A Better Fret Tang Nipper For Guitar Builders

[@John-yl4tj]

As a person who has spent hundreds of hours doing it the old way, I must say, what a great thinking outside the box this is. I'm making one right now. Thanks.

[@gearViewmirror]

This is simply genius! 55 year old carpenter from Switzerland, much appreciate your channel🎸🤘🎸

[@jaylumley7676]

I made this jig today, thanks for the detailed instructions. I ended up buying the tungsten bit. However, during trial with fretwire, the tang's sidewall tended to get pulled into the bit and pull the wire into the jig resulting in an uncontrollable cut. My solution was to extend the tip of the bit above the top of the jig and turn the fretwire on it's side. This works well if you offset the groove from the bit slightly. It also allows you to ease into the cut and take several passes. It works nicely and I can post a pic if needed.

[@Raymond-rr5iv]

You are the man !! By 4 you have come up with the fastest cleanest kindest way to snip off the tangs !! You are a true creative genius. Thank you so much !!

[@lordlazerwolf]

I made a 3D printable version of this and dropped a thank you note and pics of how it turned out on your Facebook page. Thanks again for sharing the awesome jig!

[@Agarwal6]

lordlazerwolf is it up on thingiverse or somewhere else?

[@pg6667]

i just thought i'd have to do every fret by hand and file (doing a rough work...) for 2 necks, i just built your tool and tried it: IT'S AMAZING! YOU REALLY SAVED MY WORK! this is the best idea i've ever found on internet, thank you so much!

[@moonshadowproductions1076]

How did you cut the slot for the fret to slide , bandsaw or handsaw?

[@pg6667]

@@moonshadowproductions1076 handsaw and a knife

[@samiam3297]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I went about this with a drem but just grabbed the fret wire with some leather as my first few tries scorched my finger tips...just had to keep an eye on the ball...felt like a surgeon while doing so...removing the growth 😝😝😝 tedious work no doubt.✌️😎🎸 (not a luthier but also not willing to pay the $300 for a fret job so I pulled a matrix and learned DIY. Turned a junky thrift shop Epi SG into a growling shiny rocker! [Performance approved]...my total cost was $70 and 6 months of work off n on) fun times! ✌️😎🎸

[@jayc6859]

I have to say, thank you for the idea. I made a jig inspired by yours for my stewmac Dremel router base that attaches to the bottom of the Dremel base and also clamps to my workbench. I used it on nickel silver frets with the 7123 bit and it worked better than i expected. I have no doubt it will also work great on stainless with the right bit. Thanks again!

[@HighlineGuitars]

That is awesome!

[@LeviBulger]

Dremel A576 is a sanding guide that is only 4 bucks on Amazon. It is perfect for making this type of jig. You just have to cut a guide along the top's center for the fret to slide in. The cool thing about that attachment is that it actually telescopes upward so you can adjust it to the perfect height for your bit. A pro tip is to give your fret guide a curve when cutting it so that a fret follows the curve and lines up flat at the point of contact. It's hard to describe, but when you put it on, you'll see exactly what you have to do to make it into a jig like the one Chris shows in this video.

[@nelsonpaul72]

Thank you for this! I'm going to run with your idea and change it up some. I only use stainless steel frets and I painstakingly use a bench grinder to remove the tangs. So yes, I throw away a few frets each time as I grind into the crown.

[@SuperBriansmoke]

This is pretty much what I’ve been imagining in my head! Fantastic work. I’ve got a small piece of curly maple that I’m going to make this from.

[@lvguitarsuk9870]

Love this jig and your videos in general. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and tricks!

[@mikehidalgo4171]

Hi Chris, Mike Hidalgo from San Diego. I will only use stainless frets and hence I must give thanks for a perfect invent

[@Projectelectricguitar]

Thanks for the trick Chris, I love creative solutions to common guitar building problems. Take care, Araz

[@MandolinJack]

Superb. Inspiring! I'm headed to my workshop right now!

[@arkkupitkanen1073]

I viewed few reviews on youtube and bought chinese tungsten bits pack of ten, just a pocket money. Works well cutting stainless steel, 5 sets of frets and still going

[@TonecrafteLuthiery]

7 years late it seems, but I gotta say, this is a really clever idea.

