Official Luthiers Forum!

A recent post wondering about the requirement of a certain type of luthiery tool got me thinking about what are the necessary tools.This does not include regular tools such as planes, chisles,power tools etc but just luthiery tools one would use for guitar construction alone.Also not counted are things like molds and jigs that one can make themselves.This question may be of interest to folks just getting started to build who are confronted by the large array to luthiery tools that are available from the various outlets.
The list I came up with is suprisingly quite short.
1. nut files
2.fret file
3.bridge pin reamer
If one was pressed not even these are absolutely needed. I've used razor saws and needle for nut work,a three corner file is used by some for fret dressing and a tapered reamer for bridge can be made quite easily by grinding a small file to shape.
The point being that investing in luthery tools at the outset of building guitars is not needed,and is money that could be spent on regular wood working tools or wood supplies etc.
I'm not trying to put down any of the specialized tools. As one starts to increase the volume of production one might want to invest in certain tools that might help to make life easier.
Any one else have other ideas as to what is absolutely needed,not talking about a total tool package as this has been covered a number of times by Todd Stock and others. Just the specalized tools.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Incidentally, if you want a cheap alternative to a bridge pin reamer, a rat tail file does the job.

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David Morris

Maybe he was talking about a fret crown file? Is there an all purpose file that can do this job I would love to know.

No 1 tool in my view is a mind set. Regardless of what you use to make a guitar, the ability to step back and clear your mind of all doubt so you can then step in with confidence and make the cut is THE single most important thing to have in your kit....next is having someone to blame when you make a meal of things from being too cock sure of yourself...get a dog.

Cheers

Kim

The spirit can get you there and the most important tool is you brain. If there is one thing that you have to have I would say Glue. Once you have that and something to cut and shape wood you can do most anything.
As for files a good mill file and a triangular file. If you are thinking of getting serious , I would say to invest in nut slot files but if you can imagine it , you can do it

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

pattern makers vice.....

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MK5acoustics.com

Bandages, isopropal alcohol for wound cleaning, first aid kit, phone-911 speed dail ready, eye protection, lung protection (from dust), bandages, tetanus shot, super glue (for wound closure), tweezers and eye loop or magnifying visor for splinter removal, super glue remover, ipod system, and bandages.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Yes, I use a triangular file for fret crowning... because it's so much more flexible and cheaper than a special fret file. Take a triangular file, grind the corners smooth so that it doesn't scratch things, and put a steel shield on the fret you're working on to protect the fretboard. File the side of the fret on both sides (make sure to file evenly) to crown the fret. Some will move the centerline of the fret one way or another to fine tune intonation...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

It makes sense anything is possible and people come up with their own way of doing a lot of things. The main thing is these "luthier tools" are often designed to make a task faster and or more uniform imo. It's more about what you want to take from the building, are the guitars for you? or customers... do you find it rewarding to build with only hand tools vs all power tools and jigs? normally the more power tools and jigs you use the more uniform your work will be. Not to say you cannot achieve this with only hand tools its just a time and practice factor. It's nice to see how others do things around here but it might not be the best way for you to do that task. this is what I have come to learn from reading these forums and like everyone has said use your head, figure out what tools will get the job done the way you want it. Observe the way everyone works and don't be afraid to question why they do it this way. just my opinion

one luthier tool I can not build without is a deep throated thickness caliper. It doesnt matter if it is a piece of plywood with a dial indicator attached or a cast metal one built specifically for lutherie but when you need to accurately measure the thickness of a very thin piece of wood, it is very useful.

The next most useful tool is a rosette cutter as it doesnt matter if you are building a steel string or a classical, most have a soundhole with some type of rosette/rings around it for decoration. A rosette cutter can be as low cost, low tech as a popsicle stick, a nail and an exacto blade as was pictured in the thread on rosette cutting, or a flywheel circle cutter in a drill press to cut ring slots. Either way, the need to be able to cut a soundhole and or rosette is critical. Many a first build have been saved by having the ability to recut a rosette to ad a line or to cover up a flaw.