Hand Tools

• Precision measurement tools. I have a vernier caliper and could not build guitars without it. I suggest you get one (or a dial caliper) and learn to use it. Spend some money here because accuracy is vital. Also get a good six inch machinist's rule - one with laser etched graduations. Also get a good tape measure. You won't need a 30 footer, but a good 6 foot tape is extremely handy. Especially one with both English and Metric scales. Sometimes those pesky 64ths are hard to read, whereas the millimeters are easir to deal with. Also get a good pair of dividers. They're very handy in a lot of operations. You're going to be finding the centerlines of everything on the guitar and the dividers help a lot.

  A digital caliper is next on my list. This one looks promising: It is inexpensive and made by General Tools who make a wide array of measuring tools many of which I either own or have owned in the past. Digital Caliper

  This Incra-Rule would help out greatly in laying out the neck (nut slot, body joint, etc.). I use an Incra-Jig in my woodworking and can attest to the intense accuracy of their tools. Incra IRSET18 18" Marking Rule Set

• Headband magnifier. Get one. You'll need it for detail work involving inlay and purfling mitering. If it looks good at 2X magnification, then it will really look good to the naked eye. This one comes immediately to mind.

• Chisels. You'll need a good set of chisels - preferrably the longer paring chisels. My main set of chisels is this one. My wife gave them to me for Valentines day many years ago and they have served me very well. They take and hold a scary-sharp edge. I recently acquired a 3/4" Japanese paring chisel. It's 14" long and the shaft has a gentle curve to it before it turns into blade. It was expensive - $80, but worth it. I'll wear it out. You'll need chisels for carving the necks, braces, excavating headstock slots (should you decide to build a slotted heasdstock), truing binding ledges, inlaying the end grafts, shaping back graft braces, and for many other operations. If you can only afford a few chisels, then I suggest a 1/4", a 3/4" and a 1". There will be more on the chisels later.

• Hand Planes. You'll need a block plane and at least a small finger plane. The small finger planes can get awfully pricey. I found an excellent mini-plane at Home Depot for 6 dollars. The sole was relatively flat. The blade was very dull. An hour after I had it in my shop, the sole was trued perfectly and the blade could shave you. I use it for shaping braces and taking binding down to the surrounding wood. A block plane will come in very handy when shaping necks and fingerboards. Get one, and learn how to use it properly. This is the one I use. It is a Record, and a very well-built tool. You'll also need to learn how to sharpen the iron and true the sole. I'll have more on these issues later on.

• Cabinet scraper. Get one. Learn to sharpen it, and learn to use it. You just cannot build a guitar without one. Well, I suppose you could, but it would be very difficult. The scraper is used to level binding, tweak top thicknesses, level inlays, neck shaping, and even leveling finish flaws.

• Spokeshaves. I use a little brass set that I got from one of the woodworking catalogs. These are extremely handy for shaping the neck. These little mini's are great and they only cost $16 or so for the set of three. One has a flat sole, one has a sole which is curved in one direction, and one has a sole which is curved in two directions. I also use an inexpensive larger spokeshave for neck contouring in the rough stage. With a little tweaking this spokeshave can be made to perform very well. Again, a razor-sharp blade is mandatory. Here is a shot of an old spokeshave I picked up in an antique shop in Vermont. Here is a shot of a new one that was tweaked into great shape by flattening the sole and putting a razor-sharp edge on the blade. This is the one in the store link above.

• Exacto-knives. Get at least one and get a few million #11 blades. You'll see why when you realize you need one. I use them for a wide array of things, but they're mostly utilitarian. They come in very handy when installing binding and doing inlay.

• Razor-saws. I have an Exacto and a Japanese pull saw. Both are very handy for cutting binding, installing end grafts, even shaping necks. I use the Japanese pull saw for trimming fingerboards to length. You'll also want to pick up the little aluminum miter box for the Exacto saw.

• Coping saws. I use a standard coping saw for roughing in the shape of my headstocks and I use a smaller coping saw, called a jeweler's saw, for cutting pearl and abalone when doing inlay.

• Clamps. Here's the kicker. You will never have enough clamps. You'll need at least eight hundred clamps. Then, you'll end up needing eight hundred and one. I suggest marrying someone whose father owns a clamp factory. You'll need clamps you never even heard of. A good selection to start with would be a dozen or so wooden jawed cam clamps, at least two of which can reach the bridge from the soundhole. I also use pipe clamps to clamp tops and backs together, although I have an alternative wedging method which works well. You'll need several small c-clamps or the equivalent. I like those little mini Quick-grip type clamps. I use 4" c-clamps to hold my workboard to my work bench. I use every clamp I own plus all the ones my neighbors own. Just stock up on them. Never pass one up. When you're asked what you want for Christmas or your birthday - tell them clamps. You're the clamp master of the universe.

  Here's a cool clamp that's cheap, easy, and very handy (like me!) Quick-Grip 59200CD Handi-Clamp

• Wood rasp. Get a half-round rasp. This is used in shaping the necks. You can do without it, but it's much easier and quicker if you have one.

• Jeweler's files. You'll need these for shaping pearl for inlay, truing binding and purfling ledges, shaping fret ends, and where ever else you need to file something small.

• 16" mill bastard file. You'll need this for leveling frets once you tap them in with the hammer you'll need to get. The hammer is either a plastic ended hammer - you know those ones where you can unscrew the ends? Or, an autobody hammer - the little ones with the wide flat square end.

• Clamps. Did I mention clamps?

