Official Luthiers Forum!

Lawrence,

To echo what some others here, including James, have suggested I'll tell you what I'm doing. I am buying the tools I need as I need them, unless I can borrow a good tool from a friend or family member. When I got to a point where I needed a tool, I researched and bought that tool. I'm building on a shoestring just like you.

I may get to the end of this process and swear that I'll never ever do it again (doubtful), but at least I won't have spent a ton of money on something that I'll never do again.

I would also recommend that you invest more money in good building supplies, like the wood, than the tools right away. I spent 2x the money on one type of wood over another because I knew that there was a chance that I would never build another one-of-a-kind guitar for myself, and I didn't want to regret not getting the wood I really wanted.

I think the video Bob shared drives home the fact that instruments can be built with the most basic of tools. A lot of what I'm using are hand tools simply because they are far less expensive.

Best of luck on your build.

Cheers!
Justin