Crownin File

[Mandoborg]

Hey folks, it looks like my trusty Gurian fret file is coming to an end. Seeing how it never really fit the wire I use, Stew-Mac 147 , i'm looking at getting something different. What are you folks using that you would recommend ? Thinking on going back to the old three corner one, but thought i'd ask around first to see if something new has come along for the smaller fret-wire........

Thanks for any ideas....

Jim

[sunburst]

I use the Gurian replaceable burrs. I have one handle that I bought and one that I made to hold the burrs, and when they don't fit the frets well, I follow them with the safe edge triangular file. When the frets are well installed in a good, level fingerboard, they require minimal leveling so there isn't much re-crowning to do, and the triangular file works well and efficiently. When I have to follow someone around and clean up their... mess (fix someone's poor fret job), sometimes I have to mill so much material off of the frets that it would take "days" to re-crown them with only a triangular file, so I grind away with the Gurian burrs an/or diamond files until the frets are once again well crowned. Then comes the triangular file to smooth things up the rest of the way.

[michaelcj]

I have my old Gurian.. and some of the StewMac ones, but nine times out of ten I seem to find myself using my 3-corner…. old dog syndrome I guess.
Mike

[Mandoborg]

I just noticed I left the 'g' off the crowning in the title !! Thanks for the words.......Looks like i'll just stick with the Gurian...it's served me well over the years................. just have to buy the replacement burr. It's always worth checking around to see if something newer or better has come along...

Jim

[Rob Roy]

I too used the old Gurian with replaceable burrs, never relishing the job. I've tried a few of the diamond files, much less sanding clean up afterwards. This is the only one I've found with a small enough radius for the 0.050" wire. [URL="http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Fretting/Shaping_and_crowning/Dual-grit_Diamond_Fret_File.html"
I never the the 150 grit side, the 300 cuts plenty fast and leaves a relatively smooth finish to clean up.

[Jim Adwell]

I kind of hate the angled handle the burrs are used with. Twenty years ago I had something like these http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools...Fret_File.html for ukuleles and wore out a couple of them in a few years. They were a lot cheaper then, though. Sigh.

Now I'm using a 3 cornered file with smooth rounded edges, which works well enough, I guess.

[oldwave maker]

Used these for the last few hundred frettings, smooooooth..... http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools...Fret_File.html

[Steve Sorensen]

I loooooooooooooooooooooooooove the 300 Grit diamond StewMac files. Life changing and worth every penny!

Steve