Fret press

A tool that drives frets into their slots with controlled, even pressure instead of hammer blows, usually an arbor press with a shaped caul.

Even pressure seats the wire consistently along its length and produces fewer high or loose frets than hand hammering, which is why it is standard in production and in most refret work. The caul is matched to the fret radius so the crown is not deformed, and the neck must be fully supported in a jig so it does not flex under the load. It is also used for seating frets that have lifted without pulling them.

Example: a refret done with a press and radius-matched caul usually needs far less levelling afterwards than one done by hand.

Fret press

See also