|
|
  Tip from my pal Freddie
I thought these were utility knife blades, but now I know better: They’re saddle shapers!
Dan Erlewine, July 22, 2010 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Freddie Cisneros, who runs the Mercy Guitar Hospital in Prescott, Arizona, e-mailed me this great tip for roughing-in the rounded shape on top of bone saddle blanks. It’s one of those “Now why didn’t I think of that?" ideas.
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
Here’s what Freddie wrote:
“I shape the tops of saddle blanks by scraping with the rounded notch on a utility blade. I clamp Stew-Mac’s saddle vise into my repair vise to hold the saddle. That repair vise is the most-used tool in the shop, and it’s the center of my work area.”
|
|
|
|
 Nut and Saddle Vise |
 |
|
After reading Freddie’s tip, I tried it out in my shop. I cut a saddle blank to size, with a radius on top to match my fingerboard. I roughly thickness-sanded it on a belt sander, then removed the last few thousandths by stroking them on coarse, then smooth, fret leveling files.
|
|
|
|
 Fret/Fingerboard Leveling Files |
 |
|
When you do this, measure your progress often with calipers so you don’t go past your target thickness.
|
|
|
|
 Luthier's Digital Caliper |
 |
|
Hey! This utility blade scraper/shaper idea really works! In about a jiffy, I’ve got a rounded shape on this saddle. (Be careful not to scratch the sides of the saddle with the edge of the blade, though.)
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
This is my favorite photo of Freddie Cisneros from back in the day.
That’s him on the right, with the Les Paul Custom. —Dan
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
I smoothed the top with a 300-grit diamond fret rounding file. This only took a moment, since I had the rounded shape to start from.
|
|
|
|
 Diamond Fret File |
 |
|
Then a few licks with 3M Polishing Papers, and I’ve got a gleaming rounded top. I used the green, grey, blue, and pink papers, wrapped around the same diamond file I used above.
|
|
|
|
 3M Flexible Polishing Papers |
 |
|
That’s it! A quick check with a radius gauge tells me my radius is still good after the final shaping. This saddle’s ready to go!
 |
|
|
|
 Radius Gauges |
 |
|
Problem-solving products for this kind of work: |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vintage Bone Saddle Blank
Unbleached super-hard cow bone with mottled cream color resembling fossilized ivory. Shaped or unshaped. |
|
|
|
Diamond Fret File
The best way to recrown your frets! Unlike traditional fret files, these cut in both directions, don't chatter, and leave the fret smooth after crowning. |
|
|
|
Nut and Saddle Vise
A better way to hold nuts and saddles for easier, faster shaping. With jaws designed to give you room for angle-filing. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3M Flexible Polishing Papers
Strong micro-grit finishing papers, so flexible you can use them like cloth--wet or dry! |
|
|
|
Luthier's Digital Caliper
Measures fret height before AND after the fretwire has been installed. |
|
|
|
Fret/Fingerboard Leveling Files
These custom-made files give you a handle on your fret work! 3" or 6" length. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Processing...
