Official Luthiers Forum!

Every year for a while now I have been asking my OLF friends what your building goals are. This year I want to do two things slightly differently with this thread.

First, since we have expanded the OLF to include other instruments and now have the participation of some great mando builders I am dropping the word "guitar" in the title of this thread. The term building now refers to any musical instrument or associated Lutherie thing such as a jig, etc. that you might want to build.

And second since we have some data from previous threads regarding building goals I am going to see how I am measuring up against my previous goals. Anyone else who wants to do this too below is a link to last years thread and it's completely up to you if you want to list your progress, or not.... here in this thread. Above all this question is intended to be helpful to you and I in perhaps getting us to think about where we are with our own personal journey with Lutherie.

Here is last years thread: http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=19915&p=278850&hilit=2010+goals#p278850

As for me here are my goals for 2010 and a bit about how I am doing with my goals from last year....

1) In 2009 I planned on building as many guitars as I could and with this goal I failed miserably.... So... this goal remains high on my 2010 list...

2) Another one of my goals was to continue to receive some Lutherie educetation.... and in this goal I did well as I continue to apprentice in repair work.

3) And yet another goal that I had last year and will continue with this year was to learn more about woodworking in general and thanks to some friendships with some pro woodworkers I think that I did make some progress here.

So for me these three goals remain 3 of my top 4 building goals for 2010 and the remaining goal that I have and will always have is to have fun!

So folks what are your 2010 building goals and if you replied last year and want to share your personal progress against your 2009 goals please do.

Thanks

Since I have been at this for just a year , My main goals are to get my shop " Luthrie Friendly" More Jigs , Better storage , More Luthrie Minded Equipment , And more research into the Mechanics of the trade .

I will be building , repairing , and going nuts as always .

My wife says , Im a great starter , and a lousy finisher , I tend to start projects with a florish , and then end them slowly . so what I say to her is " god I hate when she is right" !!!

So As the year goes on I will be showing pics of my shop , jigs , etc: in the building transformation.

I had initually thought of trying to keep my shop as clean as hesh does his , however I have decided that making his dirty would be FAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR easier !!

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Hesh, I have no idea why you would want to be educetated in lutherie. It doesn't sound healthy.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Hi Hesh,
In 2010 my goal is to finally finish No. and start No. 2. I think I'm on track for the end of May the Lord willing.
My other goal is to build a Woolson type neck jig if I can find some plans and also to buy some more tools like a Rikon 48" belt sander, a miter saw, and a Lei-Neilson smoothing plane Mamma willing.

René

Cool thread!

My goals for this year are many and I do not know if I will have the time for all of them. Maybe putting it all down in a list will help.

1) Bring my shop to an operation level (almost there!)

2) Finish building my first acoustic, EIR/Cedar SJ size (started a little while ago).

3) Buy an HVPL system and learn how to finish with KTM-SV.

4) Setup a dust collection system (very important!).

5) Build my second electric (tele style, probably quilted maple on ash or mahogany).

6) Work construction this summer (im a student) and buy a new tablesaw and drill press.

7) Finish two more acoustics before 2011 (I am hoping to do a Dred and another SJ)

8) Learn more about advanced techniques like Chladni tuning, deflection testing, etc.


Good luck to everyone else with there 2010 goals!

My No. 1 goal is to overcome my paralyzing anxiety of approaching my just beautifully crafted soundbox with a router spinning at 10,000 rpm. Anyone know a good psychoanalyst?

Christian

P.S. I'm semi-serious...it always takes me a few days to summon up the courage to route the binding ledge or the mortise for the neck joint (maybe I should just do a butt joint... )

My goal is to .................CLEAN MY SHOP.
It may take all year

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

In 2009, I built #1, a Martin kit, using borrowed tools. Joe finished it.

Soon after finishing #1, I bought a table saw, a PC laminate trimmer, a drill press, a belt sander, a nice chisel, made 2 radiused dishes and a binding jig, ... all for around $200. (not exaggerating ... yard sales, dontchyano)

In 2010, I plan to build #2 and #3, both for friends. Each will have some stuff I made myself, like bracing and bridges. #3 will have a neck I'll shape from a billet. I'll finish both myself, french polish.

At the end of 2010, I plan to have a torch/pipe thing going, as well as a few more jigs, an inherited bandsaw and jointer, and will attempt #4, my first scratch build.

"Scratch," as in, from logs. Black cherry from a huge tree that blew down on my father-in-law's property 20 years ago. Wish me luck...

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"...you have to get over your strict adherence to your largely imagined notion of absolute perfection..."

I think I made most of last years goals and will commit to a few new ones.

The 1st will be to complete the finishes on # 6 and 7 now in the spray booth.

My next build is not quite decided but will be either a Cocobolo Dread with sitka top, or a 12 fret neck 14 fret body cutaway with Madagascar Rosewood or Brazilian RW with a bearclaw sitka or Adi top. or maybe something else by the time I start.

