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Just making a saddle slotting jig for a batch of pyramid bridges. I chose a simple design but am having trouble locating a router bit. Like to have something shy of 1/8" for my 1/8" saddle blanks so I can sneak up on the fit, but my brain shorted out looking for one on the innerwebs.

Does anyone have a source?

How about a simple slotting jig to share?

Ed

Maybe go metric and use a 3 mm bit? That’s just a hair thinner than 1/8”.

Freud 3/32 is what I use.

My local Woodcraft had them.

https://www.amazon.com/Freud-Double-Flu ... 0172&psc=1

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I buy from these guys quite a bit.

https://www.the-carbide-end-mill-store. ... altin.html

I built this slotting jig about 25 years ago. Simple, basic, easy. I like to use a 1/8in downcut spiral bit. You can get them from various places just by searching.

Ed,
Here is a recent post regarding slotting gigs.

viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=53192

I have had good luck dealing with routerbitworld.com

B

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

I use 1/8" downcut endmills too I'm using cheap "Hozly" brand mills I bought from Amazon. They seem to be good quality, especially for the price. I get a good snug press fit with a 1/8" saddle blank. The jig I'm using right now is just a pivoting milling vise on a mini mill.

I just use a 1/8” drop back on the saddle from treble to bass. 1/8” saddle and mark compensation points with the bent unwound part of a low E string after the guitar is set up with appropriate action and strings.

For bridge location I put a StewMac straightedge against the nut, Mark the center of 12 with a pencil and a second mark downstream in the appropriate location. Typically around 0.12” or so measured in the midline.

Works for me.

To rout a slot on the guitar with a new bridge I have a crowned 1/8” metal bar 1/8” high to use for a surrogate bridge and when the two e’s are right I mark it and that’s where I cut the slot.

I am sure there are many more elegant approaches.

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

Thanks all. Enough of you use a 1/8" bit fo a 1/8" saddle blank that I am going to try that. I think my jig is rigid enough (must be because that's the brand of router am using) that will be very little if any wandering.

Ed

Whoops I posted on the wrong thread! Yep I use a 1/8” bit and saddle blanks that are a little wider and thin them to fit snugly.

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

For cutting slots narrower than 1/8th inch I use the collet adapter from StewMac and use dental burrs I find on ebay.

Clay

Do you use a Dremel? I find mine wanders a bit.

Ed

'Wandering' is a Dremel feature. For the same price as a Dremel, someone can buy a real live laminate trim router and have a real tool with real depth control. Dremels have their place, but I think that place is in a hobbyist's tool drawer. And I've owned Dremels for nearly fifty years. And never once used one on a guitar project.

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Peter Havriluk

And for a little extra you can get a quality laminate trimmer........

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Here’s my jig...





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Used to use a similar setup, albeit with a tad less wattage, for slotting before I started routing the slot after gluing the bridge.
Router comes out of the plunge base and fits a 43mm drill collar, still use it for other jobs.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Hi Ed,
I don't use a Dremel. I use the collet adapter that fits inside a 1/4 inch collet of a trimmer and makes it an 1/8th inch collet. Stew Mac sells them. I liked them better when they were $10 but I haven't seen them elseware:
https://www.stewmac.com/SiteSearch/?sea ... %20adapter

The burrs have an 1/8th inch shank but a smaller cutting diameter.

Dremels are handy for other tasks (I have 3 of them) but you can't push them too hard.

I have a Rigid lam trimmer - I was just asking CLay because of the SM collet - thought it might be for a dremel. Just received freud 1/8" router bit- ordered it at 10:00 Monday morning and it was here at 3:00 this afternoon - Tuesday - with free shipping. Is that nuts, or what?

I'll get to work and put up a shot

Thanks for the help all

Here are a couple of shots of what I ended up with. When I got the bit I did 10 of them in about 15 minutes, easily and with very little opportunity to screw up.

1) shows the router base and blank clamps

2) shows the fences - one is fixed in the right place for the slot from the north side of the bridge, the other is adjustable so I can get a good tight run out of the router

3) the fences are 3/4" thick so I have plenty of support to angle the router down into the work

4) from the bottom - Corian, ebony, faux ivory, 2 Brazilian Rosewood, 2 maple for trials, 3 pine for trials

Ed,

That looks great.

The only other thing that I do is to put a stop at each end of the jig so I can't screw up the length of the slot. If you notice in my set up I have 2 clamps that act as the stops.

Brad

Yes I need those. I put a piece of blue tape at the right spot and ran the router up to the tape, but a stop would be better. The 1/8" router bit is not a need-the-pliers-to-remove fit, but a no-wobble fit. Why don't they make the saddle blanks just a hair thick?

Ed

Looks like a winner.