Fret Leveling/Crowning Tool Recommendations?

Andy Eagle said:
Just learn how to use a triangle safe edge file. It does any fret size and teaches you the process. The number of times I see frets damaged by the use of the wrong size crowning file or just the miss use would surprise you.
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well andy I appreciate your experience doing fretwork... and with all do respect... I know that way works for all sorts of people... but it's not for me. I don't feel like I need to learn the process because at the end of the day results are all that matter. my last build had 1.25mm low e action w/o buzz. high e was 1mm. The line I left with a crown file was razor thin. I can assure you no frets were harmed in the making of that guitar! Lots of luthiers use triangle, just as many use crown files - as with many things - the way that works best for you IS the best way. I prefer crown files. ymmv.
 

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Andy Eagle said:
Just learn how to use a triangle safe edge file. It does any fret size and teaches you the process. The number of times I see frets damaged by the use of the wrong size crowning file or just the miss use would surprise you.
Click to expand...
I've seen a few recommendations like yours to use a standard safe edge triangle file but I've never actually been able to find a correct one despite some searching - can you reference one specifically that is the correct size and tooth density? Closest I've come to finding one is this based on the vid below but it does not have safe edges - he says he had to grind the edges to make it safe which I'm not sure I could do properly, so I'm kinda pushed back to considering specialized crowning tools like this which seems to be somewhat well regarded (and others noted below) but whaddoIknow.



Other Options:
 
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Andy Eagle said:
Just learn how to use a triangle safe edge file. It does any fret size and teaches you the process. The number of times I see frets damaged by the use of the wrong size crowning file or just the miss use would surprise you.
Click to expand...

Back in the 80’s I set out to work my own frets. Did some grinding and made a couple of rounded corner flat files, and safe edge triangle files. I did ok but man, it was a lot of work. Pretty sure those are still around somewhere. Not sure I’m willing to do it again. I can see where a crowning file would speed up the job. My hats off to you for doing it with the triangle files.
 
skolacki said:
Back in the 80’s I set out to work my own frets. Did some grinding and made a couple of rounded corner flat files, and safe edge triangle files. I did ok but man, it was a lot of work. Pretty sure those are still around somewhere. Not sure I’m willing to do it again. I can see where a crowning file would speed up the job. My hats off to you for doing it with the triangle files.
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The luthier in the vid above makes a good point about specialized crowning files having the shape baked into them so not really a time saver if the set shape is not what u need. So the tri safe edge file is better for control / flexibility but not really very available (the one referenced above is from Portugal w no shipping I saw to NA) - dilemma it seems
 
sprint said:
I've seen a few recommendations like yours to use a standard safe edge triangle file but I've never actually been able to find a correct one despite some searching - can you reference one specifically that is the correct size and tooth density? Closest I've come to finding one is this based on the vid below but it does not have safe edges - he says he had to grind the edges to make it safe which I'm not sure I could do properly, so I'm kinda pushed back to considering specialized crowning tools like this which seems to be somewhat well regarded (and others noted below) but whaddoIknow.



Other Options:
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Maybe StewMac? I've used the medium one.

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-too...orner-fret-dressing-files/?variationCode=1602
 
sprint said:
The luthier in the vid above makes a good point about specialized crowning files having the shape baked into them so not really a time saver if the set shape is not what u need. So the tri safe edge file is better for control / flexibility but not really very available (the one referenced above is from Portugal w no shipping I saw to NA) - dilemma it seems
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The files are pretty easy to make. Just grind the edges off the file from what I recall. This thread has me thinking about trying it again.
 
skolacki said:
The files are pretty easy to make. Just grind the edges off the file from what I recall. This thread has me thinking about trying it again.
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This is what I did to an excellent quality CK brand file 30 years ago and I still use it. It has done thousands of necks necks and has no problems with stainless steel frets. Crowning files are one shape and it must fit your fret size exactly or you will do damage . Coated diamond files are usually total crap because they only last as long is the glue holding the dust on the metal and that can be two or three necks with stainless frets.
The reason I say you should learn the process is you need to understand the geometry of what makes a neck play well not just assume that the fret needs to be the same hight is the one either side. This is a recipe for a full refret from a good tech. For instance a straight radius neck brings the interaction of a cone with a variable radius in to contact with a bent cylinder and expects there to be straight line contact between the two. Now add the amplitude and you can start to see why Plek data if used by a good operator is King when it comes to fretboard geometry.
 
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Andy Eagle said:
This is what I did to an excellent quality CK brand file 30 years ago and I still use it. It has done thousands of necks necks and has no problems with stainless steel frets.
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If I make my own, what spec file do I start with? I've seen a "teeth per inch (tpi)" spec mentioned here and there but not sure - the vid above mentions 60 teeth per inch but basic files i've looked into with the idea of grinding the edges down don't seem to quote any tpi spec.

How does one specfically go about grinding off the edges
 
sprint said:
If I make my own, what spec file do I start with? I've seen a "teeth per inch (tpi)" spec mentioned here and there but not sure - the vid above mentions 60 teeth per inch but basic files i've looked into with the idea of grinding the edges down don't seem to quote any tpi spec.

How does one specfically go about grinding off the edges
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Buy the one size up from a needle file and one size bigger than that in fine cut and grind the edges on a cheap oil stone.
 
Was waiting for Andy to chime in. Here’s a pic of mine. Don’t know what the teeth count is but it’s a fine file. From what I recall I just passed it over a bench grinder with a fine stone, rolling the file between passes so the ground edge is rounded a bit. This hasn’t been used since the 80’s. There are videos of it in use on the tube. It wasn’t difficult to crown the frets, just tedious to polish them. You want a fine toothed file so it will clean up easier.




C66FF682-69BD-43CE-967A-0BFB5E8C5194.jpeg
 
skolacki said:
Was waiting for Andy to chime in. Here’s a pic of mine. Don’t know what the teeth count is but it’s a fine file. From what I recall I just passed it over a bench grinder with a fine stone, rolling the file between passes so the ground edge is rounded a bit. This hasn’t been used since the 80’s. There are videos of it in use on the tube. It wasn’t difficult to crown the frets, just tedious to polish them. You want a fine toothed file so it will clean up easier.




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I like to smooth a little more off than that but that's great I could use that.
 
sprint said:
The luthier in the vid above makes a good point about specialized crowning files having the shape baked into them so not really a time saver if the set shape is not what u need. So the tri safe edge file is better for control / flexibility but not really very available (the one referenced above is from Portugal w no shipping I saw to NA) - dilemma it seems
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this is a fair point about crown files. was working on jescar jumbo tonight and my stew mac doesn't quite fit it. fortunately my philli luthier s type does (both are jumbo files). I suppose if you don't have a file that fits the existing profile well a triangle might indeed be faster in that case as you might be able to remove less material. That said... any method has it's benefits/drawback: my main hang-up with triangle files is that you are less guaranteed to get the line dead center of the fret.
 
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