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This is a fret slotting system I built out of a Harbor Freight Mini Cut-Off Saw (http://www.harborfreight.com/bench-top- ... 42307.html). It's not perfect, but it can slot a board in just a few minutes with accurate results, and the whole project came in under $30, not counting the plywood and other scraps I already had.



http://youtu.be/Uu6GApjgXTg

It's underpowered, but it works. Let me know if you have any questions.

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David Morris

Very crafty, David! If you replace the paper shims with UHMW, the sled will slide more smoothly. A toggle clamp instead of the f-clamp would make things go much quicker as well. Well done

alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Looks like you might try waxing your sled rails to get a smoother motion.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

Thanks for the tips, guys. Filippo, the blades are approximately 0.5mm thick.

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David Morris

I made this a year or so ago - no moving cutting parts, 100% safe



Like any Japanese saw the blades are v ery brittle. Lasts about 100 - 150 fingerboards...

Pete, your video actually inspired me when I was building my first prototype, which was more of a miter box, though not nearly as good as yours. Your system is remarkable.

I've made some changes based on all your suggestions, and I think it's a lot better now. The wax was particularly helpful. If you're interested, I've put together another video where I give a little more explanation than I did last time, and highlight the changes I made, which mostly involve the sled.

http://vimeo.com/32655458

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David Morris

The reason I abandoned my table saw was moving parts... table saws and me don't mix well. The fretmaster is gentle, prosaic and allows you to exercise peacefully while working.

Is there some reason you took the video in your front yard and practically on the sidewalk with the dog in the background and seated on the ground? I found that a little 'unusual'. In my current videos you can hear the silversmith below tapping away with her planishing hammer her name is Rauni Higson and the work she does is second to none

Absolutely! That's where the extension cord was.

Quite seriously, there's simply no other place that wouldn't have required a lot of setup. I work out of a tiny corner of a garage with no proper workbench, and if I'd done it in the backyard, the baby would have heard me through the window and woken up from her nap. This situation must be rectified, but for now, I work with what I have. Hey, I used to build on the grass in front of our second story apartment. At least I have a front yard now.

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David Morris

For anyone who hasn't found it, here is the first "Fretmaster" video from Pete's channel.



Pete, if you don't mind my asking, what is the Kerf with the Kataba blade? I'm wondering how much wider the slot is?

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Jim Hansen

resourceful , ingenious.

If you made your sled a bit wider or at least the part that rides on the main box it would move more smoothly and with less play.
Same principle as a drawer.
L.

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Thanks. The problem with widening the sled is that it would give it too much play. Now that I've waxed the sled, the friction is much better, and it helps me go slow. I think the real solution is just to use metal instead of wood. But it would have upped my cost.

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David Morris

Terminology problem. Maybe I should have said deeper. Front to back. Because it is so short front to back it can grab and bind when you push it. Like how a F clamp works. Same problem with drawers. A very short, wide drawer is very hard to keep from binding while a narrow long drawer is a piece of cake. Another example would be a table saw runner. Long and narrow it slides well, if it were short it could bind.
Also you don't need contact along the whole length of your slide. Only on 2 points. As someone suggested some Teflon pads or such would let you dial it in. If deeper front to back you could dial in less play not more.

What problems do you think metal would solve ? Metal has it's issues and is much harder to fabricate than wood. Thermal expansion and contraction, galling, etc. I assume you don't have the tooling to fabricate something in metal. You don't often see metal on metal on a design such as yours. You would see bearings or some kind of wear surface as in gibs and ways and on and on. For your jig wood is fine. It could be improved a fair bit by tweaking a few things and if it is working now (in wood) and could be improved a bit (in wood) it would function just fine. Metal won't be a significant improvement with this design unless you got into linear motion bearings and such.
L.

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

That's good advice, Link. I really appreciate it. It just seemed to me that if I used something like T-Tracks, it would ride smoother. I wasn't planning on doing a lot of fabricating, but I think I could piece it together with a little grinding and drilling of appropriate pieces. Regardless, it works as is. At some point, I want to rebuild that sled anyway, and when I do, I think I'm gonna take your advice and use two wide points with stop blocks so the sled doesn't fall of the edge. But given the fact that I probably won't even be slotting anything else for a little while, it will take a back seat to other projects I have stirring around in my head.

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David Morris

Thed Kataba blade from dictum is the right thickness...