I made a saw blade out of a 7 1/4 " plywood/veneer cutting blade. Mounted it in my Delta table saw with the teeth running backwards. Cranked the blade all the way up above the table and turned the saw on. Used a 4 1/2 " angle grinder to hand grind the blade down to .023". Just ground the outer 5/8" or so of the blade and left the rest the original thickness. Grind on one side then the other and constantly stopping to check the thickness. It sounds dangerous i know but with all safety gear on I felt completely safe doing it and had no incidence or scares. You got to watch how you present the grinding wheel to the side of the rotating blade. Just stay off to one side out of the line of the blade rotation to avoid sparks and metal dust. Have cut over fifty fret boards with it and it is still working fine. Cost me less than ten dollars. i use it on the table saw with a sled. I have used it on a radial arm saw but i like the table saw best.
So I bought the Thurston Mfg blade(s) and the Harbor Fright [sic] saw. Returned the saw and used an older Craftsman table saw I had on hand. Built the sled. I find, though, that even the slightest runout on the saw spindle will widen the slots.
awesome idea - i took it up a notch. First i removed the rubber feet and bolted the unit to a base plate for improved stability. Next I made my top plate longer so it would stay attached to the side rails throughout the entire stroke. I also glued a small piece of wood to the under each side of each guide rail so it would "grip" the side of the metal table top. This is to eliminate the possibility of the jig being accidentally 'lifted up' during operation. Finally i think i'm going to make some stability "legs" to prevent the table top from slipping.
Del Puckett uses the same setup for fretboards for his 3 string cigar box guitars. He was getting the same comments about the motor's lack of power so he demonstrated how he does his: the secret was to not cut slowly (and let the motor bog down) but to very quickly make the cut. He showed both ways, slow (motor bogged down) and quickly (a slight drop in power but not significant). He says he's done 300 fretboards like this with no problem. I make cbgs myself and cutting frets slots is tedious, I'm going to have to get me one of those little saws!!
I am using a radial arm saw. The LMI blade fits it, & the StruMuck blade fits it. I can slot 8 finger boards at a time with it. I still love your set up. I am super cramped for space. I have inherited another music shop from another deceased family member, so I am doing more work than I can fit in the building. I have an 18' deep cut x36" wide cut band saw. You can imagine the footprint that monster takes up. I think Proxon makes a better micro table saw.
I like the idea. You can pick the saw up for 20 or 25% off with a quick web search for a HF coupon. If you live in a city with an HF store it might be worth the extra couple of bucks to get the extended warranty on saw. Bring the dead one in and they hand you a new one. Thank you for sharing the idea!
Thank you for all the tutorials, they have came in very handy for me. I bought the mighty mite saw today and just checked it out. I was curious how you deal with the slop in the table? With the knob very tight mine has about 3/8 of an inch movement from front to back..
I tried this idea out, spent several days trying to get this to work accurately. It just won't cut, nor accurately. The Thurston blade has way too much run out because it is thin all the way to the arbor. So the blade wanders and your fret slot isn't tight and your frets will not be held tightly. Further, if you are cutting softwood, you might get the blade through. If you are actually cutting a fretboard of fretboard material like rosewood or God forbid, ebony, the motor doesn't have a chance. Save yourself some time and buy the Stewmac fret table saw blade and mount it on your table saw with a sled. Or use a pull saw manually. I hate that Stewmac rapes us for their now $135 blade, but it is the best solution with a thick blade to keep the blade from wandering and is thinned down only for the cutting teeth.
Hey Chris, would this set up stand up to gaboon ebony and indian rosewood? oh, and thanks for your videos, I always look forward to them. You're a huge help to this beginner.
Have you or anyone else had any luck finding a more powerful motor for this little saw. It is a great setup (thanks), but the motor is on the terribly weak side. Won't be long until mine is toast, and it takes longer than it needs to - with the weak motor.
I have build a decent sled with the adjustable side guide (great idea). I also used this idea on the back stop for fine adjustment to square it with the blade every time I take the saw table off and on. However I try I still get run out on the fret slot making the slot too wide. I have cut a wider slot in the sled to reduce the friction / interference on the blade with no improvement. I am going to order some thinner blades to see if this works better. The company have a minimum order of $30 so I will order two blades .020 and .018. and see how that goes. I injured my hand which makes hand fretting tiresome now, so I will try to make this sled idea work.
Hi I downloaded the jeweler catalogue but you have to call for prices. Before I do, how much did you pay? Just wondering if cost is feasible for me. You do great work! Thanks, Tim
He said it's a 4" blade with a 1/2" arbour hole. The kerf is .023, which makes it no. 121 on the list of blades, that he posted in the descr. field below the video: thurstonmfg.com/jewelers-slotting-saws.html
Thanks Mikkel. I am a huge fan of Chris's work and Highline guitars except for the fact he is almost impossible to get a hold of. Obviously does not think it too important to answer questions on UA-cam or Facebook. He told me once it isn't a big priority for him....... Says he doesn't get notified...... MMmmmhhhmmm sure. Thanks again though and in the end I am still grateful for all his videos and Facebook posts he is an amazing builder and is in my top three guys on UA-cam for useful and accurate building info.
