I made my first set of pullers by grinding down a hardware store nipper. It had poor temper, and the jaws kept chipping. I re-ground it several times and used it for years, but I'm not sorry that I replaced it with the more durable Stew-mac cutter, which works both as a puller and an end cutter.
I still use Grobet round edge joint files and a couple of X-acto needle files for nut slots, but the Stew-mac double edge slotting files cut faster, are more durable, and have a nice taper. If I replace mine, I will probably buy the Stew-mac files. Warmouth sells what appears to be a similar file for a few dollars less, but I haven't seen them and can't vouch for the quality.
I suppose I could have made my own bridge clamps, but without a bandsaw it would have taken many hours of work.
Several saws are available from various woodwork supply houses. The ones that are suitable for cutting fret slots aren't cheap anywhere, and often they don't provide sufficient info on the width of the cut. The old Blitz saw with replaceable blades that I got from a luthiers' supply house for about $8 about 35 years ago is no longer available. If anyone knows where I can get a couple of replacement blades, I would appreciate it. I don't know how to sharpen mine. Or if anyone knows a sharpening technique that will work on a thin blade with very small teeth, I'd like to hear about it.
For many years, I refretted a large number of antique instruments. The tang cutters and the tang crimpers were expensive, but they paid for themselves many times over in the amount of labor time they saved. But they are not essential tools for a hobbyist.
I don't like buying tools twice, and I don't like coughing up a lot of money for specialty tools. Sometimes I've had to balance the amount of labor involved in making or restoring a tool against the cost of a new one. And the durability and efficiency of the tools are other factors. My 35 year old Dremel has broken down on me twice in the last year. I repaired it both times, but if it breaks down again I'll probably replace it with a new one. I'll frown for a couple of days and move on. With a little luck, by the time the new one breaks down, I'll be too old to be doing much shop work.
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