Nut Files - Worth Buying?

Jerryc41

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I bought a similar set and for a uke they will be fine. I also build guitars and they don't go small enough for the treble strings.
 
I have a very similar set - they could well be exactly the same - that I’ve used to set up a dozen or so Ukes over a few years. As far as I’m concerned they’re a good buy, but the slot sizes that they cut are a bit confusing to me. I got hold of a scrap bridge, labelled the positions up and used each face for a trial cut that I then measured with feeler gauges. There must be a better way but I manage to get slots that seem right for the strings used.

Edit. I’d share my gauge data but I can’t say it’s that accurate. I tend to offer stings up to the various slots in the old scarp bridge, see what’s a close fit and then cut the slots in the nut with the matching file and blade.
 
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I have a new tenor which needs a wider G slot. I forgot to request that option when I bought it, and after a recent move, I can’t find my set of fine files.

The first time I needed nut work I took the instrument to a local music shop and the owner did the work for free and only requested that I purchase strings from them in the future. I’ll probably take to them this time.
 
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I have a very similar set - they could well be exactly the same - that I’ve used to set up a dozen or so Ukes over a few years. As far as I’m concerned they’re a good buy, but the slot sizes that they cut are a bit confusing to me. I got hold of a scrap bridge, labelled the positions up and used each face for a trial cut that I then measured with feeler gauges. There must be a better way but I manage to get slots that seem right for the strings used.

I ordered them, but I also ordered a kit from Amazon. That contains files and other things.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SFDRYCK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I use the welding tip cleaner style files for guitar and uke sized strings. If you're just adjusting a slot in a precut nut, they're more than adequate. For a new nut, I start the slot with either a fine saw or a knife, depending on the string gauge. Then use the file to get it the right shape and tune the depth. I agree regarding the spend - I cut a couple dozen nuts a year, I can't see dropping $100 on special files. But I'm sure they're nice! I haven't tried the style you linked to, but I've seen mixed reviews on them on other builder forums. Lack of consistency and proper gauge seem to be the complaints. At that price, maybe it's worth a try though.
 
I used to use the acetylene torch cleaners to cut my nuts but then bit the bullet, swallowed my pride and shelled out the money for these ridiculously over priced nut files ($44) and I'm happy with them.

gauged-nut-slotting-file-set-for-ukulele.jpg
 
I used to use the acetylene torch cleaners to cut my nuts but then bit the bullet, swallowed my pride and shelled out the money for these ridiculously over priced nut files ($44) and I'm happy with them.

View attachment 131823

I was surprised to see that torch cleaners are so popular as nut cutters. I preferred the regular files, so I got the combo kit with other things included.
 
I used to use the acetylene torch cleaners to cut my nuts but then bit the bullet, swallowed my pride and shelled out the money for these ridiculously over priced nut files ($44) and I'm happy with them.

View attachment 131823

Same here. The "real deal" is night-and-day better than torch tip cleaners for cutting or adjusting nut slots. That said, generic knock-off nut files might work well enough, but I don't have personal experience with them.

EDIT: another option is to file saw teeth into feeler gauges of appropriate thickness. This is very cheap, and then you really can choose the exact width that's appropriate for the string you plan to use. It's probably still necessary to use a tip cleaner or some other tool to round the bottom of the slot. I haven't tried this method, but have seen photos and it should work. Still, it would be quicker and easier to buy a real nut file of the correct size.
 
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I was surprised to see that torch cleaners are so popular as nut cutters. I preferred the regular files, so I got the combo kit with other things included.

As I noted in another comment, I started with the torch tip cleaners. First I cut the slots with a fine handsaw, then I used the torch tip cleaners to ream the holes to the right widths and round the bottoms. I did not find the tip cleaners to be easy to use, precise, or efficient. I ended up mucking around with the nut for far longer than I would have if I had just bought the proper nut files (mostly because I didn't cut the slots quite deep enough to begin with and decided to use the torch tip cleaners to sneak down to the right depth). I finally did buy some nut files from StewMac, and they worked great and very very quickly. I would have spent far less time on this if I had just bought the files to begin with.

Hopefully the files you bought work well for you. Please report back to us what you find out. I spent some time shopping on Amazon (mostly) for similar generic sets and ended up going with the StewMac ones for various reasons.

This part isn't necessarily addressed to you, but the torch tip cleaner reinforced to me that the right tool for the job is often worth more than the price paid for it. The "right tool for the job" might be a pro-quality tool or a lesser quality one, but it shouldn't be something that's far from adequate like the torch tip cleaners I initially wasted time on. I work full-time, and my time for hobby projects is extremely limited. If I tried to calculate the $/hour saved by using the torch tip cleaners to complete the job, it would have been very low. In this case, time was more important to me than money, plus the end result would have been better (neater) if I had the right tools from the start.
 