[@dogfacedboy6947]

Cool! As a general rule, on this kinda video if you just need a PICTURE to get the idea, then you can skip to the 2/3 mark or so. The discussion about correct Dremel tips at 6:15 or so is useful too. Umm... there's a LOT that can be done with jaws that slip over a vise or tubey, tubiesque somethings that fit over Vise Grips. Most people already OWN some form of "closing-jaw thingie" that can be adapted. I love this stuff, I'm SO-OO cheep, just STARE at the Stewie-Mac pimp-rag for a few seconds then MAKE it for pennies. Freebie: slip two credit cards between the strings and fretboard. Push them up to the nut. Slip a 1/4" to 3/16" inch ANYthing BETWEEN the credit cards and push IT up to the nut. Your strings will lift up, even under full tension, so you can TAKE THE NUT OUT. The full ramification is, you can do ALL your nut work OFF the guitar, keep the strings fully tuned, you never have to worry about scratches, shrapnel damage again! This pup's TRANSFORMATIVE, and even Stewie doesn't know it! It works much better with longer pieces of plastic - just THINK, save that kinda "junk" up. Clear, thick vacuum packaging.... I've made SO-OO many Fender-esque nuts I could do it blindfold on a desert island with a hula girl and a coconut, but this one BLASTS the endgame into Foolproof-Land. ALMOST foolproof.... it's still AMAZING what a dedicated fool can achieve with real concentrated idiocy, TERRIFYING actually. (Matter of fact, keep the coconut, just send the hula girls' sister along too? First one's lonely and I gotta play with my nuts.)

[@davecatalfo6376]

This was a great video. I’m just getting started with guitar building and really enjoy your videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@HighlineGuitars]

Awesome, thank you!

[@PikkaBird]

This jig is pretty brilliant, and I just got a set of diamond grinding bits so guess what my next experiment is going to br... A note about cheap import bits: It's not 100% comparable, but I bought 20 diamond coated cutting discs for my dremel a few months ago to cut tangs of stainless frets. I've now done two whole sets of 24 Jescar stainless steel frets, and I can't even see any wear on the very first disc. I think they'll last me a loooong time, and if you do end up with a dud, you'll be out just two or three dollars anyway.

[@newtonlkh]

It is a very creative use of the dremel sir!!!! It would be lovely if you could share the ways you would use a dremel for guitar work!

[@tednash239]

Great Idea, Thanks. Perhaps it'd be worth extending the bottom piece of timber towards the back, so it can be clamped to the edge of the work bench

[@NeZversSounds]

Amazing! Can't wait for fret end jig too!

[@UrquidiGuitars]

Knocked it out of the park again! Great video!

[@thefeet]

Brilliant! Will be making one asap! Thank you for all your hard work making these amazing videos sharing such valuable experience and knowledge.

[@joecarpenter5602]

Cool, tutorial. I did this awhile back someone on the Internet had the idea. Cheaper than Stewmac. I bought mine at my local supplier for $5.95

[@cincinattiblues]

Thanks for sharing your design, its a darn good one compared to those nipper alternatives. Should have pattented it.

[@onpsxmember]

Saved me from buying those usual knippers. Even the expensive one may break down from using stainless steel fretwire. Gonna build be a similar jig for a proxxon. (I just hate how noisy the dremel is) If your dremel starts rattling or really quits working, check them out. You got a new subscriber.

[@SlamoCustomGuitars]

I'm making one tomorrow. I am right in the middle of a SS fret job on a LP. Thanks!

[@AVCBangKeke]

Thanks for sharing, Chris.

[@justinjarvis9828]

THAT IS INGENIOUS!!

[@ryanbaptiste249]

Genius! You could make a killing selling these!

[@jonahguitarguy]

Definitely going to use this jig, great idea. Thanks a lot.

[@RaindropServicesNYC]

One idea that comes to mind is to clamp it on the workbench, so that you can use both hands to maneuver the fret wire.

[@luthieriaverum5677]

The best of bests tang cutter .. Great man..!!!

[@allenrussell1947]

Just starting my first re-fret and knew I'd find a solution here.

[@minibob37]

Very good idea! I'm going to build it. Thanks for sharing

[@toddatstone_city_outlaw8714]

Can you please think about adding the Vlog # to the title? It would make it easier to keep track of which to watch to get caught up or if we get behind. Great Vlogs too!!

[@yinyangguitars6456]

awesome, thanx. looking forward to your next vid.

[@BoudreauGuitars]

Chris, that is an excellent jig have you thought about adding a depth stop?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Yes, and I have an idea for adding one. I'll be updating my experiences with this jig in a future episode. It'll include the use of different bits and possibly a depth stop.

[@BoudreauGuitars]

nice!

[@BSMikkel]

That's rather nippy - if you pardon the pun :) No seriously: I've been doing my tangs on the sharpening grinder, but now I'm going to build myself this Dremel jig of yours. Thanks for all the great vids and tips!

