Glue applied to fret slot 

I use a small plastic bottle with very small opening to apply a bead of Titebond directly in the slot just before adding the fret. When you develop a good feel for fretting you can do six slots at a time. This allows you enough time to seat all of the frets before the glue dries. Although it does help to lock the frets in place its main purpose is to lubricate the slot. Some use a drop of water for the same purpose but I would never apply water to an ebony board myself. Do not forget to bevel the edges of your fret slots so the fret shoulder will seat all the way against the face of the fret board. The frets have a tiny radius where the tang intersects with the top that will prevent complete seating if the slot is not beveled. This also greatly reduces chipping of the slot edge when the frets are eventually pulled for replacement. I precut the frets about one quarter of an inch long and trim the excess with a small abrasive cut off wheel mounted in a rotary hobby tool. I cut the tangs first and then cut from the top to remove the overhang. Filing and sanding the ends completes the cleanup. I use a small brass faced hammer for fret installation. Once you develop proper fretting technique it is not necessary to clamp or press them in. If you fret a board when it is glued to the neck be sure to support the back of the neck when driving the frets in. I place the neck on top of a bag of fine sand. It conforms to the neck and provides the mass that is necessary to keep your hammer blows from bouncing the neck. It works better than a dead blow hammer IMHO. How deep? I cut my slots to allow about one sixteenth of an inch of clearance under the tang. Far better to have a bit to fill than to not have enough slot depth to allow the fret to seat properly. As far as filling the void beneath the tang, black epoxy works well. Some folks pack in ebony dust and apply a drop of superglue to it. Sand it flush after it has hardened. If you are going after maximum looks then it is best to undercut the fret tang before the fret is installed. That way the tang is not visible after the ends are trimmed and finished. I usually do it by marking each fret and sanding the tang away with a small sanding drum mounted in a rotary hobby tool.

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