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The router is one of the most versatile tools in a luthier's arsenal. It can also represent a decent chunk of your tool budget, so making a good choice is critical. Having sampled a few different routers over the last several years, I've gotten a fair idea of what works well and what doesn't. From the Festool OF1400EQ (unibody with perpendicular handle - amazing quality, ridiculously expensive) to the Bosch 1617EVSPK (removable motor with fixed and plunge bases - middling quality and price, miserable plunge depth stop), there is no shortage of candidates out there. While researching possible p

The Free-Way Switch is a unique take on the traditional 3-position toggle switch manufactured in the UK in by switchgear specialists NSF Controls Ltd. The switch first made its debut fitted to one of Jimmy Page's Les Paul® Custom model in late 2007 for Led Zeppelin's Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, allowing the three humbucker-equipped instrument to achieve six individual pickup combinations using an ingenious traverse toggle mechanism. By flicking the actuator perpendicular to its normal direction of travel an extra 3 positions become available to the player, doubling the tonal permutations of

The Floyd Rose Original (commonly abbreviated "OFR" for historical reasons) tremolo system blew open the doors to loud electric guitar-based music in the early eighties and spawned an endless variety of systems similarly predicated off the concept of a fully-floating bridge with balance against string tension. More often than not, subsequent variations used their own proprietary mounting and body routing patterns. The Floyd Rose Original continues to be produced today and is still favoured by many musicians and builders alike. The design theory was and still is a solid one. The disadvantages o

Shaping wood is a visceral and rewarding process, especially when making items which will be felt, handled and appreciated for their physical form and ergonomics. Controlling the final form of the workpiece is an ability that benefits from a patient and intimate relationship between the material, tool and the craftsman. The end product is often all that is seen upon completion rather than the process itself, however that end product always benefits from the care and attention of the process. Commonly, rasps are mass-manufactured and can easily be bought for a few dollars each at the big b

I will readily admit that I am rubbish at freehand sharpening chisels and plane blades. Keeping the blade at a consistent angle to the stone while introducing a steady, alternating honing motion is something I've always struggled to master. Most of the time I either find myself accidentally honing the blade slightly skewed or deviating from the intended 30 degree bevel, resulting in a tool too blunt to scare any self-respecting piece of timber, let alone shave hairs off the back of my arm. So it was somewhat of a relief when I finally admitted defeat and went and bought my first honing gu