I keep improving my shop each year and this year more storage is the goal and a better layout might be attempted. A friend in the heating cooling trade has promised to get me another furnace blower so I hope to build a sanding table like what was discussed in the past on the forum.

I also want to play guitar more and perfect some Don Alder, Al Petteway and Andy McKee tunes I am working on. My old brain does not accept all the new material as fast as it used to but I really enjoy playing and learning the modern percussive fingerstyle music.

I hope we all can meet our goals or at least give it a good try.

Fred

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

i need to finish the two i started in 09
would like to get a couple electrics under my belt in the summer. (a guitar and a bass maybe)
also i have a mandolin project in the planing stages most materials ive bought already.
i have my first commissioned guitar pending. i need to talk to her more and get that project underway if it is going to happen.
and by the end of 2010 would be nice to have a second (or first) commission.

I tend to think of the guitar building year as going from September to June as I don't build during the humid dog days of summer. My goal for the next building season will be to get my output up to four guitars per year. This will be tricky as I do have a day job.

Pat

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There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

My main goal is to set up a paint booth, maybe one that I can easily dismantle.

Other than that, I would like to spend more time building, and less time on jigs.

Chuck

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Hi Folks!
2010 goals.
Hang out here more and learn.
I am selling off a good chunk of my guitar collection. Replacing my 5 year and 8 year old Pro camera gear....... then guilt free improving the shop

I think I am grasping my final fears (Neck to body alignment/attachment). By no means coming close to achieving anything other than overcoming the unknown of how to approach success.

Have my second build make more sense, better work flow. This one will be a scratch 37' 00 Gibson copy. I am following G.A.L plans. Sycamore + ? I already have the neck wood in the shop acclimating.

After the 2nd/3rd? Build, or restoration? I love both and would like to focus on one or the other. So far I have had much more success with fixing than creating But I am going to give it my all!

As a new builder, I would like to make at least 5 guitars in 2010, all from scratch, these will be guitars 1-5, I am hoping to learn enough from these to be able to make a sale-able guitar next year. This will require all the jigs and goodies, mostly of the low budget kind. This will hopefully prepare me to take a class in 2011 with one of the west coast teachers, Charles Fox's classes look great. (My wife is finishing her master's degree in May, and when I told her of the cost of the class she thought is sounded cheap compared to what she is paying for her education)

Create a luthier's shop out of my current woodshop.
Part of this will be accomplished with the creation of a duplicarver/pantograph that is so versatile that I never use a router in my hand ever again. Ok, almost never. I would like this device to do the following:
Carve a neck
Binding
Carve a back
Inlay
radius fingerboard
cut fanned fret slots
Cut on the sides of the assembled box, neck mortise, tail block graft, sound port
Thickness tops and sides if needed. (I have access to a wide belt sander about 10 minute drive)
Bridges

Other stuff to make:
Go bar deck with molds
Finish my rosette cutter jig

Get tools out of storage and in use in my current or a new shop. In storage are a 5hp dust collector, edge belt sander, second table saw, picture frame miter chopper(I think I can use this to cut binding), 2 head router table, drill press, 5hp shaper, big compressor. I want to play with all my toys again!

Find some local trees that fell during our big storm and mill and sticker the wood for future guitars, Port Orford being top of this list.

So far in 2010 I have made 2 solid bending forms with corresponding body molds, bending blanket is on its way from Bluescreek. I have 5 sets of sides thicknessed, some will just be practice. Since this is all I have done on the first of 5, I have a lot of work to do.
Rob

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1. Build at least 3 guitars a 000 cutaway, a size 0, and a Dred.
2. Add a paint booth to the shop.
3. Continue running my dust collection ducts to eliminate some of the flex hoses.
4. Get my downdraft table up and running (its all done, just needs the holy top).
5. Build shelves in the metal working corner.
6. Get some of the drawers built for the 25+ drawer spots I've built.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I didn't set any goals last year, but I'm game.....so here are my goals for 2010, in order of priority:

1. Stay alive - not being flippant here....really, this is my main goal.....without boring you with details, at my age, with my medical portfolio, I'm at serious risk of popping off early! I seriously need to reduce stress, get more sleep and exercise, and improve my diet.
2. Sell house, move downmarket (no mortgage), retire.
3. Start integrating my marquetry art into/onto my guitars.
4. Make first archtop.

I'll be happy just to acheive number 1.

Later,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Great question, Hesh.

As I read it, I realized I hadn't yet figured out what my goals were this year, besides building more, and better.

1) Build at least one guitar where I've done sufficient prep work, and have worked smart enough that I don't have a single "DOH" moment. You know the kind - route the binding a 1/16th inch too deep, drop a chisel on the top, etc.

