Jeweler's Saw

[Phil Goodson]

Admitting my complete ignorance, are there good reasons why a jeweler's saw isn't used to make nut slots, other than not making the slot bottom round?

Thanks for any enlightenment.

[MikeEdgerton]

In my book the jewelers saw is great for cutting things that are thin and complex like a piece of pearl for inlay. Cutting a straight slot across a fretboard and keeping it square would be a challenge for me. YMMV.

[Steve Sorensen]

You want each string slot to match the width of the string. Easier to achieve that with files which are the correct width for the strings being used.
Steve

[bpatrick]

I'm assuming that you mean a "fret" saw, the ones that look like a coping saw? I only use one of these for inlay work. Perfect for that. I would think it would be too "floppy" and loose for accurate fret work. The 7.25 Irwin/Maples dovetail japanese saw is just right for most fret tangs. You can get them at the big box stores.
Sorry - Off base here. I assumed fret slots. The subject is nut slots...see below.

[Phil Goodson]

Thanks guys.

So the nut is too big a hunk of stuff to be practical with a thin saw and the saw blades probably don't come in enough sizes to match all the strings.
Is that about right?

[bpatrick]

I made a fret miter box that uses a rare earth magnet salvaged from an old computer hard drive. The magnet keeps the saw blade straight and tight against the guide, but loose enough to get the job done. I super glued a wooden strip to the saw to provide a depth stop. If I need to adjust the depth, I squirt acetone on the saw blade and the wooden strip will pop off. Once it's set, theres really no need to change unless the fret tang depth is different. I'll probably "fancy" this rig up one day and add a fret placement template.

Sorry - Off base here. I assumed fret slots. The subject is nut slots...see below.

[bpatrick]

Oh wait! I'm way off track here. I thought we we're talking about fret slots...Still, a jeweler's saw is not likely the right thing. The blades won't have enough sizes to match the nut slots and they'll likely make round bottoms. Don't use the Irin/Marples saw I talked of earlier either. You'll need some nut files to make proper nut slots.

[Bill McCall]

Jewelers saw blades tend to break easily. Used to come in packs of 10, maybe still do. There’s a reason.

[MikeEdgerton]

I could have sworn that said frets when I answered it. Nut slots, I could probably do that.

[pops1]

I think the flex of the the blade would make it hard to keep the leading edge the high point of the slot. A nut slot can be curved, but only after the face of the nut. I wouldn't trust it.

[rcc56]

A good set of double edged nut files such as is available from Stew-Mac or Warmouth is well worth the investment. It's better not to go cheap on some things-- nut slotting tools is one of them.

[Rick Jones]

And if you are ordering from StewMac, get that nut-spacing ruler they sell. Maybe the most valuable luthiery tool I've ever bought. NFI.

[pops1]

And if you are ordering from StewMac, get that nut-spacing ruler they sell. Maybe the most valuable luthiery tool I've ever bought. NFI.

I use a compass it will space the nut or saddle perfectly. It will also do any spacing not just the ones on the stu mac ruler. It is simple, you can get one anywhere cheap and very accurate to do the spacing on anything you want with any width you want.

[George Roberts]

I use a jeweler's saw to make the initial cut that locates the slot. The blade is thin enough that it doesn't obscure the line. The appropriate width file can then widen that cut.

[amowry]

I use a razor saw for the initial cut, really just marking the location. I have a sheet that I print out with all the nut and bridge spacings I use. I cut out the appropriate one, glue it on the nut with a glue stick, and cut through the lines with the razor saw. The paper helps keep the saw from wandering. Then I peel off the paper and file the slots to nearly the final delpth.

[Phil Goodson]

You folks went beyond my initial question, but I've learned a lot from you and appreciate all the information that you all have contributed.

[O. Apitius]

I do something very similar to Andrew Mowry. To calculate the string spacing for any width of nut, I created an Excel file that does all the calculations for me. I just punch in the known measurements and it calculates the correct spacing. By 'correct' I mean that the gaps between the string pairs are all equal as are the gaps between courses. (Not everyone believes that this is correct) I then open an Illustrator file that I have made of the nut dimensions, punch in the slot locations and I now have a very accurate template that I print out and glue to the top of a string-nut.

Here's what the Excel calculator looks like. I just plug in the values for the beige boxes and Excel fills in the white boxes.



BTW, I have tried to post a working version of this calculator on my website but I don't know how to do it myself. I did find a vendor on line that could write the code for me but I found it to be too expensive.

[Timbofood]

You folks went beyond my initial question, but I've learned a lot from you and appreciate all the information that you all have contributed.

I just take it to someone with the right tools and bring cocktails!

[Phil Goodson]

I just take it to someone with the right tools and bring cocktails!

That answer I already knew.

[Timbofood]

Simple confirmation!

[amowry]

BTW, I have tried to post a working version of this calculator on my website but I don't know how to do it myself. I did find a vendor on line that could write the code for me but I found it to be too expensive.

Oliver, cool spreadsheet idea! If you upload the spreadsheet to onedrive.live.com you can then embed the link in your web page. That's what I did here and it was pretty easy and seems to work reasonably well: http://mowrystrings.com/neck%20geome...alculator.html

I think you could also convert it to a Google Sheet and embed the link similarly. Not sure exactly how...

[O. Apitius]

Thanks for the tip Andrew. I managed to embed it on my website here.

Just scroll down a little. You need to double click on the buff colored boxes to enter new values.

[O. Apitius]

There seems to have been a glitch with Microsoft "Onedrive" and the calculator was not showing on my website. It appears to be fixed now if anyone is interested. Here's the link.
http://www.apitiusmandolins.com/Oliv...og%20Page.html

[amowry]

Cool, thanks Oliver!

[Inklings]

Thanks for posting those calculators, guys - neat stuff!