nut files

[TeleToTheRain]

Man, nut files are pricey.... and I don't want to do the whole welding tip cleaner deal, etc. I'm sure investing in a set of the two sided ones Warmoth or StewMac sells would be a good investment but at the moment I only need to do one and I'm low on funds. Is there any kind of loaner program? Over on the Martin forum there's a set of bridge slotting tools that gets passed around for the cost of shipping, anything like that here? I know I'm being cheap... I'll probably wind up buying a set, just wondering....

[Donelson]

Nut files don't cost that much! Worth the $$. You don't need ten of them; 3-4 will get you going. You can learn how to use them from the web. Cheapo alternative: auto feeler gauges wrapped with sandpaper. Cost, maybe $5. Not recommended, but "just saying". I've done that in a pinch. The paper adds width, so try & calculate ahead of time. Wrecking a nut will cost you headaches & remorse; try & avoid that.

[jkingma]

PM sent.

I've got some lightly used ones I'd be willing to sell.

[hemingway]

Originally Posted by Donelson

Nut files don't cost that much! Worth the $$. You don't need ten of them; 3-4 will get you going. You can learn how to use them from the web. Cheapo alternative: auto feeler gauges wrapped with sandpaper. Cost, maybe $5. Not recommended, but "just saying". I've done that in a pinch. The paper adds width, so try & calculate ahead of time. Wrecking a nut will cost you headaches & remorse; try & avoid that.

Ha! I've wrecked nuts even with good nut files!

But it was fun fixing them with baking powder and superglue.

It's all learning.

[Bronkowitz]

I put different thickness feeler gauges in my vice and used a sacrificial chisel to beat teeth into them. I used a micrometer and a small file to make sure they were at the correct thickness. Then I used sandpaper to gently round ove the edges.

I'm accumulating more tools as I build more, so eventually I'll replace it (right tool for the right job, and all that). But my alternatve was to build it with the makeshift nut saw or not build it at all. Building it won out.

[tone volume]

Originally Posted by hemingway

Ha! I've wrecked nuts even with good nut files!

But it was fun fixing them with baking powder and superglue.

It's all learning.

And it's always on the last slot.

[flatfive]

I'm cheap, too, but buying a set of nut files is a good investment.
I got mine from Warmoth.

BTW, I find that the files tend to bind in the slot. I'm aware
that nut slots should only be slightly deeper then the radius
of the string, but even at this depth I get some binding.
Any tips?

[dbickford]

The Auto feeler guages are the way to go. Instead of chiseling notches, just take a Dremel with a cutoff wheel and slice some 1/8 inch deep slots in the guages. Only slot half the length of the feeler. The smooth half works to guide it as you file.

[soggybag]

I just spent some hours investigating nut files. In the end I decided to by a set from here: http://www.japarts.ca These seem to be what most places re selling. For 6 files the total was $70. Which is close to what you would pay elsewhere but a little cheaper. Also seems like you are getting them from closer to the source.

[R. Stratenstein]

Grizzly now sells a set that are a bit cheaper then the big-boy luthier suppliers. . .

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Nut-File-0-010-/T25459

[soggybag]

Originally Posted by R. Stratenstein

Grizzly now sells a set that are a bit cheaper then the big-boy luthier suppliers. . .

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Nut-File-0-010-/T25459

Those are the same files sold by http://www.japarts.ca, for a buck more. Looks like many places get these files and relabel them. These are the same files that Grizzly is selling, and look suspiciously like the files sold by Stewmac, though the handle is branded with the Stewmac logo.