Official Luthiers Forum!

I spend most of my free time reading these forums and doing general guitar research(that is if im not playing guitar). i received a small order From Rockler friday a hand saw, chisels, honing guide, and sand paper to hone with. i just finished tossing my shop together and building my bench so i have a space to start working in. today was the first day i started to make saw dust. Now im not starting my first guitar just yet i figured it would be better to reacquaint myself with tools i havent used in many years. After sharpening two plane irons, (even tho Rockler sent me some wrong sand paper the 800 and 2000 grits both didnt have an adhesive backing) I had some tongue and groove mahogany sitting around so i worked it into some boards i can build a drawer for my measurement tools calipers and such. I am trying to brush up and learn some new skills so i am better equipped to start my first guitar. I have a few more orders to place from tools, materials, and hardware. I am going to order a router and jig saw very soon, i am planning to build a bookshelf storage unit for my shop when i get those in with some pine i have. I was wondering if you guys have any ideas pertaining to something i should build that would help hone my skills and result in something useful for my shop that im building from the ground up? whether its a jig or general storage or anything else any suggestions are welcome and thank you for your time.

Thanks, Mike

P.S. i couldn't get myself to toss out the mahogany ribbons on my shop floor, is that a syndrome?

Hey Mike:
How about a bench hook, and a shooting board for joining tops and backs.
Look around there's some good jigs for holding plates for glue up.
A good practice would be to make up some necks. cutting of a section and flipping it around for the head
is easier said than done.
I cut my fret slots by hand. A good mitre box would come in handy.
Bill

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the madness. I wouldn’t worry too much about hanging on to the mahogany shavings being a syndrome, although your local fire marshal may have some concerns. Now, spending all your free time reading the forum and researching guitar building…THAT may be of some concern from a mental health standpoint! If you find a cure for it, please let me know what it is. Please…

I can’t help you with planning and organizing your shop as I don’t have one yet. I’ve been storing my tools, parts and supplies in a “guest room” and using the kitchen counter as a workbench. My wife is a saint! My goal this weekend, is to finish some household projects that will allow me to clear out a room in the basement and move my guitar building stuff into it, and out of the guest room, which will permit life on the main level of our household to return to “normal”.

Long story short, I have the same questions you do and am very interested to hear what others have to say. Welcome to the forum.

Charlie

whats a bench hook?:(
even though I plan on building hollow arch top electrics i will need a shooting board. i wish i had one now for putting a straight edge on the wood im building the drawer with. i just set it on some blocks parallel to my bench top, that was my attempt at a shooting board for now and it worked just fine. so that's on the list thanks. scarf joints don't sound easy seeing how ill be using mainly hand tools making a cut like that is hard!! but i now have a sharp block plane to clean it up. one thing i dont have is a vise, i might end up buying one if i get sick of clamping my work down with C clamps.

thanks, mike

hey Todd i watched your youtube videos thank you. Yeah i didn't buy the spray adhesive because i got the paper with the tacky backing, well that's what i ordered and that's what mainly came they just messed up when packing. i guess i might as well just buy normal paper like you say and use the spray adhesive seeing how there are other uses for the spray.

thank you very much, I went and found your shooting board thread also hehe sure beats clamping everything down and marking everything to make a square cut. Plywood is something i just don't have around, not sure why seeing how useful it is. Guess ill grab some plywood and MDF.

thanks, mike