Nut sander

Timbuck

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Yikes, $180 for tool that does just one thing! I think I'll keep doing it another way.
 
Not for me. I made a very simple version, which is just a block of wood that holds the nut captive. I even put a handle on the top side of it. It works of course. I just haven't used it in years. A pin vice does for me. Stewmac can sure turn mere bankrupt luthiers into luthiers with the debt of a medium sized country.
 
Because my nuts made of Ebony :eek: (you know what I mean) And they are always the same dimensions..I make them in long strips ready with back radius and just saw off the length I require.
 
In that case why don't you use a block plane? Faster than sanding and a lot less irritating ebony dust.
 
That thing looks like it would be fun to push around the bench pretending it is a dragster, but seems quite over-engineered for the relatively simple job in hand.
 
Whoa, $180 bucks for that fancy dan? You can do the same job with a couple of hunks of scrap wood and a bolt and wing nut. I make nuts from buffalo bone and start with the bone in the round. Easy and fun to do-if a little time consuming but make your own.
 
Looks like a nice way to hold a nut or saddle......but definitely a DIY thing. For $180 it would have to round over the back edge and cut the slots for me too
 
Looks like a nice way to hold a nut or saddle......but definitely a DIY thing. For $180 it would have to round over the back edge and cut the slots for me too
Also a lot of nuts are angled at the base to suit the headstock angle..I don't see how this device can do that.
 
Nut Sander Prototype

I just saw this in my StewMac catalog recently and about fainted when I saw the price. I put together a prototype today. It seems to work as intended. However, when I build the next one I need to move the holes up a tad for the cap screws that have the springs. The head was hitting the sandpaper. I couldn't get my hands on some knurled knobs so for the two depth adjustments I just epoxied some 8-32 threaded rod into some acorn nuts. The bearings were the most expensive part at $18 and with the other bits the total cost was less than $30.

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I just saw this in my StewMac catalog recently and about fainted when I saw the price. I put together a prototype today. It seems to work as intended. However, when I build the next one I need to move the holes up a tad for the cap screws that have the springs. The head was hitting the sandpaper. I couldn't get my hands on some knurled knobs so for the two depth adjustments I just epoxied some 8-32 threaded rod into some acorn nuts. The bearings were the most expensive part at $18 and with the other bits the total cost was less than $30.

View attachment 94677View attachment 94678
Well done! Dom ..thats as good as it needs to be..Better even :)
 
Well done! Dom ..thats as good as it needs to be..Better even :)

Thanks Ken. I think I will make another out of hard maple and tighten the tolerances a bit. Should be able to do it in a couple hours. Just need to find those 120 minutes :).
 
This is actually a pretty nice tool. There are different ways of looking at tools.When I was doing a lot of repairs on vintage guitars and uses, it would have been nice to have. If you are making a new instrument, it does not matter if you ruin the nut or saddle, you just make a new one. It becomes more critical when you just have 1 shot at it, like in the repair world. Vintage instruments aside, it is even more critical when you are working on someones piece of garbage and end up having to make a new nut or saddle because you removed slightly too much material. If you need to remove just a little material from the bottom of a nut or saddle, this tool does it in a very controlled way. If you need a dead flat bottom on a saddle for pickup installations, this tool does that too. i have a lathe, small mill, chunks of aluminum around, and the ability to make a duplicate. However, years ago I realized that trying to duplicate a tool usually involved at least 1 prototype and lots of time. Sometimes I have time for that and at times I don't. Tool making can be fun, and inventing your own tools is cool, but there are times when the original is worth buying. Good is never cheap! I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy this tool. It is a decision that needs to be made with respect to the quantity of work you do and the level of precision you need to work too. Usually shaping by hand is just fine, but this tool would have saved my butt many times in days gone by.
 
Or for a quick and simple and cheap alternative a square bit of scrap wood and finger pressure. Or a bit of temporary glue.

I love it! As a lazy tool/form/template maker I always love the shortcut. And you know, sometimes it does the same thing in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the price. Please send along your extensive tool plans Titch and I might try it. Sanding my nuts is always a painful process. A bit of scrap and a bit of glue sounds like my nut sander.
 
Looks like a nice way to hold a nut or saddle......but definitely a DIY thing. For $180 it would have to round over the back edge and cut the slots for me too

....and make me a double mocha with an extra shot!
 
Who said good is never cheap? Nonsense, you should see my bridge clamp, cost a few pence. My purfling cutter about the same.
 
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