Official Luthiers Forum!

One thing about the mando was that I wound up having to press the frets in with the same block I used to mill the board. Pretty easy with a single radius. Turns out I felt pretty good about pressing frets. I can do a great job with the hammer, but am willing to believe that a press may do an even better job and leave more fret after dressing.

Is there a press system for a compound radius out there?

https://birkonium.com/product/ultimate-fretting-caul-set/
or I just made up my own flexible caul with UHMWP and a brass strip.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Stew Mac sells fret caul inserts. I bought a couple a few years back and promptly lost them.

https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/T ... serts.html

Pics Colin?

Check out Section 15.6.3 in the white book. Quite straight forward to make your own. The caul in Fig Fig 15.21 can be used in a press as well as a clamp.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Clearly I need to reread that book...

Here you go. UHMWP about 8mm x 15mm curved to 10" on bottom, groove cut for fret.
Used for 12 - 18" radius frets.
Originally had brass strip screwed to bottom, but I removed and cut off the ends.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Me too, don't remember a compound radius fret press.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Thanks Colin and Trevor...

Colin, how does the plastic caul work? Does it flex?

Yes. It's not absolutely perfect, but does a good job if you work it across the frets.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.