Shop Talk

[Blues_Drive]

I just wanna know what's in your shop and how much it cost you. My shop is pretty much a bunch of pieces of wood scattered on my driveway so paint won't go to the cement and a bunch of knives and saws.........only power tools I have is a small dremel thing and a cheap electric sander that I never use.

I'm thinkin of getting tools that are most mentioned here, sooooo, yea.

[n8rofwyo]

my shop includes:

14" bandsaw

6" jointer

13" planer

10" miter saw

10" table saw

drill press

random orbit sander

palm sander

plunge/stable router

#4, #5, #6, #7, #8 hand planes

spoke shave

rasps/files

scrapers

clamps, clamps, clamps.............

chisels

good straightedge

good callipers

sanding blocks

radiusing blocks.....ya know there is absolutely no way I could acount for everything in the shop. But there is around $3000 invested in what I have already mentioned. I am a contractor by trade and tend to buy the best I can possibly get for longevity, but I doubt you would need to spend that much. Still, setting up any shop is no small investment in money, time, or space. The only thing in the list that I doubt most builders use is the miter saw, but I do use it so I put it in the list. Good luck getting set up and building the axes. Oh, and Welcome to the Forum!

Nate Robinson

[M_A_T_T]

Here's mine:

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...ndpost&p=210857

I think there's under $10,000CDN in it, invested over four years or so. Interestingly, I have more money invested in hand tools than power tools, last time I checked.

[Devon Headen]

Wow, now that's a hard one to answer. I have a little bit of everything. Except a jointer, but I've never seen the need to buy one since my tablesaw gives me glue quality joints. Probably got about a year's income in the shop, though.

[LGM Guitars]

Man, to make a list............

I've got about $55,000 invested or so, not counting inventory, probably closer to $70,000 with inventory, but it's my job so it has to be that way, sad part is, I could easily dump another 50K without buying a CNC to get it where I'd be happier.

As for tools, outside of CNC's, I've probably got it somewhere, or at least had it at one point and didn't find it useful enough.

[Blues_Drive]

haha, you guys have pretty awsome shops. I'm diggin Nate's shop the most though......it's a little closer to my price range, lol. I'm really into computer electronics and whatnot so I've got a whole mess of small screwdrivers and stuff like that. I've never really messed around with anything big. My only sources of income is allowance, poker money, money I make from the shop(which is like, a negative amount right now), and money the band makes(which is nothing, since we're in a serious lack of things like...our main guitarist doesn't have a guitar/amp). I think I make like, $120 a month as an average, but most of that either goes into my shop or into little things like slides, books, and dates(X.X the most killer thing).

My dad got some kinda table saw, so I might be able to use that.....(I'm gonna end up doing the crown molding for my house, which I've heard is super hard) Anyways, thanks for the replies so far and I'm looking forward to future replies^^

[Devon Headen]

Moulding isn't that bad if you take your time. I probably have a leg up since my father is awesome at it, but if you can build a guitar, you can put up crown moulding. Definitely gonna be easier with a miter saw.

[johnsilver]

Interestingly, I have more money invested in hand tools than power tools, last time I checked.

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SWEET!!!!

I can only dream.

[johnsilver]

My only sources of income is allowance, poker money,

At least its steady income...

our main guitarist doesn't have a guitar/amp

What kind of rig does your rythym guitar have?

My dad got some kinda table saw, so I might be able to use that

Table saws rock

Anyways, thanks for the replies so far and I'm looking forward to future replies^^

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Just kidding. Acquiring tools usually is a long term proposition. As you can tell from earlier posts, there is no such thing as enough tools. Good luck, and buy a router (or see if your dad has one).

[Blues_Drive]

uhhh, our rhythm guitarist = our main guitarist......I'm only on lead guitar when there's no drums. I use my guitar, a former strat, hooked up with a Blues Driver and then straight to a Roland Micro Cube.

I was thinkin to get a bandsaw before I got a router though. Not sure which one would be more useful in making guitars.

[jay5]

I was thinkin to get a bandsaw before I got a router though. Not sure which one would be more useful in making guitars.

You made the right choice IMO

[Mattia]

I was thinkin to get a bandsaw before I got a router though. Not sure which one would be more useful in making guitars.

You made the right choice IMO

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I respectfully disagree. While a bandsaw is surely a wonderful, fantastic, great thing to have, you don't, strictly speaking, NEED one to build guitars, electric or acoustic. A good jigsaw and a good router will do just fine until you do. I wish I had a bandsaw, but I really don't have the space for it (the money, potentially yes. The space...no. I hate it when that happens). The router is my favourite power tool, and the most used.

For tools: buy as you need them, don't invest in all of them up front. I work out of my tiny-ass student room (outdoor roof space for anything making dust), so it all pretty much needs to clear away quickly and easily. Also, means the bandsaw's a pipe dream. Not gonna happen, like, for years to come. But ya gotta build.

My 'arsenal':

4 routers (well, 3; one's on permanent loan): Bosch plunge, PC690 and a PC310 lam trimmer. Each between 100 and 150 dollars. Plunge capacity is useful for some things, but not essential, IMO.

Metabo heavy duty jig saw

B&D hand drill (used sporadically)

Cheap chinese Drill press (tuning machine holes)

Orbital sander (hand sanding is teh suck)

Dremel+StewMac router base: essential for inlay, OK for headstock binding, useless for anything else.

On to hand tools:

Japanese saws, various. Best. Saws. EVER. For any straight line cut, fine or coars, fretting, everything, can't be beat. Maybe 40 bucks total.

Hand planes: block, #4, #5, all stanley, the #5's a vintage plane, early 1900's, cost me 50 bucks incl shipping (friend of mine found it for me and shipped it out). They're out there.

Chisels: I like 'em. A few goods ones are better than many cheap ones

Specialised fretting tools: got the nippers, tang cutters from StewMac, don't regret it.

..then there's a bunch of rasps (microplane is king), a sanding drum or two, that kind of thing. I'd guess I've got maybe 1500 dollars in my current 'shop' setup, possibly as many as 2000, but not much more. I'd like more, but for now, I'll settle on having these tools, and woods stockpiled for about 30 acoustics, and most of the woods for another 6-8 electrics.

[rhoads56]

I was thinkin to get a bandsaw before I got a router though. Not sure which one would be more useful in making guitars.

You made the right choice IMO

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I respectfully disagree. While a bandsaw is surely a wonderful, fantastic, great thing to have, you don't, strictly speaking, NEED one to build guitars, electric or acoustic. A good jigsaw and a good router will do just fine until you do. I wish I had a bandsaw, but I really don't have the space for it (the money, potentially yes. The space...no. I hate it when that happens). The router is my favourite power tool, and the most used.

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What ^^^ he said.

I dont own a bandsaw, but i own eight routers.

I dont own a planer or thicknesser, but i have four hand planes.

[jay5]

I meant he made the right choice with the router over the bandsaw.

[rhoads56]

I meant he made the right choice with the router over the bandsaw.

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which isnt the decision he made....