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Cheap Tools For Beginners


Pott

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Well as you guessed, I want to get started with building guitars and some of its components.

The first try I will do will be a 16" radius maple fingerboard. Then I'll try and build my own neck without inlays, and then hopefully a bound, inlayed neck.

I am also planning on getting started on fretting as son as I can.

So I was thinking of buying:

Stew Mac's fretting kit

One of Stew Mac's radiused maple fretboard

a 16" and a 12" radius block (for later one when I will want to do compound radius

frets (mhmm duh)

Wood glue

Right now, what matters is what I'd need for the first project only, but I'm also looking for suggestions on what I'd need to build my own neck.

If you can think of any tools I may need aside from those I mentioned, I'd be more than happy :D Thanks!

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When I glue a fretboard on, I use 3 c clamps max. I put padded cauls on the back of the neck so it doesn't get marred by the clamp and then I put a perfectly straight piece of 2x4, wrapped in fabric, on top of the fretboard so pressure is evenly distributed. That method has never given me any trouble.

neckglue.jpg.xs.jpg

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Pott I'd highly recommend getting the StewMac Basic Fretting DVD. It's hugely informative and Dan Erlewin shows the how-to's using simple easily available and inexpensive tools and the way neat cool tools offered by StewMac.

This will give you a lot of understanding into what is needed to do the job AND how to do it! Very cool...well worth it!

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Well I have his 2 books already and there's a 100 pages book coming with the fretting kit. You think the DVD is still worth it with all that? Is is that good?

I'm not being sarcastic when saying what do you think would be a better learning aid, reading it in a book or watching someone actually do it while explaining themselves? I would also think the tools you believe you need will likely change after watching the video a few times. Mine did!

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To actually make the neck you'd need a saw, like a bandsaw, to cut it out, a router for the truss rod, clamps, as stated, though I use about as many as I can fit, a drillpress for accurate tuning machine holes, some combination of a spoke shave/rasps/files/sanding drum for shaping the neck. You'd need a jointer and maybe a planer, or even handplanes, if you want to surface the wood yourself. Then theres all your fretting tools.

You should check the pinned thread about guitar building tools at the top of this section.

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Damn... That's a lot of money for a student... Are there cheap alternatives or just cheap versions of the tools you mentioned?

I did check the thread pinned. The first link on it doesn't work though.

I guess a decent bandsaw would be about 200 bucks, a router maybe 500? drillpress... eh no idea about that, but shouldn't be too expensive I guess.

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Damn... That's a lot of money for a student... Are there cheap alternatives or just cheap versions of the tools you mentioned?

I did check the thread pinned. The first link on it doesn't work though.

I guess a decent bandsaw would be about 200 bucks, a router maybe 500? drillpress... eh no idea about that, but shouldn't be too expensive I guess.

I'm sorry you must be confused, were you under the belief that building guitars is inexpensive? It's certainly cheaper to just go buy one! :D

Keep in mind the tools mentioned are also completely applicable to building bodies as well. 500 for a router is close to double what you'll actually need to spend.

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Nah I knew it'd be expensive don't worry, I'm not that much of a n00b :D I just had a big misconceptions about tool prices it seems. A router seems to be under 100 bucks. I thought they'd be way more than that. I'll have a better look at prices. I was just way out of it, sorry about that hehe...

Any special sizes I should need, or sizes to avoid and such? I know just about nothing about it all.

Edited by Pott
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Any special sizes I should need, or sizes to avoid and such? I know just about nothing about it all.

The rule is no less than about 2hp for a router, 12" for the bandsaw and piller drill. Specific's beyond that would solicit a riot, well at least a debate. People have very personal reasons why they favor the tools they use so hopefully some more will chime in on that.

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I'll probably just buy what I can afford to buy and what I'd feel comfortable and safe using. I'd probably use it a lot at first to **** up as much as I can while learning and then once or twice for the 'real' projects anyway :D

Ahhh D'OH! I found the link that didn't work has been reposted. Me and my big mouth, I should have looked more first. Thanks for all the help!

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My opinion only, but one of the most useful hand tools is a pattermakers rasp.

This is a hand file that has a flat side and a rounded side and the teeth are irregular so that you don't cut the parallel chatter grooves that a metal file will give you.

Nicholson makes two sizes. I think that they are No.s 49 and 50.

Mine are thirty years old or so and because I don't abuse them still cut like crazy.

