hand saw??

How bout using a fret saw ?

I did see a fret saw online. I made an inquiry, the manufacturer said it cut a .026 kerf. I know .003 is not much but I would rather be at .023 or smaller.

-- Made in America, with American made tools....Shopsmith

Either buy a special saw for cutting frets from a luthier supplier for
about $30 or take a gentleman’s backsaw and file it down on a
sharpening stone to the width you need.

Backsaws have way too much set for cutting fret slots, and
removing the set by bending the teeth in is a finicky and inexact
process. Just filing off the outside tips with a diamond stone
works great and you have a lot of control over the kerf.

Trust me, this works.

You can also cut the slots wide and glue the frets in. This works
as well and it is a well established re-fretting method.

I really like the veritas saws from leevalley. they are .026, but could be very easily stoned down to .023, since the blade thickness is only .020. It would still be a great dovetail and general purpose detail saw. I guess it isnt the cheapest option, but you would definitely get the most uses out of it besides your fret cutting.

BTW. stoning a saw is very easy. just take a medium sharpening stone or diamond stone, and take even strokes, one on each side. carefully measure with a dial caliper or micrometer, repeat until you get what you want. It should only take a few minutes to get that .003 off.

Thanks guys. Great info.

-- Made in America, with American made tools....Shopsmith

Man, you guys really know saws. I need to step up my game.

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog

Stewart Macdonald’s

-- When the moderator chooses sides, his site sucks.

I would think about looking at zona saws. They have their fret widths listed and they range from .008 to .020 of an inch and they are really cheap. The only downfall is that you can’t replace the blade, but they cut pretty well.

-- -Joshuah