool maker for a long time in my other job.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

For an economical substitute for the checkering tool to ease fret slots look for triangular bent riffler files. That's what I use. You can get sets cheap too and they usually have one in each set. But for <$30 you can get a Swiss file double ended. You can always snap or grind off the point to make it more like a checkering tool. Lots to choose from with a web search.

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

The Dem-Bart cutter that I use is the C-1. I get them from Brownells.

Edit: A quick look at their site does not show a listing for that part anymore. They do list a couple of single groove V cutters, this one being the only one they show in stock right now:
https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tool ... 26290.aspx

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

I'm not sure what took me so long to make this and I'm sure some of you already do but... To get diamond cleats aligned perfectly:

Someone posted about these little watercolor brushes. I find more and more stuff they work great for including shellacking thin rosette channels.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D2 ... UTF8&psc=1

92A4F2E6-D511-40CB-B2B9-C95DF9953760 by Terence Kennedy, on Flickr

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

That was me! They’re great huh? I need to find a bulk source so I can really stock up as I use them for so many things now. Great for touch up jobs, like painting with thin CA where you don’t want to trash a nice artists brush. Also with solvents cleaning out cracks and small areas like in and around electric guitar saddles etc

I finally found a source of the Dem-Bart checkering bits at KVWoodcarvingsupplies.com. They are in Canada but they only charged me $5 for shipping to Texas, unlike another supplier that wanted $36 for shipping these tiny bits from Canada. I ordered some coarse (C-1) and fine (F-1) but the C-1 looks like it will work great. I was able to find a handle for about $12 from eBay, but you might have to look around awhile to find another. Or you could order a handle that is already attached to another style cutter. I am excited to try this tool on my next fret job because it is a step up from the straight triangle file I have been using previously.

My method is much much simpler. I choose a long enough bridge clamp to get to where I want to put the cleat and take a piece of masking tape and wrap it backwards on itself so there are sticky sides top and bottom to hold the cleat. Put something on the top to act as a clamping caul, spend a few minutes futzing around to get the angle and location right (the threaded part of the clamp makes that easy), put a dab of glue on it and, bingo





Could use double stick tape but the masking tape releases real easy, even if it gets a little glue on it. (this guitar had some damage on the binding, ignore the quick clamps)

I stick my cleats on a small rare earth magnet being careful to keep the desired orientation when I place the cleat.

Speaking of magnets, here is a method I learned from one of the real veteran repair guys in Minneapolis/St Paul.

Model airplane plywood comes in 1/64" and 1/32" widths. He uses circular cleats cut from the stuff with a plug cutter. I have been using 5/8". Fits perfectly on a magnet and you don't have to worry about orientation. He has not noticed any sonic issues vs a traditional diamond spruce cleat and they seen to hold as well.

I have been using them successfully.

Any thoughts Hesh/others?

IMG_6747 by Terence Kennedy, on Flickr

Cleat II by Terence Kennedy, on Flickr

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

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