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So I spend an hour this morning cleaning my shop Dumping cyclone chips, cleaning air filters, sweeping floors, re-arranging organizing and such. Makes you feel good to work in a clean shop. It's more productive too. Of course by the end of the day I'd destroyed it all. So I suppose I'll spend tomorrow morning cleaning again. Ahh well. I did get a couple jigs made today, and wrote a little article.

Speaking of Jigs and such is it just me or does anyone else, when they go to build a jig, just have an idea in their head and then make it without actually putting it down on paper first... I normally just stumble my way through it. So when it's all said and done there are probably much easier ways to do get the same thing done I like the process of creating on the fly. I winged these two jigs today. One is a holder for the body, and one is a jig for cutting the end graft. Gotta make a couple more tomorrow. Ordered 4 new routers too cause I'm tired of setting back up routers for different jobs. Thought I might as well make a few new jigs to compliment the new routers I'm getting.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Well that's pretty nice John! The two slots in from the sides, are they Just guides? Do you use a bushing or pattern bit?

The slots with the knock down bolts are just there to keep the back piece of wood connected to the top, but yes they need to slide with the wood. If not the top would raise up, and it would not stay still. Probably a better way I'm sure, but this works and I just did it on the fly so no real thought process involved! Not that that is much different from the norm... Now if you mean the chunks taken out on the edge that is just there to facilitate the knobs clearance.

and I'm using a bushing so the wedge is slightly oversize.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

For winging it, you did pretty good there John!
One more jig I need to build.

Joe

That's exactly the way I build all mine. I just start with an idea in my head and as I build I realize "Well that won't work" so I modify and after a lot of trial and error I've got a decent fixture.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I could draw a nice neat (straight edge on graph paper) plan, but I don't. However, I ALWAYS draw a plan. A hand pencil (I erase a lot) sketch showing the plan, front elevation, and side elevation with dimensions on the pieces. This forces me to think through the needs and see the problems and fix most of them before they occur (including what parts are needed in advance). During the building I may make some changes to further improve what I may have missed in the thinking/design stage, but few changes are usually needed since I've thought it through.

In my career, Project Management, it would be impossible (I hate the use that word, impossible, but it is true) to do a project without plans. Of course, the projects are much more complicated that jigs. But the principle is the same. Projects with good planning ALWAYS come in better (functionally, quality, cost, and schedule wise) than projects with poor plans. Projects with no plans don't exist at all in my daily work living.

Not preaching here, but putting down a plan on paper or on the screen is, IMHO, obviously better than not. Skipping this step would be to my detriment.

Ed

If the jig is more than something very simple I will usually do a sketch. I almost always keep part of one of my benches covered with the freezer paper that has a plastic coating on one side. The plastic side goes down, ends are secured with masking tape. This is where I do things like glue ups and putting on shellac. The paper keeps the bench from getting messed up and makes a great place to write down temporary measurements or do quick sketches. I've cut a few out and kept them in my shop notebook when I thought they were worth saving.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

John,

Good to see you posting here again!

I wing it too, most of the time, for simple ones. Without a lot of investment in design time, I find it easier to toss version 1 if it doesn't work so great, and build version 2. You can anticipate what's needed only so much without actually using the thing and seeing what's wrong with it.

Good article too.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

One more vote for wing it. I like the process of seeing the object take shape as I build it.

Chuck

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"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong"
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

John ya done good sir! That's a sweet looking rig and I'll bet it works just like you expected! I've been building jigs now for 30+ years and have yet to actually put one down on paper. Glad to see you getting active in here once again! Now if I could just find more time.......I know I left it somewhere (time that is)!

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Found myself in that position many times bro. Spend 1/2 day cutting and routing and then 2 days cleaning. It seems everytime I think had shop settled how wanted setup, after a few builds had to rearrange again. I could spend more time rearranging things, building benches and jigs than actual work at times.

Nice setup with the jigs John. Big difference than the old setup, which by the way I still use those routing templates you gave me.