At last... Proper Job Nut files!

[woodrat]

I have been looking for something decent in the way of nut files. I have made all my guitars using my original purchase cheapie Stewmac budget files that tend to bind a lot and are not very good but I bought them as I was setting up and could not extend to the more expensive ones at the time. Any way I thought that I would post these that I bought recently on eBay from a guy in the States who calls himself guitargeek3602. I believe that he must be starting out on eBay as he only has 8 positive feedbacks (including mine) at 100%. I bought them because they looked like they would work a treat...and now having received them I can say that they do indeed work beautifully. They are made out of high quality High Carbon steel that is I assume is feeler gauge stock. They are radiused nicely and polished and the teeth are precision milled and cut very smoothly and fast. They dont bind like my Stewmacs and are stiffer on the really thin files.
I payed all up about $57 AUD landed here which I thought was alright for such a high quality tool. Anyway I thought that I would give everyone a heads up if they are in the market for a set of nut files.
And if anyone is wondering..I dont know this guitargeek3602 from the proverbial bar of soap but I thought that I would give his product a plug as it is so good...he obviously has thought about this one and gone about making a good tool so he gets a thumbs up from me.

WoodRat

[Puff]

At seven dollars each they are less expensive than those you compared them to. Great call - thanks.
PS - I don't know the vendor from a blob of tallow either.

[Kim]

Good pick up John,

I bought a set of the same thing on ebay from a vendor called "Norman_1957" around 4 or 5 years ago and they do work quite well.

The vendor I used calls them "The Norman Guitar Nut File System" (I think he was the first to come up with the idea to refine the product and hock them on ebay but I think people have been making there own sets up out of feeler gauges for years). Norman_1957 sells them in a sets of 9 standard or 12 if you want the 3 bass nut files however I checking and he has not listed any since back in March so he may have sold out to the guitarfreek dude..but as I recall back when I bough mine he would get a batches made at a time and sell them all before he had the next lot made up. So it could just be that he's between batches......here is a link to the last lot he sold and received feedback for so you can have a look see.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... &viewitem=

If you want more details about them google "Norman Guitar Nut File System". There has been a fair bit of discussion on the forums and what not over the years. Some suggest that they only lasted them a few guitars and then wore out, but often it seems that people on the net will just write what they 'thing' may be true and present it a bullshit story as their own personal experience yet the truth is that they really don't have a furking clue. I certainly had no issues at all with mine and I can't see how they could wear overly fast only cutting bone and such because as you can see from the images at the link he has all the cutting edgse electro hardened so they are not simply an ordinary feeler gauge blade as some may expect even if most in the set do started out that way.

Mine came in a little blue plastic pouch with a good set of instructions that anyone could follow and I see he now includes a multi set out gauge that did not come with my set. To use them its a pretty straight forward and standard sort of process as I recall. You start the slots with a razor saw using the appropriate feeler gauge blade for a depth stop following up with these little doobies rested on the fret wire, move it back and forth and when it stops cutting you have a nice 'round bottom' slot cut to a set depth.

I was doing some repairs work and setup back then and I used mine quite a bit, but must confess I ended up going back to my trusty nut slot files simply because I get the slot to the depth that 'I' like it to be faster...OK, I went back to nut files cause I am set in my ways and don't like change Anyhow they still come in handy for chasing out the slot if you find a string binding a bit so I would not give them up all together.

Bottom line is that there is nothing wrong with this system at all and it is quite fail safe. I would have no problem recommending them for anyone starting out or intending on only building an instrument or two ( ) who looking for a cheap but pretty affective alternative to a quality set of nut files. They certainly beat the pants off a set of gas torch tip cleaners, and they don't snap when you look at them like the thin .010-.012 Gorbet files pron to do.

Cheers

Kim

[woodrat]

Thanks Kim for the background...yes it is the same bloke called Norman from Ingleside in Texas. That was the name and address on the package it came in. I dont know why he has a new eBay name...not that that matters (could be any number of quite valid reasons). Anyway I always like to give a good product a rap especially if it represents good value and is of high quality as this one is. They should be easily resharpenable with a diamond slip or similar so they should last the purchaser a lifetime. Like you I am happy to recommend Normans product. I remember when I was starting my first build and the AUD was well south of where it is now looking at the top end nut files from StewMac and not being able to justify spending the money and bought the cheapies. These ones are so much superior that anyone starting out buying all the luthier tools needed for guitarmaking could not go past these files, hence the reason for my post.

John the WoodRat

[Matt Bach]

I actually started with a set of these and they cut so well when they were new, but after a few nuts worth they are dulled and have sat unused for a few years now (that's what she said). I haven't tried sharpening them though and actually sometimes I still use them for smoothing out slots haha. I just use the stewmac files as they work on metal saddles/nuts too, but if you're only filing bone or plastic I reckon they are pretty neat. One day I'll try my hand at sharpening them, cos I remember them cutting REALLY fast (almost too fast!)...

[charangohabsburg]

[...] They should be easily resharpenable with a diamond slip or similar so they should last the purchaser a lifetime.

[...] I haven't tried sharpening them though and actually sometimes I still use them for smoothing out slots haha.

So I'm looking forward to a nut file sharpening tutorial by guitargeek3602 on the ANZLF before buying these files.

Anyway, these files look tasty.

[woodrat]

One day I'll try my hand at sharpening them, cos I remember them cutting REALLY fast (almost too fast!)...

Hi Matt, that was the thing that impressed me about them that they cut very fast and SMOOTH. The design is different from the files that I got from SM in that the business edges of the files are somehow put into the edge by deforming probably through a machine to produce the raised cutting edges. These are milled into the file body so every tooth is perfectly inline and so they cut very smoothly.

Markus as for resharpening I dont need to do that yet but I will have to think of a way to keep the radius on the bottom consistent while I run a slip over them. Any ideas out there?

John