Birthday present to myself - recommendations needed

[Mikey R]

Hi everyone,

Im quite new here but I really like some of the responses and recommendations other people have got to similar questions so I thought Id ask myself too!

So this year is the big Three-Oh, and I want to get myself some tools that will stay with me for another thirty years.

Im mostly interested in building solid body bass guitars - Ive nearly finished my first and Im hooked. The bit that I enjoy the most is the carving of the neck and body, so Id like to replace my Record shaves and Footprint rasp with Veritas and Auriou tools.

I'll start with the flat Vertas shave for roughing out:

Then move on to the Auriou rasp. Im thinking of going for a 12" 12 grain rasp. Ive heard they are quite agressive so Im going for a nice fine one:

But, when I get my shed sorted out, Id also like to have a go at building some acoustic stringed instruments. As there are a few luthiers on the forum, I wonder if any of you could recommend some other tools?

However, I dont want to limit what I get to just intrument building, as Mrs R has given me a list of furniture for the house to be getting on with

Also on the list is the Pax guitar saw for cutting the fret slots - this has a kerf the same width as the fret wire, and replaces my modified (ahem) crown gents saw.

Ive not yet set myself a budget, so all suggestions welcome!

p.s. Clasic Hand Tools have a 10% off on Veritas and Auriou this month

 

[Ironballs]

Mike - only on my first guitar but I would have been lost without my Ibex luthier planes, very useful

 

[Mikey R]

Mike - only on my first guitar but I would have been lost without my Ibex luthier planes, very useful

Thanks! Ive been thining of making a mandolin at some point, so those would be really useful. But Ive also seen plans for making thumb planes from wood, which also seemed like fun...

 

[wizer]

2 of those are my most favourite tools. Rasps and Spokeshaves. I have a weird obsession with shaping wood and those are the tools to have.

Happy birthday. It's my three-oh this year and I'm still undecided what I really want. I'm now thinking I'd like my workshop completely renovated.

 

[xy mosian]

Hi mikey,

I could not pass up the oportunity to perhaps answer one of your questions.

"But, when I get my shed sorted out, Id also like to have a go at building some acoustic stringed instruments. As there are a few luthiers on the forum, I wonder if any of you could recommend some other tools?"

I made this thirty years ago

It is a copy/replica of a Lute by Hans Gerle c.1595. I am somewhat suprised that it is still in one piece. It weighs only 480g!
As for tools used. The back, neck and pegbox were cut from 50mm native Sycamore using a Burgess BBS 20 three wheel table top bandsaw, the ribs for the back being cut to 2mm over a length of 650mm. Neck shaping was done with a Stanley, metal, spokeshave. The Sitka spruce belly was bought in at 3mm and redued to an overall thickness of between 1.5mm and 1.8mm with a 14" Stanley plane. The rose was pierced with a Swann Morton scalpel. Other tools which I am sure were used would have been no more exotic than and assortment of Stanley bevel edged chisels and a few twist drills. Oh I nearly forgot the ribs, for the back, were bent over a length of exhaust pipe heated on the gas cooker; the pegs were turned, from Beech, by being held in the jaws of a power drill chuck.

I suppose the point of all this is my feeling that you perhaps do not need and 'special' tools to make something like this. All you need is passion and drive.

There are two or three more images of this instrument on Photobucket, just trawl for xymosian.

xy

 

[Mikey R]

I suppose the point of all this is my feeling that you perhaps do not need and 'special' tools to make something like this. All you need is passion and drive.

Hi xy, thats a really beautiful instrument! Playing something youve made yourself is so satisfying!

I agree that no amount of tools can make up for a lack of passion. But using fine tools just makes the job so much more fun. Replacing my brand new Record #04 for an old Stanley #4 made such a difference, I just suddenly enjoyed every smoothing job rather than finding excuses to find another job. Then I got a good #7, since then Ive started learning to joint wood properly and its so fun. The same with ripping boards with a good ripsaw rather than a tired old hardpoint.

Just to give some context, heres my first instrument a while ago, before really starting with the rasp and shave:

Heres where I was last week after the first few stages of carving the body with spokeshave, rasp and scraper:

Still a way to go

 

[Mikey R]

Ok, following recommendations from another thread, and as my birthdays not till August, this month I may go for a set of the rasps from Workshop Heaven and make my own handles. If they do the job well then I'll put off buying the Auriou till another time.

The Veritas flat shave is still on the list, and I might get the convex shave to go with it. These will be my first good quality new tools, all my other tools are either second hand and excelent or brand new and rubbish.

I may not be moving for some time, so wont be getting a decent 'shop set up for the forseeable future. This means buying handplanes would be useless as I wont have a good bench to use them on.

 

[xy mosian]

Hi Mikey,

Thanks for your comments about my Lute. You are quite right, playing a self-made instrument, or at least trying, is very satisfying.