[@loadi2865]

You one smart dude...

[@joshuaroche7127]

This might be a dumb question for some but as a relative beginner - what approach did you use to sand the radius? Thanks for your videos they are incredibly helpful to me.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Which radius?

[@justinpaquette224]

Great idea

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

Great stuff. My only suggestion would be to get a lapel mike b/c it's hard to hear you sometimes.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Yeah, I have one, but half the time it doesn't work. I need to find a better one.

[@RaindropServicesNYC]

Very good idea. Thank you for sharing.

[@Omardottcom]

You should put a patent on this and look into mass producing these out of a more durable material. Great ideaman

[@erichalfhill372]

Did you ever get an aluminum one made? I'd sure like to buy one.

[@HighlineGuitars]

No.

[@toneconsultant]

I do enjoy a clever idea

[@MG-vo7is]

Nice!

[@edsonborn1499]

Hi, i am fromm Brasil, congratulations, very good idea. I am subscribed in your channel. Thank you and God bless you.

[@yiranimal]

This looks like a great technique. Is this still your go-to method? And, in your experience, is the 9901 the best bit to go with for stainless steel? Thanks again.

[@yiranimal]

Just saw your video about the Sintom clipper. I guess that would be the one to go with if you're doing this a lot. For now I'll try the Dremel adapter.

[@HighlineGuitars]

No. I use Sintoms nippers.

[@okitaquintana-vr1ne]

You are a Gyro Gearloose 😊

[@danaeverhart6487]

I also wold like the frets to go all the way to the edge removing the binding nibs

[@jeez813]

I dunno. Made the thing to exact specs from maple (on my CNC). Tried both bits. Not much luck. Fret was deflected somewhat by the bit. lots of vibration and couldn't get a clean result. Hot fingers! Have gone back to my DIY tang remover (modeled after the expensive LMI one) which involves a fixed file and a sliding puck which retains the fret. Very clean result. 1 hr to detang 22 frets. I'm sure this could work with some tweeking though.

[@danaeverhart6487]

What is the largest fret wire ( jumbo) for 2001 Gibson Les Paul standard in stainless steel would I use to re-fret example 6105 or 6100's ?

[@georgedubrik280]

great idea thanks for sharing.

[@petrrohlik4316]

Fc*n genius!

[@N_A_Lund]

When I use my standard issue nipper I still have to file the burr left on the bottom to get a clean bottom edge; is that still an issue with this jig? May have to build me one. Thanks for the video!

[@wolfganglynn8996]

What would you guys say the market value of this would be? If it doesn't take a long time to build that would be an awesome thing, id gladly buy one of these for $30, I use my dremel for everything! I look forward to seeing what else you do with it, if you end up selling it, I call dibs on the first one!

[@rinaldofaria]

Where can I buy that bit? One of the best idea that I watched lately.

[@HighlineGuitars]

I just added links to the bits in the description above.

[@rinaldofaria]

Thanks a lot.

[@hambonecigarboxguitar4616]

Great video. 👍🏼

[@tjforgey7854]

Could you just use a dremel ,with a cutting wheel

[@walterrider9600]

thank you

[@ChristopherFreedom]

Fantastic! Subscribed!

[@StringTechWorkstations]

Aaawww ... that's too bad about Klein discontinuing the nibbler. Has anyone used the one that Jescar make ? BTW ... what you are doing is very slick. I'm looking for something that all of my students can purchase. Not everyone is as innovative and "up to the task" as you are ;^ ) Cheers !

[@dantahoua]

Excellente! I love it! You should sell some on your reverb shop, I'll be first to buy it! :)

[@RenatinhoStauros]

Hey man!! Great job!! Don’t you pretend to sell this ? I would love to buy one of this!

[@MegaLuipi]

Great!

[@pillikoda]

Tänana väga andekas lahendus.Hiljuti viilisin käsitsi kolm freti. .Terve sõrmlaua ulatuses väga vajalik seade

[@Brandonfunky]

I file it until it's gone and smooth. Time and energy consuming tho.

[@bluztime5271]

Cool little tool but man does the fret get hot. Burned my finger.

[@rickreddler]

да лучше я эти стьюмаковские кусачки куплю для подрезки ножки лада и обработаю надфилем со спиленным торцом после того как подкусил, чем такую городушку с бормашиной мутить. и делать торцы до установки имхо - зло. вдоль посмотришь - все будут гулять в итоге. короче я его непонимаю.