$3 Fret levelling, Cheap 'R' Us

Nope it's been done for decades. The stone will load up with particles after a while.

 

The metal filings from the frets I'm guessing. Because they're probably softer steel than your typical knife edge.

 

And those cheap sharpening stones will wear out quickly. Just make sure its flat between fret levelings. You can reflatten those stones buy placing some sand paper on plate glass and working the stone back and forth.

 

I just made a fret leveler out of a piece of scrap granite counter top. Cut a piece 2”w 24”L ¾” thick. I glued it on a piece of 3/8 ply. I just use spray glue to attach 600 grit wet dry on it. I used one time it worked great. It is a little heavy and if you drop it or when I eventually drop it I’ll bet it will break. Might check with some local counter top fabricators probably would give you piece might even cut it for you. Myself I had a piece of scrap from my kitchen I just used a dry cut diamond blade in my Skill 77 and cut it myself using a straight edge as a guide

 

As Ron Kirn mentioned in a similar thread, these sharpening stones can get loaded up with fret metal and they can begin to become un-flat with use.

That said, if you don't have access to scraps of Corian or granite, this could be a great base on which to put the sticky-backed fine sandpaper. In other words, don't use the sharpening stone to actually do the cutting/sanding, but use it as an affordable long-flat surface.

 

If you could find one that was flat, stayed flat and was 18 inches or so it would be great!

I can't trust myself or my skills to use something that won't hit every fret, all the time. I tried to cut my friends hair once when I was in high school, that was a disaster.

 

Hears another idea: Get a piece of glass silicone it to a piece of wood, you might find a local shop that has a nice thick piece of scrap they can cut for you and sand the edges. Silicone might not work you might ask the glass shop how to attach it. Myself I always wanted to get some thick aluminum and have it milled nice and flat.

 

I used a piece of maple jointed flat on one side for years. Just glued some emery cloth on with spray glue and went at it.

 

If you go to a cabinet shop which does kitchens they will have scraps or will tell you who does their granite/corian tops. I live in Bundaberg and one local "Marble" place here has acres of the stuff just in the yard waiting to go to the dump. I've now got sanding stones and flat plates for gluing up tops and backs.


DC

 

Granite is an igneous rock, ie it is cooled lava from a volcano. I don't know anything about the geology of Australia but if there weren't volcanos there tens of thousands of years ago, you're not going to find any granite. It's common enough here.

 

Yes, the softer metal particles imbed in the stone as the other guys mentioned.

 

I use a sharpening stone for fret leveling exclusively. I've never had a problem. However, I always use a few drops of light oil before & after each use, I use a light touch when leveling & I give the stone a shot of compressed air when finished to help extend the life of the stone. As others have said, they will load up over time, but are cheap to replace.

 

Even tho' I have access to granite, corian, marble, etc., I did the same thing. Easier for me to handle, plenty of heft, and straight.

For the OP: Lots of stones are not flat out of the box, so don't trust that that one is.

Rich

 

Its also easy to clean the glue off, you just run it over the jointer bed one time.

 

+1

Check out your local kitchen cabinet or bench top makers, someone is bound to have offcuts they are only going to throw out anyway.

 

Think ya might be confusing granite with ryholite. Granite is not volcanic in origin.