• Drill Bits. Get a good set of brad-point bits and use them for nothing else. Don't go drilling metal with them. These Freud bits are a great buy. Freud makes great tools.

• Bits for the Dremel. Get good solid carbide bits. Get them from Stewart MacDonald. They're indispensible and you cannot do inlay or binding without them. Also, when you go to the dentist, ask him for some dental burrs that he doesn't want anymore. When they're too dull for teeth, they're perfect for wood. These are perfect for inlay. The dentist throws them away. Ask him and he'll probably give them to you.

• Router bits for the laminate trimmer/drill press. That's right - I said router bits for the drill press. You'll use a 1/8" carbide downcutter for routing out the saddle slot if you decide to do this operation on the drill press. If you want to do it with a Dremel, then you'll need a $125 jig from Stew-Mac. I prefer the drill press method. More on this later. If you decide to use a laminate trimmer for doing your binding then get the correct bits. As of this writing, I use a Dremel for binding, but am leaning heavily towards the laminate trimmer. They have more power and I think will prove superior to the Dremel for this task. I love Porter Cable tools so I'd probably get this one for myself.

• If you opt to use a Dremel for your binding, then you'll want to get the router base and edge guide from Stew-Mac. Can't do without them.

• Respirator Mask. This is necessary if you spray laquer. It is also a must when you cut pearl and abalone. The dust from these materials wants to kill you. I use this 3M respirator when spraying or doing a lot of sanding. It is a necessity and I get in trouble if I get caught not using it when I should be.

Home Made Tools

• Side Bender. This is a tool that you will use and love. It makes bending sides very simple, and allows you to reproduce body shapes for consistency in production. Here are a few shots of the bender. This one shows the entire unit. This one shows how the slat is held once the side is fully bent. The bolt goes through the slot and the wingnut is tightened down. This is done after the side is fully bent. And this one shows the little peek-hole so you can tell when to stop compressing the waist.

• Hot Pipe. Useful for touching up bends made on the bender or for doing all you bending should you opt to use this method. Personally, I prefer the side bender.

• Construction molds. Some people prefer to build freehand on a workboard. I like using a mold better. They have definite advantages. Here is a simple one I made for my 00 size guitar.

• Circle Jig for cutting rosette channels and soundholes. I made this one from scraps of 1/4" plex I had laying around. Here it is in use. The screw is epoxied into the base which is countersunk for the screw's tapered head. The base also has a 1/4" hole drilled into it about an inch from the screw. Place a 1/4" drill bit or dowel in this hole, and then through the hole in your top and down into yet another hole in your workboard. Adjust the diameter of the circle by sliding the top part of the jig. It's self explanatory by looking at the pictures. The wooden support for the flex-shaft has a groove cut into it to stabilize the bit holder. I pass this through a piece of plastic tubing to protect it from the hose clamp. The whole arrangement is flexibile enough to allow me to lift up the end to remove the bit from the work. I lift up on it, then turn on the Dremel and allow the bit to contact my work. It's all very simple and fast. Better yet, it was free! My kind of tool! Rosette inlaid using the circle cutter.

• Holder for the Dremel's flex shaft for doing inlay. This is a very cool little jig and makes routing out inlay pockets a breeze.

• Jig for thicknessing binding and shaping bridges. Basically and adjustable fence you use on your drill press with a drum sander.

• Sanding blocks. All sorts of sanding bloks. You'll figure out when you need one. Rubber, cork lined wood, wood, plastic - anything you can get your hands on and turn into a sanding block. PVC pipe, radiator hose - all very useful for sanding.

• Fingerboard radius sanding plane. Make one for next to nothing, or spend over $100 on one from LMI. Your choice. I'll show you mine and explain how I made them later on.

• Fret beveling block. This is just a hunk of 2x4 with a kerf cut into it at a 45 degree angle. You stick a file in the kerf and run it down the edges of the frets to bevel them all to 45 degrees.

• Go-Bar clamping system. An ancient Chinese clamping method that you will use to clamp on braces and tops. Make your own for next to nothing or spend a fortune from LMI or Stew-Mac. Again - your choice. I'll show you some pices and explain their use later on.

• Radius dishes. You'll need two of these - one at 25' and the other at 15'. They are used for sanding the ribs to accept the arched top and back plates. They are also used as a base upon which the plates lie while you clamp the braces down with the Go-Bars. These are fairly easy to make. I'll explain how later. Or you can buy them for about $150 a set from LMI - not a bad alternative if you don't feel up to the task of making them.

• Shooting Board. This is a simple jig you use for jointing the edges of your tops and backs. Easy to make and you can also use it if you decide to use the wedging method of joining the plates. The shooting board is used with a hand plane or sandpaper plane to get the edges perfectly mated for glueing.

• Neck Carving jig. This isn't so much a jig as it is a fixture. You clamp your neck to it for carving. Simple to make and a must-have item.

• Saddle routing jig for the drill press. Simple to make and essential if you want to rout the saddle slots on the drill press. This jig can save you lots of headaches. In this picture you'll see that my version of the jig has a straight piece attached to the front of the jig. You don't need this piece. It's on mine so I can index it on my CNC machine. The base of the jig is a rectangular piece. The rest is self-explanatory. Use double-sided tape to keep the bridge from moving. Clamp a fence to your drillpress so that the bit is in the correct position, and slowly lower the quill till you are making about 1/16" deep cut. Slide the jig till the slot is long enough. You can put stops along the fence to limit the travel in either direction. Make several passes and be careful! THis method works great but you can't rush it.

Back