New tool day!

[Keven]

I just had to share my joy with you luthiers/builders here. my boss -finally- bought a belt sander for the store's repair shop.

after three years of sanding and shaping nuts and saddles by hand, it's very welcome. maybe he finally realized i wasn't being very cost efficient for a simple nut change.

that brings the question, what are other invaluable tools you guys consider handy for repair work? (I've already had a good look at the ones needed for a refret) i can probably give him a decent list of tools to make work easier and more efficient :D

[WezV]

he he.  last weekend i brought a 10x6" planer/thicknesser for £50!!!

its a £500+ tool new, the joys of collection only on ebay!!

In seriousness, i could find a way without most tools but i would be lost without a router (even though i built my first without one, even though i cut out the body with a coping saw, i would never do without a router again)

[Keven]

sweet deal. I have a guitar a customer brought me that would need a planer. it's a one piece neck. (no glued on fretboard or anything) and the guy who built the neck did a shoddy job and they're not straight.

and it's a beautiful piece of birdseye maple too. the only way to not throw this piece of wood away would be to plane the equivalent thickness of the fretboard off the neck, and stick a maple or rosewood board on it and make an entirely new fretboard.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Well done to you both
Some tools earn their keep over and over
Especially rewarding when you get them at a bargain price too.

I got lucky with a milling table and a Proxxon router/milling machine
Will also take the Bosch routers that come out of their bases POF500/600

Comes in really handy!

My bandsaw/ belt sander / drill press / milling machine/ scroll saw and Buffing wheel are all indispensible
Also inverted router tables too!

Handy tip - go to the council tip where people are throwing away their old TVs and get a TV stand- the U shaped metal frame kind that allow you to put a video DVD player under the TV.
They can be easily modified into a small router table - invaluable

[Ian Price]

In seriousness, i could find a way without most tools but i would be lost without a router (even though i built my first without one, even though i cut out the body with a coping saw, i would never do without a router again)

Just reading up on this Wez - how long did it take you to cut the body out using a coping saw? Jane's dad has a lump of wood that I am going to be getting my hands on and I fancy seeing what can be done with it - I might even do a rudimentary guitar body.

[Afghan Dave]

SPOOKY X 2!!!!

I just bought a coping saw at the £1 shop muthaf**kas!!  :P

I could call my work "Jihad Guitars" - Because it's a god almighty "struggle" to make a guitar with a Dremel & a coping saw! :lol:

[Ian Price]

SPOOKY X 2!!!!

I just bought a coping saw at the £1 shop muthaf**kas!!  :P

I could call my work "Jihad Guitars" - Because it's a god almighty "struggle" to make a guitar with a Dremel & a coping saw! :lol:

 :D :D

I'll be ordering the router that Philly recommended in the next few weeks. For some reason I do want to give making a body a go - I reckon it won;t be very good though!

[WezV]

a long time.  you will regret it as soon as you start!!

have you brought melvyn hisc--ks book - thats the best tool you can have

[Ian Price]

a long time.  you will regret it as soon as you start!!

have you brought melvyn hisc--ks book - thats the best tool you can have

yep - got the book. I use it to help me do set ups and general tinkering. I may keep an eye out for an eBay special band saw. I'm assuming a jigsaw is not recommended for cutting out a basic shape?

[Afghan Dave]

a long time.  you will regret it as soon as you start!!

have you brought melvyn hisc--ks book - thats the best tool you can have

Sorry but you're wrong...

The best tool we can have is a telephone to call you or Feline to get the job done properly. :)

[WezV]

it can be done but will need more router clean up.  I have had a bandsaw since after my first build.

i have seen people do it with a jigsaw and general they drill a series of holes around the edge (er, so thats a drill press too) first because other wise you wont make it around the first corner without breaking the blade

it needs more router clean-up and also makes it more likely to get tear out.  but if you go slow at each stage and choose and easy to work wood it will work

[Ian Price]

I'm gonna give it some thought - if I'm still seriously thinking about it in a few weeks I may look out for a S/H bandsaw. As far as wood goes I will probably go for something other than Alder or Ash. I was thinking Korina or Mahogany but being a novice I have no idea what is easiest to work with. I have quite a lot of sh!t pieces of wood in my garage that I can practice cutting curves etc with so that, fingers crossed, should make it easier (in theory) when it comes to the actual piece of wood I want to use.

[WezV]

quick look on ebay - i have one of these and it is fine for cutting out bodies. 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/190mm-CLARKE-BANDSAW_W0QQitemZ260537989663QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM?hash=item3ca9463a1f

basic and about the minimum size you can get away with, but sturdy and easy to maintain.

[Ian Price]

Cheers Wez!

[HTH AMPS]

The best money I ever spent was probably on my Fluke175 DMM - had it for around 7 years now and not one problem.  Before that I blew up around half a dozen DMMs priced at an average of £40.00 each.  Cheap DMMs are false economy.