Official Luthiers Forum!

So how do you hold your guitar to scrape the binding on the sides, without a troji. Just curious to see different methods, especially for classicals with the neck attached. Pictures are great too!
Thanks, Wendy

Pick up a used WorkMate for cheap and make your own.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

I did the same thing. I attached it with bolts so I can use the table in other ways as well.

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"I've been had again"
Tim Benware
Creedmoor, NC

I use a pair of pipe clamps that screw into flanges on my bench side, and two pieces of 3/8" plywood lined with foam on the inside. The plywood has slots cut in the bottom edge to go over the pipes. Space the pipes wide enough to be able to get the body well between the clamps, but maybe not wide enough that the full length of the body would fit through. I didn't make it up, there's probably a plan around here somewhere. May have gotten it out of one of the books. Works great. Here is a pic, though not a very good one.


When not using it, I unscrew the pipes and store the parts away.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Workmate here too. I just picked up one of the newer small ones on sale which is much better than my old one because it folds down smaller when not in use. I just have 2 L shaped plywood forms with foam glued to it that I clamp on to the top when I need to hold a guitar.

Cheap, easy and goes away when I don't need it.

Bob

Hard to beat a troji, it's not hard to build and inexpensive...

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MK5acoustics.com

I use pretty much the same thing Waddy does... I bet we got the idea from the same place as I surely didn't think it up myself and unfortunately can't remember where I got the idea. Whoever thought this up deserves a heck of a lot of praise because it works great, was cheap to build, and can be set up in about a minute. The pipes are anchored in threaded pipe bases which are readily available at any hardware store. One thing I'll take credit for was choosing bowed boards for the boards that hold the body... they were good for nothing else and can only press down on the edges of the guitar to make sure the clamping system doesn't collapse a domed top or back. A huge benefit over a troji is that it can be stored in a tiny space against a wall somewhere... if you've got lots of extra shop space or need to hold guitar bodies often in a production/repair shop a troji makes a lot of sense but for most builders they just take up waaaay too much space IMO. Hopefully the pictures make the construction and setup obvious:

I too use something very similar to Waddy. Mine is a bit different in that I have the spring lock side of the pipe clamps mounted on the inside of the stringer on my workbench which has matching holes for the pipes to go through. When I am not using it, I just push the pipes all the way in (removing the wood and pads). Then I only have to store the pads. I do have the adjusting handles sitting proud of the end of my bench but they don't really get in the way.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I just place the guitar on a towel on a table. I don't have any problem scraping sides and bindings on my dining room table!
Mike

Similar idea to Waddy and James, but using quick clamps, foam covering the bar to protect the guitar.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

The alternatives are good, I've used several in the past. But I decided to get a Troji. My shop is pretty small, about 12' x 20', and that Troji is well worth the space it takes up. Super convenient tool.

Hey Waddy, your bench looks about as messy as mine

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I used several methods before finally relenting to building a Troji and that was one of the best decisions I have made. The clamp and clamping table made units are also a great way to hold the body and allow both hands to get involved in the work. Get the plans and build one you will not be disappointed.



Fred

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

That's the way I have always done it too but I've been thinking about one of these things just because many luthiers rave about them.



Fred, do you mount that to the floor or just kind of put a foot on the base so it doesn't move around as you work on the guitar? Or is it heavy enough to stay stable.

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For those who use a Work Mate I have two questions. 1) Do you find the Work Mate to be of any other benificial use in a luthiers shop? 2) if so do you have any detailed pictures or perhaps a plan for building one?

[quote=---.....................For those who use a Work Mate I have two questions. 1) Do you find the Work Mate to be of any other benificial use in a luthiers shop? 2) if so do you have any detailed pictures or perhaps a plan for building one?[/quote]
I use a workmate specifically for -
1) a neck shaping fixture http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10117&t=26349
2) a truss rod slot cutting jig (no pic)
3) plate joint candling - (just a strip lamp on the frame under the open worktop and a perspex sheet clipped on top)
+ anything else it may be handy for.
It's one of those non lutherie specific tools that lives in my shop, unlike my table saw, pull over saw, nobex mitre saw etc.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Hey thanks for the ideas! Waddy, I actually have one of those put away somewhere, but no longer have the bench with the flanges. But I could just clamp it to a bench top like James does. I'll have to go look for that. I also have a workmate, so maybe it would be worth the effort to make a temporary troji with it. The advantage that I see is that you can stand facing the guitar and not have to be turned sideways to scrape, which for me is a back killer. A Troji would be nice but I really don't have the room and I am pretty much winding things down here, at least for now.

Most of the time the weight is sufficient to keep the Troji stable, occasionally I'll put my foot on the base or, probably more often, just put my knee up against it.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Can you purchase an all ready built Troji?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know this thread is about alternative, but since other pro Troji supporters have chimed in, I figure I'll add to that band wagon.

My Troji was one of the first things I build when I started building guitars. I found it a good exercise in learning about using my tools. After doing the Troji build, I had a flow with my current tools that really helped when I moved on to building my molds.

I use my Troji all the time and don't mind the space it takes up at all. If I have the body and a neck out and need the body out of the way, it goes in the Troji.

I like the height of the Troji. I use it quite a bit when I'm working on necks too. I just clamp the neck in the crook on top and do what I need to do.

When I 1st used it I placed some bricks on the base but that was a bit harder to move out of the way, now I put my foot on as needed. If I was to make another, the base would be a bit larger.

The plan pdf file is available on the web.

Fred

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

I use vacuum. Some people think it sucks, but I like it.

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Pat

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

I'll echo what others have said about the Troji being a handy tool in the shop. In the past I too used to do all my scraping and sanding at my bench, and even after I started offering them for sale it was still a year or two before I decided to start using one myself. After I did I realized I should have had one years sooner. I use it all the time for sanding, binding, cutting neck joints and repair work. One of the big advantages I find is that you can clamp the guitar in the Troji and quickly walk around all sides without having to reposition the guitar.

http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com/products/troji

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
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House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
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