Official Luthiers Forum!

I've just been fretting a mandolin fingerboard and have had problems with the fretwire revolving as I press it home using a Stewmac fret caul in my drill press. This has caused the fretboard (ebony) to chip in a couple of places.
Has anyone any tips on pressing frets so as to avoid this and is there any way to repair the chips without it looking too obvious and possibly worse than just leaving them, or should I throw it away and start again!
Thanks all
Charles.

It sounds like they are going in a bit crooked, and leaning over until they chip the wood? It helps to get them started before pressing, on some boards you can just press them in partway with your thumb, just until the tangs start to bite in, if th eslot is too toght or the wood too hard a tap with a hammer on either end gets things started. The purpose is to seat the fret squarely in the slot before you start pressing down with the arbor.

Ebony is just about the most forgiving wood there is when it comes to repairing chips and cracks, they call it super glue for a reason.

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Jordan Aceto
Ithaca, NY

You do have a caul under the neck to keep the neck level and even with the fret press caul don't you? The photo below shows tha caul keeping the neck stead and level. And are you using a fret saw that matches the kerf of the frets? If not this can cause issues. If so a tip is to hammer start each end of a fret into the fingerboard first then press.

Charles, Get a nylon faced fretting hammer and tap the fret in on one edge of the fingerboard to get it started. This will keep it from rolling and allow the fret press to do it's job. You shouldn't have a problem if you do it in this manner.

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Peter

Frank Fords site has a bunch of great fretting info. It's primarily geared towards repairs, but there is still a lot to be learned here that can be applied to new builds as well.

http://frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Frets/FretTrouble/frettrouble.html

There is tip on this page specifically about 'leaners'. he has a couple of options to deal with the issue.

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Jim Hansen

Thanks for the advice. I've got a saw with the correct blade width for the fretwire, but even hammering one end in can cause the wire to turn over while hammering. Maybe I need more practice!!
Charles.

Be sure to slightly chamfer the sides of the fret slot with a needle file before you hammer in the frets. This will help to center the fret in the slot and minimize the possibility of the fret slipping out of the slot.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com