I saw some on a woodworkers site the other day and I think that they are about $50 or so, but I find mine absolutely indespensible for shaping.

For a router, Porter Cable makes a kit with a straight and plunge base in a nifty carrying case for about $200. I picked up one and it had a free edge guide thrown in. It's right at a horse and seven eights.

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I just got a Nicholson 8" half-round double cut bastard file yesterday. Very nice. :D

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I'll see if I can find this here (the Netherlands/Scotland). We have a big DIY shop over in Edinburgh, they should have this stuff.

How about a dremel? Is a router basically a vertical dremel? Would it then be possible to get a dremel and a special base for it?

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I'll see if I can find this here (the Netherlands/Scotland). We have a big DIY shop over in Edinburgh, they should have this stuff.

How about a dremel? Is a router basically a vertical dremel? Would it then be possible to get a dremel and a special base for it?

A dremel would be too weak for routing the trussrod cavity - I purchased a router for £45 on ebay, it takes 1/5, 1/4, and 3/8 size bits, and that has been great for me so far.

The router is probably the most useful too you can get, you can make simple jigs to use it as a jointer and planer or you can add a drum-sanding bit to use as a bobbin/spindle sander.

If you buy a bandsaw, I can recommend a 10" SIP model that I purchased, at first I thought it would be too small, but so far it's been great, i've cut a number of bodies out of 45mm mahogany and re-sawn laminates with it aswell and has been a breeze to use. It only cost £130.

However, you can get by without any of these power-tools if you have the patience. You can use chisels instead of the router, a good handsaw instead of the bandsaw, and planes to create straight-edges, but these require a lot more time and patience and skill.

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The rule is no less than about 2hp for a router, 12" for the bandsaw and piller drill.

i use 2 routers...a cheapo harbor freight ($20) 1 hp that came with an edge guide(for routing the truss rod channel),and a ryobi 1 3/4 hp router for everything else(i think it was about $60)

they both work fine,bit of course the bigger one works better and it has better height adjustment.

i also use a 9" bandsaw($100) for cutting everything...12" would be better of course...i have to get a little inventive to cut some things.what you should really look for in a bandsaw is a 4" cutting height(3 7/8" is acceptable for most headstocks in width.)

if you use templates and a router to get your final shape,you can have good luck with a simple jigsaw and proper blades.

i built my first guitar witha jigsaw,sandpaper,and a dremel,but i bought the neck thru blank from carvin...for $200 it was just a steal.

when i started building necks is when i bought the bandsaw and router with edge guide(my $20 router burned up the other day...but i think it was worth the money...i made 4? guitars with it over 2 years...i think it would have lasted longer but i kept leaving it out in a damp garage...for about $35 harbor freight used to have a 2hp router with an ege guide...you NEED that edge guide....it is awesome.

browse through harbor freight...they have bar clamps at around 3/$10...great price on very good clamps...i would suggest getting 6 of them(best $20 you will ever spend)

i also have the spool clamps from stewmac...i have 12 of them and i use them all...they work really well for tops and to clamp preradiused fretboard edges(clamp the middle of the fretboard first as garehanman suggested,but instead of a 2 by 4 i use a 1 1/2"" wide,2" thick piece of maple...so that i have room on the edges for the spool clamps...i also use tiny finishing nails (outside of the untapered fretboard) to keep it from moving when i glue...i position the board dry,put in the finishing nails around the edge,and then i glue and clamp...i do all the shapinng afterward.alot of people do it differently...and i have done it with the board already tapered,but i did not prefer it.

IM000064.JPG

this picture i only used 3 finishing nails...on the side of theboard farthest away in the picture and at the end (bridge end) where the tiny hole will be gone when i rout for the neck pickup..

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For my first guitar I want to do that too. A neck thru blank and build the body around it. Maybe I'll do this before building the neck after all...?

Hehe harbor freight... American store? I'd have troubles finding this here :D I'll see what they have around though :D

Good idea about the nails for sure. I'll keep that tip in mind, and thanks!

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Ahh nice!

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=37793 would this be a good investement? It's not the cheapest, nor the most expensive...Seems to me that it has everything I'd need :D

yeah that is what i have,only bigger.(no jokes please :D )

notice the edge guide?what you do is rout the truss rod channel before you taper the neck...using the straight side of the blank to run the edge guide along.it makes a perfectly straight channel

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