Nut slotting files for bone bridges

[ross.pearson]

So I've got a bone bridge that I swapped onto my tele, and it needs the slots to come down by a good amount, maybe 0.5 to 0.8 of a mm.

I bought one of these nut file sets.


Working on the low E for some time, and while I can see some dust after a minute or two of filing there has been almost zero change to the depth.

Do I just need to spend 15-20 minutes per slot, or do I have a dud set of files? Or do they just not work well for bone?

I'd prefer a flat file set like these at stewmac, but I can't really justify the expense..

[ross.pearson]

After a small amount of research I've disovered these "nut file sets" are essentially repurposed welding tip cleaners. I think I might spring for a proper guaged file set for my next build.

[McCreed]

Yes, I've never tried the tip cleaners, but I remember them from high school metal shop! I can't imagine trying to cut a nut with them.

Once I decided I was going take on nut work, I just bought a set of files. Well worth the expense even if you're only going to do your own guitars. Once you understand the process and the goal, you'll never look at your old guitars the same way again unless they were already done properly by luthier). Suddenly you start looking closer, and realising this or that could be better. Next thing you know the guitar is on the bench!

I don't know how these compare in price to Stooge-Mac, but I have the 10-56 set of these. I didn't pay $199 but it was a number of years ago.

I'm sure there are less expensive options out there that still be better than the tip cleaner thingy.
However, I'm not a fan of some of the cheaper "V" shaped files available. I prefer "U" shaped.

edit:
I just had a look at the StewMac ones and the Uo-Chikyu Hiroshima ones work out cheaper with free shipping.

[Rodc]

After a small amount of research I've disovered these "nut file sets" are essentially repurposed welding tip cleaners. I think I might spring for a proper guaged file set for my next build.

I bought a set at Bunnings and gave them a go. They will cut but it is very slow going and you need to push the tip cleaner down over the nut with your finger. They will do to get you out of trouble but that's it.

[ross.pearson]

Yeah, I think I'll keep my eyes open for some sales and see if I can get a set of proper nut files for a bit cheaper.

At least now I can keep the tip of my mig welder clean...

[McCreed]

FWIW, Hosco make these that a bit more affordable. They are the V shape ones, which I personally don't like, but that's just me.

There are different schools of thought on whether the sides of the slot (angled like a V or vertical like a U) even matter because no more than 50% of the string circumference should be making contact with the nut anyway, and I'll point out that the Hosco files don't have a sharp bottom exactly like the letter V, they do have a radiused bottom cutting edge (.010" - .046") but the sides are pitched, creating a "V-like" slot.

I know the files I linked are currently out of stock, but I posted them as an example of a slightly more affordable alternative to search for.

[Druman Base]

https://www.amazon.com/Piece-Precisi...96478912&psc=1

If you're brave you can try these. I used them to slot the nut on my bass

[Simon Barden]

I use needle files (normally just the tip of a round one) for deepening slots in bass nuts and I find that works well. But for guitars with their much thinner slots, they aren't really much use except on the low E slot, and if used elsewhere, you are likely to end up with slots that are far too wide.

I have a set of 10 Hosco standard nut files

https://www.hosco.co.jp/en/luthier-t...s/tl-nf10.html

To which I've added a 0.050" inch file to fill in a gap (and which is the one they add to create their 11 file set.

But I've also recently bought this smaller Hosco file set (partly because my original .010" file, being very thin, was getting rather bent from use):

https://www.hosco.co.jp/en/luthier-t...-nf-eg010.html

Which is fine for the majority of my electric guitar work.

I wish they were cheaper, as every guitarist should really have a set.

You can get cheaper V-shaped double sided files, but as McCreed says, you do get a V-shaped slot which isn't as ideal as a straight sided slot, but better than having slots that are too high.

You'll definitely want to file the top of the nut down to string level, or just below, to hide the wide top opening to V-slots. And with a sloped side, even though the slope id quite steep, it's still a bit easier to push a string out of a sloped-sided than straight sided slot when string bending, so you can't take the nut height above the slot down as far as some people like to on straight-sided slots (McCreed likes to take his to just above the mid point of the string whilst I go down level with the top).

The biggest disadvantage with V- shaped slots is that if you break a string and don't have one the same gauge handy to replace it, the gauge down will probably sit lower in the slot and may buzz, and the gauge up will probably sit higher in the slot and be harder to fret and go out of tune slightly when fretted near the nut.

[fender3x]

I am sure that the best option is to buy a good set of nut files. I definitely want them, but just don't feel like I can justify the expense if there is a cheaper way of doing things reasonably well. I have heard too many horror stories about cheap nut files to think they are even worth a try. So here's what I have been doing...

I do use tip cleaners, but only on bass nuts. Anything much smaller than the G string, and those little rods flex too much for my taste. They work reasonably well for bass, though.

If you look for cheap nut files/nut saws on YouTube, you'll see that a lot of folks make a nut saw from a set of automotive feeler gauges. To make a nut saw, you take the proper sized feeler gauge and cut teeth in it. The way I did mine is similar to the way the guy in the vid below did his:



My way is even a bit easier. I used a cutoff wheel on a rotary tool, like he does, but I cut teeth all the blades at once rather than doing one at a time. Same effect, but faster.

Disadvantages of this approach include:

Cutting is slow on bone. It's even slower on Tusq. I wouldn't even attempt it on a metal nut (or saddle, for that matter). It will take much longer using this method. You're fingers will hurt and you may have a callous when you finish the final string. I wouldn't do it with a 12 string ;-)

The bottom of the channel may not be completely round. I have heard that's a problem, but even the pro quality files generally don't have round bottoms. I don't hear a buzz or other obvious problem from the nuts I have cut...but maybe others have?

Advantages:

This is very cheap while being very effective, as long as you are willing to take a long time to do the cutting.

You have a virtually unlimited number of slot widths. You can use the same feeler gauge set to setup your acoustic and electric.

You need the feeler gauges anyway to do your setup, and they still work for that after the teeth are in them, so there is literally no additional expense to using this approach.

Although cutting is slow, I never worry about cutting too deep. Although I have no direct experience, I have read that the good nut files are so good that it's easy to cut the slot too deep. With this approach, you get to the right depth slowly enough that it's actually kind of hard to cut too deep.

FWIW, on a bass, I actually really like the tip cleaners. They are slow...but I am by nature somewhat imprecise, so the slowness is a protective factor. Also, with size and proclivity of bass strings to buzz, it's nice to have a cutting device that puts a nice round-bottom slot in the nut. Again, I don't know how much this matters, but for bass the tip cleaners work about as well as the feeler gauges work on guitar nuts in my experience.

[Rabbit]

I use a round jewellers file, but then... bass strings.......