You are absolutely welcome Joseph :) Just curious: Who are the other 2 guys on your top-3 list of guitar builders...maybe I missed some, and I would like to learn more?
That saw was intended for cutting cheese, get a real table saw. But it does make me wish mine had a speed control, I could use a voltage regulator but than it would probably burn out the motor. Mine smokes up from burning wood after I've only slotted about 5 fretboards, am in the process of switching brand of blade.
Stew Mac sell a fret cutting circular blade for table saws. www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Saws/Fret_Slotting_Table_Saw_Blade.html And I think it is a better blade.
+nmssis and they get dull. A Machine shop can probably turn down fine tooth plywood blades & then you may have to set the teeth, but I think their blades are have no set to the teeth.
Isn't the Stew Mac blade arbor too big? 5/8" vs 1/2" on the mini mite? If you look on eBay and search TruePower 01-0819 mini table saw, they have pretty much the same thing but the saw has 1HP instead of 1/4. I'm checking on the arbor size but I think this would be a better alternative. About $17 more. Listening to that motor struggle shy'd me away from this particular HF model. I'll update when I get the details.
I made a saw blade out of a 7 1/4 " plywood/veneer cutting blade. Mounted it in my Delta table saw with the teeth running backwards. Cranked the blade all the way up above the table and turned the saw on. Used a 4 1/2 " angle grinder to hand grind the blade down to .023". Just ground the outer 5/8" or so of the blade and left the rest the original thickness. Grind on one side then the other and constantly stopping to check the thickness. It sounds dangerous i know but with all safety gear on I felt completely safe doing it and had no incidence or scares. You got to watch how you present the grinding wheel to the side of the rotating blade. Just stay off to one side out of the line of the blade rotation to avoid sparks and metal dust. Have cut over fifty fret boards with it and it is still working fine. Cost me less than ten dollars. i use it on the table saw with a sled. I have used it on a radial arm saw but i like the table saw best.
Chris, I love your idea of printing out the slot locations. Brilliant! Thank you.
So I bought the Thurston Mfg blade(s) and the Harbor Fright [sic] saw. Returned the saw and used an older Craftsman table saw I had on hand. Built the sled. I find, though, that even the slightest runout on the saw spindle will widen the slots.
awesome idea - i took it up a notch. First i removed the rubber feet and bolted the unit to a base plate for improved stability. Next I made my top plate longer so it would stay attached to the side rails throughout the entire stroke. I also glued a small piece of wood to the under each side of each guide rail so it would "grip" the side of the metal table top. This is to eliminate the possibility of the jig being accidentally 'lifted up' during operation. Finally i think i'm going to make some stability "legs" to prevent the table top from slipping.
Excellent mods.
You're right about that motor. It only just makes it, but what a cool tool.
Del Puckett uses the same setup for fretboards for his 3 string cigar box guitars. He was getting the same comments about the motor's lack of power so he demonstrated how he does his: the secret was to not cut slowly (and let the motor bog down) but to very quickly make the cut. He showed both ways, slow (motor bogged down) and quickly (a slight drop in power but not significant). He says he's done 300 fretboards like this with no problem. I make cbgs myself and cutting frets slots is tedious, I'm going to have to get me one of those little saws!!
I am using a radial arm saw. The LMI blade fits it, & the StruMuck blade fits it. I can slot 8 finger boards at a time with it. I still love your set up. I am super cramped for space. I have inherited another music shop from another deceased family member, so I am doing more work than I can fit in the building. I have an 18' deep cut x36" wide cut band saw. You can imagine the footprint that monster takes up. I think Proxon makes a better micro table saw.
I like the idea. You can pick the saw up for 20 or 25% off with a quick web search for a HF coupon. If you live in a city with an HF store it might be worth the extra couple of bucks to get the extended warranty on saw. Bring the dead one in and they hand you a new one. Thank you for sharing the idea!
Thank you for all the tutorials, they have came in very handy for me. I bought the mighty mite saw today and just checked it out. I was curious how you deal with the slop in the table? With the knob very tight mine has about 3/8 of an inch movement from front to back..
Sounds like you got a bum table. Full disclosure: I haven’t used mine since I switched to CNC.
I tried this idea out, spent several days trying to get this to work accurately. It just won't cut, nor accurately. The Thurston blade has way too much run out because it is thin all the way to the arbor. So the blade wanders and your fret slot isn't tight and your frets will not be held tightly. Further, if you are cutting softwood, you might get the blade through. If you are actually cutting a fretboard of fretboard material like rosewood or God forbid, ebony, the motor doesn't have a chance. Save yourself some time and buy the Stewmac fret table saw blade and mount it on your table saw with a sled. Or use a pull saw manually. I hate that Stewmac rapes us for their now $135 blade, but it is the best solution with a thick blade to keep the blade from wandering and is thinned down only for the cutting teeth.