2) Finish the three guitars waiting on the bench, and give them to their respective owners - and set them up so well that they want to play them more than what they've already got.

3) Get some formal luthiery education.

Hey Hesh,
my top goals for this year are:

1) put a finish on No. 1 (D*ead) and string it up,
2) finish the build of No. 2 (OLF OM), put a finish on and string it up and
3) build a U-shaped workbench.

This will keep me busy in my spare time for quite some time.

My goals are to Build 5 acoustic guitars and 2 electrics.Also build a 24X40 pole barn to store more wood. Mill about 10,000 board ft. hardwood. Oh yeah, i have to build some chicken koops so i can get these darn chickens out of my shop.

Nice post Hesh...thanks for last year's link...

Last years goals
-build 3 guitars (completed 5..parlors, 000, 0m-14....#15-#19)
-new soundboards (all redwood)
-improve workmanship.....lifetime goal for sure
-patience at 'end of build'....not there yet.

This years goals;
-Tools investment..underway
-Shop re-org....underway
-build three classicals...procuring woods now.

Focus on EACH PROCESS and not the end product (good jigs, tools, set-ups, lay-out, etc.)

While only related... My goals for this year is to:
Get basement Wired/semi-finished (Drywall, lights, electrical outlets, water, maybe some sort of climate control, etc.)

Make up a workshop area in said basement

I am not off to a particularly good start.

Guitar goals...
Keep moving forward with progress.
Keep learning, avoid rushing through stuff just to do it.

Build an L-0 or Ditson 11 pattern with my South Florida "Australian pine" (Properly called Sheoak -- Casuarina species) board for back and sides.... Just to prove that a "Noxious Invasive Exotic" can actually be used for something good.

Thanks

John

Easy for me, finish my first guitar without it imploding when I string it up. I will be happy if it remotely looks like a guitar and sounds better than a shoebox with an elastic band on it also.

Then, my next aim would be to make another guitar, with more finesse, better accuracy and more attention to detail. Half my issue on the first guitar was I started it will awful tools which caused a lot of issues.

2009 goal 12 and did 14. Six were sold to store and clients and 8 give aways to vets. In addition 1 violin (stew mac kit) for grandson starting music in school. Started thinking mt. Dulcimers, but never got there.

This year starting out well so set goal of 15. 6 have commissions on already and 9 give aways. Plus I am gong to get into Mt. Dulcimers. I have promised wife who is a dulcimer player one long enough so it will get done. I am also going to do 3 electrics. Main thing on electrics is learning how to do a set neck.

What sucks I used to be able to build one commission for every 5 donates. Now getting to be 1 sell to 1 donate and at best 1-3 ratio. expenses are getting to be more and more, and bank account shrunk. One has to pay for the other, or wouldn't be able to do what I do. Even if doing it all for profit which I could do with store and commissions, there still would not be a huge profit. But maybe something in black at end of year. If I ever have to do that though, my main purpose for building is done and I am then done. As long as I can pay for the donates will be at it.


One of give aways is to my nephew, who is a talented young man. He promised he would work hard to learn to get better in his playing and I promised him I would build a guitar for him. He has kept that promise, now I am keeping mine. I am in the final finishing stages of a walnut, sitka and koa trim SJ to give him in a few weeks (soon as the nitro cures). His goal is to go to So. Illinois (think right school) and their guitar program with Rick Hayden (who the boss builds for along with many of his students) Student builds are not what one would think of as a student guitar but is a high end without a lot of bling. If he wants an archtop, for that school, he will have to work that out with Bill, as I Wouldn't ever step on his toes so to speak. I also have grandson who already built one for and giving him an electric tele style build I did. He is also very talented and is working his butt off in his playing, with lessons, church band, school swing band (guitar) and thinking of Berklee or Hayden's class also. Hope they become the new Chet and name your own famous and great player

Last year: Build two cigar box guitars, a headless travel guitar for a friend, and make my ten string tapper guitar more player friendly. It took one extra month.

This year: Build my first archtop for myself, and a fanned fret acoustic for a friend. This is significant because I have been easing into building an acoustic type guitar. Never really used bracing or a non-bolt on electric neck joint. Also have never carved a top. I actually started the archtop project once before, and felt I was in over my head at the time. So this will be a year of big challenges for someone at the beginner level.

Good to think about. For me,
1. Have more fun. That might involve a better organized shop,
know when good enough really is good enough (stop beating my
head against the wall when I should have realized I had finished
a task perfectly well and move on), better jigs and forms,
and, did I mention, have more fun? What's the point of all of this
if we are not enjoying our work.
2. Fine tune my french polish technique. It's actually the part
of building I enjoy the most, using the new hard shellac from LMI
with good results so far.
3. Keep learning from all you guys, my best source of how-to's.
Keep up the good posts and taking time to tell us what you are
up to. It keeps me motivated.
Best
Bruce

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Bruce Herrmann
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."