Your own electric guitar seems to be coming along nicely. What finish do you intend using? I do not have spraying facilities, and short of french polishing I am generally somewhat dissatisfied with finishes. At one time I used a local spray polisher but he never quite managed to produce the finish I asked for. There was always a good reason why not of course.

I agree entirely about the satisfaction gained from using very good and well set up tools. Sometimes however it is easy to put off a job because we do not have "just the right tool". Still it all adds to the fun doesn't it?

Have fun,

xy

 

[Mikey R]

Hi Xy,

I see youre in WY, have you been into the Early Music Shop in Salts Mill? I was interested in playing a lute, so I popped in, but of course all the gut strings were out of tune (not like roundwound steel, which stay in tune for days ) so I didnt get a chance to play one properly (my tuning skills being more embarassing than my playing) I did have a go on a viol, and now one of those is also on the luthiery todo / wish list...

I havent given much thought to the finish. Right now, I just want something quick and easy, so my choices are either 1) General Finishes wipe on poly varnish or 2) Chestnut acrylic laquer. Both are water based so dont need messy clearing up, which is important for me. Either one would be a satin finish, so a few thin coats dulled down with wire wool.

Back to the list, I totally forgot about a good router plane! Im going to add the Veritas small router onto the list.

And maybe a couple of Ashley Iles gouges and a toothed blockplane iron.

 

[xy mosian]

Hi mike,

Yes I live on the ouskirts of beautiful Bradford. I have not had oportunity to visit the Early Music Shop in its present location, although I was a regular visitor when it first started in the centre of town and visited less when it moved to its last location. I am not a practising luthier and so have little need for the supplies that can be found there. Back in the seventies, last century, I was heavily involved in the 'Early Music' scene vocally and tried my hand at Lute building in an attempt to accompany myself. Trouble is I was never good enough as a player. Of course back then many a good lute was strung with nylon as gut was expensive to obtain, but it did mean that instruments held their tuning better. I see you are thinking of a viol, you will definately need fancy planes for the curved bits, but I cannot help wondering what the 17th century makers used.

If you are serious about getting involved in making older style instruments, then I can recommend Northern Renaissance Instruments in Manchester, Eph Segermann gave me a great deal of very helpful advice when I was building, and supplied the Sitka Spruce I used for soundboards. Another good source of information was the Fellowship Of Makers and Restorers of Historical Instruments, known as FoMRHI, I see they have a web site and may still provide lots of food for thought.

Circumstances and interests change and I have rather drifted from that environment, but still retain a passing interest. Interestingly taking my Lute out to take the images above, I could not help tuning it up to see if I had improved...no. Still next time I am faced with a long blank evening, who knows. If you think my experience or thoughts may be of help in any way then email me as I suspect we're getting a bit off topic.

xy

 

[Mikey R]

My new Veritas spokeshave arrived on Friday, I wasnt expecting it till some time next week!

Comparing it to my Record shave, Im am totally impressed with how well this tool is made.

First thing that I noticed was that, even without shims, the mouth is quite tight (there are a couple of shims included in the box). The mouth is also nicely machined with no rough edges to file down.

Then I noticed how smoothly the blade is to adjust - I dont know if its the use of brass, or if the threads are just nicely cut, but its just so smooth

Taking out the blade, you see that the bed is machined flat and is bare metal - unlike the Record, which is lumpy and japanned. The blade is honed ready go out of the box.

So I put the blade back in again and tried it on a small piece of scrap spruce. Spruce is soft so it cut easily, but the tool is very nicely weighted, it feels nice to use. Would be very nice for making paddles or boat spars.

I had some fine adjustments to make on my guitar neck, and it worked well enough. Again, the wood is fairly soft, its dark birch, so not a very good workout.

Next chance I get, I'll give it a try on some ash or hard maple to see how it copes with a harder wood.

I see you are thinking of a viol, you will definately need fancy planes for the curved bits, but I cannot help wondering what the 17th century makers used.

If you are serious about getting involved in making older style instruments, then I can recommend Northern Renaissance Instruments in Manchester, Eph Segermann gave me a great deal of very helpful advice when I was building, and supplied the Sitka Spruce I used for soundboards. Another good source of information was the Fellowship Of Makers and Restorers of Historical Instruments, known as FoMRHI, I see they have a web site and may still provide lots of food for thought.

Thanks xy! Right now, solidbody instruments are easily enough to keep me busy for a while, but I'd love to build a few acoustic instruments just for the experience.

 

[Ironballs]

I've used mine on flame maple and it works beautifully, it has to be one of my favourite tools as it works that well

 

[Mikey R]

I've used mine on flame maple and it works beautifully, it has to be one of my favourite tools as it works that well

Cheers IB, Ive avoided flamed maple as I managed to chip my first attempt very badly, but that was before I had any good tools and a good set of sharpening stones.