Official Luthiers Forum!

I've been looking at different flush cut end pliers but some don't really flush cut and leave indentations or the steel used on the pliers is too easily dented. Does anyone have some flush cut pliers they like and would recommend?

I've ground channelocks down myself, but these days I just use the stewmac ones. What are you cuttin?

I've heard people saying Knipex 8-Inch High Leverage End Cutters are the best, but haven't got them myself.
I doubt if even the best will cut fully flush, just some cut more flush than others and will not themselves be damaged in the process.
Five guitars on and I'm still using a cheap set which I ground the "face" off to make them cut closer.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

As far as I know, these are the only ones (besides the ones from Stewmac or LMI) that are designated as "flush cut". All other flush cut pliers I've found are specified for plastic or other soft material use.
http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/Flush- ... rs-c26.htm

Knipex makes lots of cutters, some with hardened jaws, but none of them (except the ones for plastic) are "flush cut".

I bought a pair of these http://www.amazon.com/Knipex-7401200SBA ... B000X4OFUE
with intentions of grinding the jaws flush, but haven't done so yet.

I have 2 other pairs of less expensive cutters that I ground flush & have been using. They're holding up fine but I've only cut nickel silver wire with them so far.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

As long as you only cut material softer than the nippers ( don't cut strings) they should last a long time

I am currently using the Fastcap brand. I use their heavy duty flush cut diagonal cutter and their flush cut end nippers....Mike

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Another day, another dollar.

I use a pair of ancient (1976) Gedore side-cutters ground down and they seem to work well on fret wire.

Bob

I bought a pair of these:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-7-in-Cross-Cutting-Pliers-007-564-HKY/100651704#.UqXh3I35RRQ
and ground them flush on my grinder. They work great. Just go slow and don't over grind.

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
http://elevatelutherie.com
&
http://ensorguitars.com

fwiw, if for some reason one can't get it done with quality properly dressed nippers then the Starrett 235 may be the final word on flat cutting precision:



expensive? yes. list is about $400. every part is replaceable and they are fully rebuildable. they have an adjustable stop to eliminate over-travel of the blades which kills lesser cutters over time, compound leverage, and parallel cutting action. inserts come in various shapes and sizes as well as carbide tipped. cutting gap is adjustable by moving the blade inserts which are serrated on the back and lock into matching serrations on the frame, and by adjusting the stop screw. the rivet heads can deform with heavy use causing looseness in the frame, but the fix is to just re-set them with a drive punch and you're good to go -something to be aware of when buying used.

total overkill for fretwire, but probably the best out there. they're kinda like 90 deg bolt cutters. i've used them and the cutting action is extremely smooth and very powerful.

Allied Lutherie used to sell some nice cutters with a similar design to the Starrett 235. They aren't on the website anymore but a quick call to Todd Taggart will let you know if there are any left. I don't have mine handy for a picture, but they work well.

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds