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Most useful tool out there


Curtis P

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In your opinon, besides the router, and bandsaw, what is the most usefull tool on the market these days?

I have to say sand paper, my right arm will be bigger then arnie's by the time i take a 1 peice body blank and sand it to the right size, but it still gives you the power to do everything you have to on the guitar (since most of the building is sanding in my humble opinon)

Curtis

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all of them...

a couple of tools can do quite a few things... but compared to how well specific tools do their 1 or 2 job's.. it's hard to say... like sanpaper is great.. but a scrapper is much more efficient.. but it's not as versitile or flexible.

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all of them...

a couple of tools can do quite a few things... but compared to how well specific tools do their 1 or 2 job's.. it's hard to say... like sanpaper is great.. but a scrapper is much more efficient.. but it's not as versitile or flexible.

Very good answer Derek. My bandsaw is very useful for cutting out bodies/necks and resawing, but it can't route, or joint, or thickness.

I would say my bandsaw and stationary beltsanders are the most used tools in my shop, to answer your question Curtis.

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I would have to disagree with the CNC machine being the most useful tool. I guess you could say that it is the most useful tool, :D but who needs em? You are no longer handmaking guitars, it’s just another machine made guitar. To me, the fun of making a guitar is making it by hand, it’s also more valuable being handmade.

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I would have to disagree with the CNC machine being the most useful tool. I guess you could say that it is the most useful tool,  but who needs em? You are no longer handmaking guitars, it’s just another machine made guitar. To me, the fun of making a guitar is making it by hand, it’s also more valuable being handmade.

Give me your router and your templates and your band saw and your sander and... etc. etc. , then you can talk to me about your guitars being hand made. A cnc is just another tool. In the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing, it just makes useless dust and splinters.

Sorry I don't mean to go on a rant, it is just frustrating to me when people who obviously have no idea what is involved in making a guitar on a cnc, start going on about hand made. :D

Now I'm done and I feel much better B)

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I would have to disagree with the CNC machine being the most useful tool. I guess you could say that it is the most useful tool,  but who needs em? You are no longer handmaking guitars, it’s just another machine made guitar. To me, the fun of making a guitar is making it by hand, it’s also more valuable being handmade.

Give me your router and your templates and your band saw and your sander and... etc. etc. , then you can talk to me about your guitars being hand made. A cnc is just another tool. In the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing, it just makes useless dust and splinters.

Sorry I don't mean to go on a rant, it is just frustrating to me when people who obviously have no idea what is involved in making a guitar on a cnc, start going on about hand made. :D

Now I'm done and I feel much better B)

I did a week long work experience program through my highschool at Larrivee Guitars in Vancouver, Canada. One of the days I was there I was on one of the Fadal CNC Machines slotting and profiling a dozen or so fingerboards at a time.

All I did was stand there and press a couple buttons, watch the machine work on the fingerboards, then switch out the next dozen, and the guy that actually operated the machine sat in a chair behind me and watched...

I guess if you program the machines there's alot of work going into it.

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lol... I never had the luxury of using a CNC either, but I still think it's the most useful tool for guitar building if you had a choice. WE DON'T HAVE THAT CHOICE THOUGH... we are stuck with templates and hand held, table top routers. You did say most useful right? I think with a CNC you could do almost anything, inlays, routing, carving, cutting fret slots.. etc. Why wouldn't htat be the most useful tool anyone could have? If you won't let me vote that, then I vote Electricity!!! lol

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All I did was stand there and press a couple buttons, watch the machine work on the fingerboards, then switch out the next dozen, and the guy that actually operated the machine sat in a chair behind me and watched...

In a high production situation, as a machine operator, Lex is right on. You just stand there loading parts and pushing the start button. Typically though operators arent trained to do much more that that.

The skills I am talking about are designing, programming, and building fixtures.

lol... I never had the luxury of using a CNC either, but I still think it's the most useful tool for guitar building if you had a choice. WE DON'T HAVE THAT CHOICE THOUGH... we are stuck with templates and hand held, table top routers. You did say most useful right? I think with a CNC you could do almost anything, inlays, routing, carving, cutting fret slots.. etc. Why wouldn't htat be the most useful tool anyone could have? If you won't let me vote that, then I vote Electricity!!! lol

When I think of the possibilities for custom inlay or body carving, for the custom guitar maker, it is just endless. I know most don't have access to this equipment, I just happen to work in a place where I do, and I don't have access to alot of nice wood working tools, so cnc for me! :D

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