by Tim Allen » Fri Mar 16, 2012 2:17 am
I think Darrel's answer is excellent. I'd put some things a little differently. Here's my version, building on Darrel's. You're welcome to use any or none of this.
Question: Do I really need (expensive) nut files or are there other tools that will work?
Answer [version 2]: If you are setting up guitars for a living, you really need commercially manufactured nut files. With a little practice these will make accurately slotting nuts a simple task and will save you more than enough time to justify the cost. If you are only making a few nuts a year, you can get by with a miscellaneous collection of other tools. Most people report that once they have used dedicated nut files they wonder how they ever considered doing this type of work without them. On the other hand, if you are starting out with a limited budget and need many other tools as well, you may decide to postpone buying "real" nut files.
Question: What tools can be used to prepare nut slots if I don't have commercial nut files?
Answer [version 2]: A partial list includes needle files, saws that cut slots of various widths, a set of welding torch tip cleaners, short pieces of wound guitar string glued to a thin wood strip to smooth starter cuts made with a saw, short pieces of guitar string tightly stretched on metal frames, feeler gauges "toothed" using a dremel or wrapped with sandpaper.