I need to make some fine grooves, in aluminium or stainless (304).
I'm making a very simple lap steel guitar, and this is for the nut - the
piece just below the tuners that the strings pass over, at the end of
the fingerboard.
The strings are the following thickness:
inches?????? mm
0.012 ? ? ?? 0.30
0.016 ? ???? 0.41
0.024 ? ???? 0.61
0.032 ? ???? 0.81
0.044 ? ???? 1.12
0.056 ? ???? 1.42
Ideally the string should sit in a semi-circular groove (the same size,
halfway in) but I don't think this will be possible.? A flat bottomed or
45 degree sided groove is more likely.
Specialist luthiers nut files are too expensive for a one-off job. One
suggestion I have seen is to grind down hacksaw blades on a bench
grinder to the correct thickness.
It would be good to use the Unimat though. An angled (chamfering) end
mill might just do the larger sizes but I doubt the point is very fine
on them to make the smallest grooves. I see that ball nose end mills go
down to 1mm.
You folks know a lot more about what's available and (more importantly)
what is likely to work! - what would you suggest?? I'm in the UK by the way.
Many thanks!