Agree with Allen, crowning file aside, the LMI kit is made up of basic tools and the Stewmac kit is much the same so all of this stuff is available locally AND secondhand in best quality and far cheaper from swapmeets etc. Doing that will save you the money you will need for a decent set of nut files, Stewmac set of double sided files are pretty good, but similar are available from Girard Gilet and he stocks the original Hosco (Ibanez) nut files which Stewies had copied way back.
There are chinese versions available from Epay for less money but these are a pretty good quality tool.
http://guitarwoods.com.au/catalog/produ ... cts_id=139
I do recommend the Stewmac off-set 'diamond' fret crowning file. These are a good tool worthy of freight cost from USA but they are not cheap, but then nothing worth while is. 150 grit cuts real fast, 300 gives a finish to the crown that only needs a light rub with 400 grit before the buff and polish finish the job..If you are new at this or only do occasional work, get the 300 grit only because once the metal is off, you can't stick it back on.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_su ... _File.html
For an example of what you can do without, Stewmac do a nut and saddle vice, its a good tool but its heavy and would cost heaps to freight to AU
To save money you can achieve the same from a standard vice by simply making a pair of inserts out of plate which extend above the standard jaws to keep them out of the way and have a 45 degree chamfer at the working edge as in the image above. You can even embed magnets to into the plate to hold them in place if you like..point is much of this stuff can be done as good, if not better than the 'lutherie specific' tools with simple work-arounds. You just need to think more about the tools 'function' and less about branding and marketing hype.
I will add that aside from the diamond fret crowning files, there are a few other candidates from lutherie supply outlets whicht fit the task at hand well enough to be worth while adding to the box and make shipping cost viable. Most of these tools are not 'essential', however they are specialised enough to make life a lot easier, especially if you plan on taking in any repair work where your time really is money.
To list just a few:
Stewmac have nut and saddle shaping files, these are a good tool, you can do the same with normal files and sandpaper but I find these files are perfect for shaping bone and such for nut and saddles quickly and accurately enough to be worth of adding to the kit.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddl ... Files.html
These nut 'seating' files are worth having too as they produce a 'flat' bottom to the nut slot where good coupling really is important. They are ever so slightly 'under sized' and their smooth sides allow one to use the fretboard end as a guide fence to ensure a flat bottom slot with minimal removal of material and without any danger of widening or angling the slot during seating, or reseating when cleaning out old glue from the slot:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Nuts,_saddl ... es#details
Here's one from LMI...really good people to deal with as well by the way.
http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproduc ... der+Gramil
I have tried all iterations of the gramil from home made to factory made violin style and find the Schneider gramil is by far the best of them. The blade can be resharpened OK with a simple jig to hold the angle but LMI sell the Ron Hock made replacement blades for not much money. This tool has the design, weight and balance to offer great control and is a must for defining the cut prior to routing bindings anywhere of the guitar, or even for cutting the entire ledge by hand...Like any gramil, you must work with a very light hand to start, and then once you've marked the cut, ' you can increase pressure to work down in depth...I love these things and have two of them so I can work the top/back and sides without adjustment. This is not so much a luxury because many of the binding jigs we use for cutting ledges have tendency to produce a slight angle to the cut. Having these set up to initially define the cut can also be useful to true up the ledge after the router has finished its job as cutter depth can be quickly and easily adjusted without affecting width. Truing up like this goes a long way toward reducing gaps in bindings/purflings.
Again, the point in typing all of this info is to make it very clear that there are few things in this craft that we 'must' have to get the job done. Many things work, some better and cheaper than others. So the choice should come down to how much your prepared to pay for speed and accuracy...you can always achieve the latter with a little thought, preparation and understanding of the task at hand, the former is always going to cost more.
Cheers
Kim