Chris this is awesome! The motor kinda bogs down, but it works. Great idea!
Hey Chris, would this set up stand up to gaboon ebony and indian rosewood? oh, and thanks for your videos, I always look forward to them. You're a huge help to this beginner.
I doubt it.
My favourite tip. Thanks a lot.
I'll try it out.
Yeah, that little 0.9A motor is really grievin'! Great, cheap way of cutting accurate fret slots though!
can someone tell me where I can get the blades the link does not work
www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-3-2-inch-cut-off-wheels-42805.html
That motor cooked yet?
Nope.
I'm surprised that motor is laboring as much as it is while cutting such little amount of wood.
Have you or anyone else had any luck finding a more powerful motor for this little saw. It is a great setup (thanks), but the motor is on the terribly weak side. Won't be long until mine is toast, and it takes longer than it needs to - with the weak motor.
Know anywhere to get them now? The link doesn’t work... I have this saw
They went bankrupt. No idea if anyone else make a similar blade. Search for “jewelers circular saw blade.”
What blade is it in were you get it , thanks
where did you get your fret template
www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/
Any links on a better motor?
I have build a decent sled with the adjustable side guide (great idea). I also used this idea on the back stop for fine adjustment to square it with the blade every time I take the saw table off and on. However I try I still get run out on the fret slot making the slot too wide. I have cut a wider slot in the sled to reduce the friction / interference on the blade with no improvement. I am going to order some thinner blades to see if this works better. The company have a minimum order of $30 so I will order two blades .020 and .018. and see how that goes. I injured my hand which makes hand fretting tiresome now, so I will try to make this sled idea work.
Same issue here with the 0.023 blade. my slot is opened to about 0.035 with the 0.023 blade. Did you ever get it to work properly? How?
Do you use blade stiffeners on the blade. If so, where did you get them.
Nope.
Hi I downloaded the jeweler catalogue but you have to call for prices. Before I do, how much did you pay? Just wondering if cost is feasible for me. You do great work! Thanks,
Tim
I think paid $27 for two blades. The first blade was still sharp after 2 dozen fretboards, but I retired the saw when I got a CNC machine.
Wow! From $40 Harbor Freight to high tech CNC! Good for you! Have fun. Look forward to seeing some video of that stuff.
did you make the slot in the sled with the jewelers blade or did use the Harbor Freight included blade?
I don't remember, but either will work.
Del has the same setup, but he runs his fret board fast through the saw.
Who is Del?
Only if it could cut blind fret slots
What is the teeth count you like? In fact what's the model number of the saw blades for that table you think work best? Thanks...
He said it's a 4" blade with a 1/2" arbour hole. The kerf is .023, which makes it no. 121 on the list of blades, that he posted in the descr. field below the video: thurstonmfg.com/jewelers-slotting-saws.html
Thanks Mikkel. I am a huge fan of Chris's work and Highline guitars except for the fact he is almost impossible to get a hold of. Obviously does not think it too important to answer questions on UA-cam or Facebook. He told me once it isn't a big priority for him....... Says he doesn't get notified...... MMmmmhhhmmm sure. Thanks again though and in the end I am still grateful for all his videos and Facebook posts he is an amazing builder and is in my top three guys on UA-cam for useful and accurate building info.
You are absolutely welcome Joseph :) Just curious: Who are the other 2 guys on your top-3 list of guitar builders...maybe I missed some, and I would like to learn more?
Ben Crow of Crimson Custom Guitars
Boudreau Guitars
Fletcher guitars
BigDGuitars to name a few
Ben Crow of Crimson Custom Guitars
Boudreau Guitars
Fletcher guitars
BigDGuitars to name a few
Bro what name of that machine
how can I buy one of your guitars?
I'm from México by the way
Great tips as usual, Thank you....... MangoHead Likes
Good idea :-)
That saw was intended for cutting cheese, get a real table saw. But it does make me wish mine had a speed control, I could use a voltage regulator but than it would probably burn out the motor. Mine smokes up from burning wood after I've only slotted about 5 fretboards, am in the process of switching brand of blade.
Nice tool, but that motor is trying so hard.
can you gift this to me 😊
Stew Mac sell a fret cutting circular blade for table saws.
www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Saws/Fret_Slotting_Table_Saw_Blade.html
And I think it is a better blade.
+agdtec
just checked...100 bucks? are they (meaning saw blades) always expensive?
+nmssis and they get dull. A Machine shop can probably turn down fine tooth plywood blades & then you may have to set the teeth, but I think their blades are have no set to the teeth.
Seth B whats the cut width on the fine plywood saw?
Isn't the Stew Mac blade arbor too big? 5/8" vs 1/2" on the mini mite? If you look on eBay and search TruePower 01-0819 mini table saw, they have pretty much the same thing but the saw has 1HP instead of 1/4. I'm checking on the arbor size but I think this would be a better alternative. About $17 more. Listening to that motor struggle shy'd me away from this particular HF model. I'll update when I get the details.
That's not a jig. It"s a sled.