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I went to woodcraft (it took me all day because I took the bus, and the bus is slow in Austin) and got this:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/15Q01/ ... k-Saw.aspx

I then removed the set (it gives a slot of around .04" with the set intact) and reversed the blade so that it cuts on the pull stroke. A little cheaper than Stewmac's fret saw (which is essentially the same thing anyways)

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

How did you remove the set? And you took blade and reversed? Is it working ok? Seems like a good savings but is it worth all that work?


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You can stone each side of the teeth, equally. Takes about 2 minutes, even with test cuts!
You can only do this if the gauge of the saw plate allows it. 0.6 mm saw plate gauge is hopeless, in Ebony it's virtually always going to bind. Better to look for a saw with 0.5 mm gauge, at least that allows for a touch of set. . . . or buy one of the suitable Japanese saws.

The blade can be removed from the spine by clamping the blade in a vise and tapping it out with a hammer. Then you can put it back in backwards.

This saw is exactly like the fret saw LMI/Stewmac sells, same blade thickness and all. The only difference is the set and tooth count (fret saws have higher tooth count) I had to experiment a bit though... I removed the set completely and it would bind. So I had to put the set back in (really tricky without a saw set tool, basically used a plier to bend the tooth) and file the sides until I got to a kerf (around .03) that wouldn't result in binding but still allowed frets to seat correctly.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

This saw blade has a rip tooth pattern. That accounts for the lower number of teeth. Fret saw blades have a cross cut pattern with more teeth for a smoother cut.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker