Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Other Stuff => Guitars => Topic started by: stingray_65 on January 04, 2011, 03:24:05 am

Title: fret bender
Post by: stingray_65 on January 04, 2011, 03:24:05 am

My CNC is still down, still have the itch to build stuff so today I built a fret bender.

Sort of an industrial version, used stuff I had laying around.

Slotted the 3/8 plate with a laminate router mounted to the fret saw I just built.

The lower bearings are mounted on  ground shoulder bolts with a 75# die spring behind them to keep them pushed against the head. They mount into threaded holes every 7/16" apart.

The carriage for the  drive roller hold a pair of 3/8 id bearings for smooth rotation. made the brass drive roller out of a hunk of  1/2" brass plate. cut it out with a hole saw and dressed it out on my vertical lathe (read cheap import drill press) with a file. I cut the slot for the fret tang with a hacksaw(while I spun it in my lathe,err, drill press), after I had it cut I realized I should have centered it in the stock instead of half the fixed bearing thickness, but it works.

I covered the adjustment slot with  Teflon glide tape. The button head screws that keep the carriage centered have brass bushings to make them fit nicely in the 3/8 adjustment slot.

A carriage bolt with a handle provides my downward pressure, return springs mounted in the side keep it against the carriage bolt when the pressure is released.

An old piece of angle aluminum extrusion made a nice bench mount.

With the drive roller fully retracted I can fit up to 3/16" stock in there. I don't have any fret wire to bend right now, but I bent up a mess of coat hanger. I can go as small as 11/16" inside radius with the fixed rollers on the inside holes and the drive roller all but touching them, to I'm guessing about a 10' radius with the rollers mounted to the outside and the drive giving a slight pressure.

I got around all the parts except a couple small diameter flange bearings to make a pickup coil winder tomorrow if I still don't have my Z axis  ball screw back from the machinist.

Title: Re: fret bender
Post by: jojokeo on January 05, 2011, 04:34:23 pm

Dang Ray, that looks like something from Stew-Mac. Looks great!

Title: Re: fret bender
Post by: stingray_65 on January 05, 2011, 11:51:46 pm

Thanks Jo!

Title: Re: fret bender
Post by: Willabe on January 06, 2011, 11:33:23 am

Quote from: jojokeo on January 05, 2011, 04:34:23 pm

Dang Ray, that looks like something from Stew-Mac. Looks great!

Naw, looks better than what stew-mac sells. Looks a lot stronger. Very nice!


         Brad      :smiley: