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I just built my first neck with a bound FB. Afterward I noticed one fret standing a bit tall on one end and it wouldn't tap down. Come to find out the slot was not deep enough. So I pulled out the fret with my nippers.

Even though I tried to do this as gently as possible, it came out rather fast and chipped away a couple of spots in the ebony board. I found some of the chips and glued them back. Still doesn't look great.

So question one is... How do I prevent this in the future?

The second question is... How do you guys deepen the slot on a bound FB? I used a Dremel and a dental burr. It still made the slot a bit too wide for my liking.


Thnx
Ronn

a tool like the s-m slot cleaner (home made is fine) can be sharpened to chisel(dig) a deeper slot in corners.crazymanmichael38458.2056712963

Take a soldering gun and file a "V" in the tip. Now heat the entire length of the fret, by moving the gun back and forth on the fret, before pulling them. This will stop some, but not all, of the chip outs.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

What Tim said... also... take small "bites" with the nippers and make sure they are flushed firmly to the fingerboard as you walk them across.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Another thing that I do when removing frets is run a bead of water on either side of the fret. When I heat the fret with my soldering gun the water boils off. It seems to help soften the wood and helps prevent chipping. Some ebony will chip no matter what you do, however. How did you glue your chips back in? Ebony boards are usually the easiest to repair using super glue. You can even use the super glue to replace missing chips. It usually blends right in. Neil38458.4940740741

I was taught to slightly bevel the edges of the fret cuts with a triangle file before you install the frets so in the future, you will have less problems if you need to remove them.
I suppose the ebony is prone to chipping even with this measure taken. I have not used it.

Good suggestions guys!

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

the water trick mentioned above is very helpful, particularly on old ebony.

[QUOTE=Wade S.] I was taught to slightly bevel the edges of the fret cuts with a triangle file before you install the frets so in the future, you will have less problems if you need to remove them.
I suppose the ebony is prone to chipping even with this measure taken. I have not used it.

Good suggestions guys!
[/QUOTE]

I think Tim McKnight also uses this method. It sounds reasonable to me to give the slot a little extra room at the top. I'd think that the barbs would bend a bit and might not grab at the very top where the chip out will ocurr. I do plan to start doing this on all my boards.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

I thought the point of champhering the fret slot was not to prevent chip out as much as to help the fret seat correctly and not roll forward or backward.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I have chipped my ebony board much the same way. I found some .023" thick Teflon which I slipped into the slot then replaced the chips using black CA from stewmac. With a little careful sanding the repair was invisable.
The slot can be worked deeper using this slot chisel.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for:_Frettin g/Fret_Slot_Cleaning_Tool.html

[QUOTE=Wade S.] I was taught to slightly bevel the edges of the fret cuts with a triangle file before you install the frets so in the future, you will have less problems if you need to remove them.
I suppose the ebony is prone to chipping even with this measure taken. I have not used it.

Good suggestions guys!
[/QUOTE]

Funny, I was gonna do this on this build after having read about the practice. Got in a hurry or something... Just forgot all about it. Well, next time huh/

Thanx guys for all the good suggestions

Ronn

The SM tool Keith speaks of is great...just remember to sharpen it. I use mine all the time!

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"