I think the other half to that equation is having the right process for the tool. I agree it would be incredibly frustrating to try to use torch tip cleaners as actual files to file slots. Or even to remove significant material from existing slots. They don't cut quickly and they're fragile and hard to hold. That's why I get the slots very close by saw or knife and then literally just a couple swipes with the "files" to get the width exactly right and round the bottom (versus the squared off bottom a saw will leave). I agree with you that time is valuable, but with the right process there isn't really a time difference. If we make an analogy to sanding - 400 grit paper is a terrible idea if you're starting from a rough saw cut surface. But that doesn't mean 400 grit paper is no good in and of itself. You just have to use it with the right process.

I learned to do it by roughing with a saw or knife then finishing with torch tip cleaners (or a bit of sandpaper wrapped around an appropriate gauge drill bit for larger strings or a bass guitar nut) before I even knew there was such a thing as purpose made nut files and before there were internet forums to discuss such a subject. So that has probably given me a different perspective.

I'm not going to try to advocate that this makes sense for anyone else though, of course, as people have to be comfortable with what they're doing themselves!
 
Do you mean the flat gauge on the left? That looks like it's a string gauge - to see how far about the fretboard the strings are.

no the gauges or sizes of the files... how big/wide of a slot will they cut? often those cheap file sets are not accurate or are too big. and if making a new nut, I wouldn't recommend those torch cleaner things to cut the slots unless you have a lot of time and patience for the job.

as others have said, you don't need to spend $100 on a full set, about $50 will do for a ukulele set of 3-4 files. you might be able to get away with 2 of the new music nomad nut files.
 
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I think the other half to that equation is having the right process for the tool. I agree it would be incredibly frustrating to try to use torch tip cleaners as actual files to file slots. Or even to remove significant material from existing slots. They don't cut quickly and they're fragile and hard to hold. That's why I get the slots very close by saw or knife and then literally just a couple swipes with the "files" to get the width exactly right and round the bottom (versus the squared off bottom a saw will leave). I agree with you that time is valuable, but with the right process there isn't really a time difference. If we make an analogy to sanding - 400 grit paper is a terrible idea if you're starting from a rough saw cut surface. But that doesn't mean 400 grit paper is no good in and of itself. You just have to use it with the right process.

I learned to do it by roughing with a saw or knife then finishing with torch tip cleaners (or a bit of sandpaper wrapped around an appropriate gauge drill bit for larger strings or a bass guitar nut) before I even knew there was such a thing as purpose made nut files and before there were internet forums to discuss such a subject. So that has probably given me a different perspective.

I'm not going to try to advocate that this makes sense for anyone else though, of course, as people have to be comfortable with what they're doing themselves!

You're right, of course. But... part of my issue was wanting not to cut too deep with the saw and ruining the nut blank. I only had one nut blank, which cost several dollars, and I didn't want to buy another one and wait for it to be shipped to me. I also didn't want to try to saw deeper with the nut installed, in case of hitting a fret and damaging it (or the saw). And I didn't want to iteratively pull the blank out, cut some more, use the tip cleaner, reinstall the nut, test it, pull the blank out again.... So I decided to try using the tip cleaners to sneak up on the right depth, after reading user reviews that seemed to indicate that they would work for that. But it turned out that these do not make good files at all. To be efficient, you really need to get basically all the way with another tool first. I would certainly get faster and better by doing this process more, but it was easier to just buy the real nut files. Given the amount of this type of work I do (i.e. not very often) it's a one-time ever purchase that should give good results every time.
 
For ukes, you can get away with just 2 files - 0.013" and 0.028"
If the string is wider than the nut diameter, just gently rock and/or angle the file side to side to make the slot a bit wider- it's what I do for every uke (and guitar)

View attachment 131847

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/tools-by-job/tools-for-nuts-and-saddles/gauged-nut-slotting-files.html

Wow! It took a long time to get your comment posted. I saw it in my email yesterday.

Thanks for that. Good to know.
 
I used to just cut v shaped grooves using cheap half round needle files. For nylon strings that seems to work fine.
I then went super precise and switched to PCB carbide bits. I started with a 0.1 to 1.0mm set but the fine bits just snapped too easily due to my ham handedness. A 0.6 to 1.5mm set provides all you need and some big enough for inlay and doing old fashioned rosettes.
I cut the slots nearly to depth using a junior hacksaw to cut and an old jigsaw/ sabresaw blade with a bit of masking tape on it as a depth stop.
I then finness the width and depth with the PCB bits using a microusb rechargeable rotary tool.

https://ebay.us/ns34IE

My mini rotary tool looked just like these ones but was half that price in a local hardware store (they were a promotional item and they don't have them any more)
https://ebay.us/wmWdaz
 
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I use 3 which are gauged to the Worth strings I use- 0.020", 0.024", 0.028" and a 0.032" for the rare times i fit a fat wound 4th. If you cannot afford a set of nut files then by a 'round' needle file.
 
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