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Reading the Business sense vs. cool factor (convenience of product) was wondering as a newbie what time saving tips people have?
My favorite that I've seen, but haven't got as far to is John Mayes DVD shows when he tucks his braces in he routes straight through the sides (correct me if I'm wrong) and the brace ends will be covered by the binding.

What's you ideas? Even if they're somone elses you've adopted?

John

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

Hi John;

If this is your first, even if not, I'd say one time saving thing I do from the start is map out my entire build, I use poster board, plain white, I take time to draw the whole thing out in detail, exactly to scale, all dimensions and materials, from nut width to string spacing, scale length to bracing layout. Neck angle and bridge height, soundhole location and size, rosette etc..
Even if you're using a set of plans or diagrams, I find that spending a little time bringing your instrument to life with pen and paper allows for a clear picture in your head and also helps to familiarize yourself in the build process as a reference to understanding the particulars that go in to each build. After it's been drawn out accurately parts of it can be cut out as your templates. The time spent, I find is perfect for recording and documenting your build, as you can make notes along the way and have this personalized set of plans for the next one.
I know this isn't exactly a time saving tip, but it's very inexpensive and is always fun for me to do. I come up with new ideas and techniques every time.
Thought it might interest you-
Good luck

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Nehemiah Covey
www.coveysacoustics.com

Biggest time saver, if you are going to build many guitars, can be simulataeneous building, so that you do not have to keep setting up over and over. So, you get half dozen or so tops and backs glued, then if you are using a power sander, you do them one after another. Same with setting up for rosettes, bindings, etc.

Take extra time and don't mess up! Always enough time to do things over again but never enough time to do them right the first time takes on a whole new meaning in this sport.

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Gabriel Regalbuto
Carlsbad, California
Freedom 35!

There's been previous discussions on pros/cons of building parts (like tops) forward and depending on your maturity as a builder, you might propogate errors forward as well. The assumption above is also unstated that you have also thicknessed the tops independently to their appropriate relative stiffnesses...which might still need tweaking between say a jumbo and a parlor size top?

One thing that IS simple (and error free?) that I like to do is cut bracing in batches. They are banded togther to keep the same wood togther.

Joe

I make batches of rough shaped parts like necks, blocks etc. I also slot a few fingerboard each time, same with kerfed linings and bindings. I sometimes glue up a few soundboards and backs long before I intend to use them, but I don't thickness them until I actually start the instrument. I'm not a factory, so I don't like to feel I'm 'working on' more than a couple at a time.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Unfortunately I've been there. this is especially true if you're using a unique design. The sort of corollary to this is that if something works well, make sure you write it down so you don't have to re-figure it out next time (and also write down what didn't work and why so that you don't have the same brilliant idea in a few years). I have a notebook I keep in the shop for doing this. Unfortunately, often when things go smoothly you forget to write it down. I'm trying to get into a habit of keeping a sort of diary of what I did in the shop each day to try and capture those types of things...not going so well yet though

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

I've done it that way and didn't find any noticeable time saving. What I worry about with that method is that if the top, binding, and sides shrink a bit tangentially or radially from age and humidity change, the brace is not going to shrink (by any significant amount) in length, and may end up pushing the binding away from the top or side.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Funny you should say that tonight was my first night at evening classes and I took what i'd done, and he said start notching the linings out and I mentioned just cutting through the side and he didn't like the idea as he'd seen guitars in for repair where the braces had popped the binding out.

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

Andy suggests writing things down - great idea! Now how about taking a snapshot of the operation or (especially) the setup, so that weeks or months later, when you reach that point again, you don't have to reinvent anything. Print out your shot, scribble all the relevant notes, with dimensions, right on the print, and pop the print into your looseleaf diary.

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Dan
http://www.acme-archtops.com

I usually build two at a time and a big timesaver is staggering operations so there is always something to do on one when the other is at a stage where it has to sit for a while. I was big into making batches of parts at first but I started feeling like a factory worker and it actually got a little boring. Now I just make what I need for the current builds and it's more fun. I would say the biggest time saver however is building a lot of guitars. You do get faster with experience.
Terry

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I learned this method from Dana Bourgeois. I've never seen the binding pop loose, but I guess in extreme cases it could happen. As far as I know Dana has done this on thousands of guitars for a couple decades.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

John hope your not offended no disrespect intended I thought it was a good idea myself, but I guess in a repair environment you see the worst abuse cases out of those thousands of guitars sold how many owners badly abuse them? I've seen guitars in need of repair (at a friends shop) cases of beer dropped in them etc revealing construction I would say is questionable and sad to say it was the make of my guiar I saw and didn't like the construction! I love my guitar and I guess just never drop a crate of beer on it!

What i didn't like by the way was the neck was justed glued and doweled no proper joint, but for a £500 a solid guitar you have to speed manufactuer up hence increasing profits I guess

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes