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I know some people must do only hand tools who and what tools and techniques do you use? I know big giant questions but I am in an apt and usually work at night after everyone is asleep.

Thanks

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Zac

Anchorage Alaska

Finshed my 1st! See #1 here

Hi Zak, do you have Cumpiano's "Guitarmaking..." book? It focuses primarily on hand tools for most tasks, it should give you an idea of one way to do this (you should still forget about that neck joint in there, though! ). Use a coping saw where he uses a band saw, a plow plane instead of a router for the truss rod, Popsicle stick to cut the rosette, gramil and chisels for the binding channel, planes for thicknessing, and you're almost there! I have to "work quietly" too when the rest of the house is sleeping, and I will resort to hand tools only (or quieter operations).

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

I don't have it. I have the coping saw I have been looking at a set of veritas detail chisels (they go down to 1/16" and a small router plane for the truss rod space. I plan on buying a gramil and rosette cutter from LMI. Planning on a spokeshave for neck carving and maybe a saw rasp. Can anyone tell me (other then practice) a good way to get a perfectly square cut should I rough cut and then sand down with a dead flat piece of granite or glass? I am also looking into buying more measure and marking tools. I learned in my first build(kit) that I am woefully undertooled The only stuff I really have enough of is finishing supplies since I did do all of the on the build.

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Zac

Anchorage Alaska

Finshed my 1st! See #1 here

I recommend the Cumpiano and Natelson book, for a good guide to hand tool method..... it is a valid method alongside all the other publications on guitar building, but certainly not definitive.

This is the only guitarmaking book I have at home, and it is sufficient, providing I combine more modern methods of construction, including the use of a mold.

As for a hand tool only build, it is possible, but hand routing the truss rod channel and saddle slot is incredibly difficult.

The only three power tools I use are the power drill, laminate router and bandsaw. The reason is because I do build at home, and have a family that objects to constant machinery noise. The bandsaw, router and drill might only constitute 10% of the build process.

Routing the binding channels is done with a sloane purfling cutter; but I have recently acquired a Schnieder Gramil, which already seems to be an excellent hand tool, superior to the sloane.

The secret to successful hand tool building is making sure you have good quality tools, well sharpened. If you try and go cheap, you'll pay dear and get frustrated. At the end of the day, good qualilty hand tools hold their value, and can sold on...

I'll agree with Sam about quality tools I've not got a lot of money, and bought a cheap block plane from Axminster and could never understand why I needed to have the blade set at an angle to get a straight until it was pointed out to me that the bit what the blade lays on although flat wasn't level. I keep fettling it till I'm happy and have a way to go yet, but I'll qualify it by saying it was 1/2 price and I've spent 5 mins to get it usable and probably needs another 5 to get it right. So if you don't mind wasting time rather than spending money you can get around these things

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

I don't expect to save any money by going hand tool The good ones that I am looking at are not any cheaper then power tools but I do expect them to last unlike power tools. I prefer buying quality hand tools to spending the same amount on power tools that may or may not last as long. I don't mind if the hand tool method takes more time. My main requirements are quiet and non toxic. Hand tools usually are the winner.

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Zac

Anchorage Alaska

Finshed my 1st! See #1 here

There are toxic power tools?

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

When I was a student, they liked you do do things the old-fashioned way, so most of the work was done with hand tools. When you get used to using them, they can as quick as machinery for some jobs.

No. 5 1/2 plane for squaring up, thicknessing and jointing - I bought a 4 1/2 and a 6 but rarely use them.
Low angle block plane for squaring up end grain and general small stuff.
1 1/4" paring chisel for rough neck carving, binding channels, etc.
Spoke shave for neck carving.
A set of luthier's knives - left, right and double bevel. Good for heel carving. They all come in handy.
Gramil and rosette/soundhole cutter. You could make these yourself but you'll need access to a machine shop to make decent quality ones.
I don't think a small router plane would work for the truss rod channel - they get hard to control and keep flat on deeper cuts. If you do get one, you could get a spare blade and grind it down to about 1/8" for purflings and rosettes.
A mixed set of cabinet scrapers.
If you haven't got one, get at least least one good quality sharpening stone. If you only get one, go for a double sided medium/fine one.

I haven't done any building for a while and I'm just setting up a new workshop. This has got me thinking I've got too many power tools clogging the place up now
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Bri

A good half-round rasp is nice for roughing the heel, and some other operations. A safe-edge file really helps in cleaning up the binding and purfling rabbets, which I mark with a gauge and cut with a chisel when I do it by hand.

I use a violin makers finger plane a lot for carving braces. It has a rounded sole, and makes a smooth consistent arc on the brace ends.

Scrapers! I use a thick scraper that is fully hardened. To sharpen it you lap the faces on the stone, and then hollow grind the edge on a bench grinder. Yeah, I know, that's a power tool, but it's a quiet one. The burr from grinding is your cutting edge.

no not really I was speaking mostly of finishes which even if water based are pretty nasty stuff.
I use egg white to pore fill and french polish so my finishing is pretty family friendly.
I have read enough stories from others here who have had health issues so I would like to minimize my exposure and hand tools create less noise and tend to do just as good a job without the noise. Is it possible to build using NO sandpaper? just planes and scrapers and files?
The small router plane will be used to make the channel to drop in a 3/8 X 1/8 carbon fiber rectangle (I build ukes and in the future maybe a small classical) can it do that or is there something better? All the info has been great guys thanks!

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Zac

Anchorage Alaska

Finshed my 1st! See #1 here

Router planes are for making shallow relief cuts for inlay or similar purposes. They will not work well for a relatively deep trough like what you need for a truss rod. For that, you need a plough plane. Japan Woodworker has one for relatively cheap, and Lee Valley has a pricey one. I got the Japan Woodworker and it works well, but I had to modify it to be able to cut deeper than the 3/8" cut it was designed for.

Zac asked:
" Is it possible to build using NO sandpaper? just planes and scrapers and files?"

Yes and no. You can do it, and end up with a very nice guitar. However, the surface will not look the way guitar buyers want it to. The top, in particular, will end up with a 'corduroy' effect, caused by the fact that the scraper compresses the soft earlywood grain, which later springs back. This look is highly prized on violins, but is not what guitar buyers want to see.

All you have to do to avoid this is finish off with sandpaper after averything is together. I usually start with #150, and end up at #220, so only about three grits, and don't use as much as 1/2 sheet of any of them generally. The trick, if there is one, is to always be thinking about that final surface as you work, and make everything as clean and smooth as you can get it. I really dislike dust, and since I have yet to get my shop wiring up to the point where I can have a good dust collector, I just try to avoid making any more than I have to.

I haven't yet got a dust collection system, but I am scrupulous about cleaning after every session, wear a dust mask, if humidity levels permit, open the windows & let the air circulate...I always try and take the main bulk of sanding jobs outside. This works, because I don't work to a tight schedule.

I have a hepa filter in my shopvac, and a 5 gallon drum to collect the big bits. I am thinking if I had a larger shopvac, I would put a waterblock in it, and no more dust ever again! That is, the vacume inlet tube goes slightly under water by a millimeter or so on the 5 gallon collection drum.

For tools, you will need to thickness everything to exact standards. You can mail it out, or do it by handplane if your good with handplanes, and have some practice tops to .......practice with. And scrapers after that. And calipers to get the thickness exact.

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

Well anything that makes sawdust has to be done OUTSIDE in my house soooooo in the winter I would like to cut that to the minimum It cant be good for wood to be in -20 weather ok maybe not ALWAYS -20 but still cold..wait Im out there too!

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Zac

Anchorage Alaska

Finshed my 1st! See #1 here