Official Luthiers Forum!

I've seen many posts lately which has someone saying

"...........is my most favorite part of building"
"...........is my least favorite part of building"

So..... What are your most enjoyable etc and least enjoyable etc parts of building and why.

Maybe we can spark some good responses to help with some of the least enjoyable "tasks"

Personally, my most favorite is neck shaping and making the bridge, I also really enjoy binding (I know, I'm crazy)
Least favorite (till I made my new bender) was side and binding bending. Now I'd have to say gluing in the linings, I should really get me some of John's cool clamps, but I'm too cheap.

There's more I'm sure, but I thought that I would start with this.

Anyone else.....

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Least enjoyable...binding operations. Hopefully the Williams jig will make this less tense.

Most enjoyable...Bridge, Neck and brace carving as well as anything dealing with the plane. I find these operations relaxing and peaceful. Sharp blades are a joy to use.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Carving braces and voicing the top is by far my favorite.

Least favorite is everything including and between pore filling and buffing AKA the finishing process.

I've been shaping necks with my table top belt sander, but I just got a full complement of spokeshaves tuned up and ready to go so there could be a contender for either title I suppose.

Hey Rod, great thread...

Favorites : For sure is stringing her up for the first time... Building wise, shaping the braces and the neck is a lot of fun. I like taking my time and sanding the body with a good block (veritas by Lee Valley), I find this very relaxing.

Least enjoyable: binding, finishing, crowning frets and pore filling.Alain Desforges39061.0729050926

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Pore filling used to be my least favorite, but since trying out catylized polyurethane I just don't fuss it any more.
I really enjoy laying on finish with a well set up gun.
Otherwise my current faves are planning a new style instrument, brace carving & anything to do with a sharp scraper. (I love my scrapers)

No least, no most. I enjoy every step of the process.

Cecil

My least favorite is glue clean-up, it bugs the heck out of me to have any glue residue left after attaching something, and sometimes it's a real pain to get it all. I'm also not real fond of hand sanding anything, wears me out.

Favorite-- tuning the plates, getting the box in 1 piece, and stringing-er-up for the first time.

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

Favorite--carving the neck.

Most hated--fitting the neck to the body!

(Something happens to me in that short interlude....)

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Most --- Bending

Least --- Centering and positioning the bridge

Most - Anticipating and planning. For the actual building, I'd say bracing the plates and carving the braces.

Least - Anything to do with CA glue. I've recently devloped a sensitvity to it and it puts me out of commision the day following. I'm going to have to put it away and go to other gluing methods. I'll also throw in adjusting and re-adjusting, and then re-adjusting again, the neckset.

Favorite- seeing that distinctive rectangular-shaped box on my front porch when I come home; taking it inside and hearing the russle of the packing peanuts as I caress, tap and smell the contents.

Least favorite- realizing that whoever packed my order was a newbie who thought "A" was best, "AAAA" worst....

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It's not the miles ahead, it's the stone in your shoe


In Markham,Virginia

Least favorite: neck angle adjustments, stabbing myself with jewelers saw blades

Most favorite:
Building finish with FP, cutting side purfling miters at butt wedge, splitting spruce billets and cutting into braces, and shaping of top braces (I'm not advanced enough yet to call it voicing!)

And stringing one up for the first time, of course!burbank39061.4130787037

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

well since no one has mentioned it .. creating and putting in the rosette .. always starts to make the guitar have its own character. Selecting which braz headplate to put on too .. again a character thing.

Least - finishing .. always so close, and then you rub thru somewhere, usually on the headstock for me ...back to the booth.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I love it all

Most favorites- voicing the top,carving braces
laying down a nice finish(nitro).I do enjoy it all!
Least favorite- hmmmmm? I guess ,Making a bonehead mistake

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

This is from an Archtop builders perspective.

Favorite:
1.     Planning/Design and purchasing tonewood and other materials;
2.     Brace carving;
3.     Neck carving (relaxing);
4.     Inlay – design, cutting, routing inlay pockets, engraving;
5.     Final extra fine buffing;
6.     Stringing ‘er up for the first time;
7.     Hanging out on the OLF.

Least Favorite:
1.     Cleaning up the shavings from taking a 1” laminated billet down to ?” for each of the plates;
2.     Binding the body and “f” holes;
3.     Fitting the “X” braces (not a simple radius);
4.     Carving the headstock/neck transistion and getting the backstrapping to look right;
5.     Sanding the cutaway on an assembled body;
6.     Bending Cutaways (the dreaded “ker snap”);
7.     Neck alignment (I use a dovetail joint – thank goodness for Tracy’s jig);
8.     Flushing the neck cheek with the body – i.e. flossing;
9.     Any operation involving a router especially a table router (bad memories – nerve wracking);
10.     Wet sanding;
11.     Making and finishing the truss rod cover (after the rest of the guitar is finished…lol)

Thought I'd my 2 cents from the nylon string perspective (albeit from a relative newbie):

Most Favorite: Carving the neck.

Next: Finishing - I do french polish and love the gradual evolution to a (hopefully) glistening result.

Absolute Least Favorite: Like many of you, doing bindings. Although my stress has been greatly reduced by using the ledge cutting tool from Chris Klumper. Perhaps you are aware of this great tool. If not, check www.luthiertool.com.

Regards,
Max

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Max Bishop
Brighton, Michigan

Favorites:

Carving the neck
Closing the box
Closing the case!

Least favorite:

Finishing (but I'm learning)


Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

My most favorite is the conceptualizing. I just finished voicing my top
and liked that a good bit as well.

I could do without leveling finish.

And if I'm being honest, writing on the top. I know I only get one shot,
and I know just how non-attractive both my handwriting and signature
are. If I could draw, I'd just sketch something. James Orr39061.520162037

I most enjoy carving the bracing.

My least enjoyable task (and most frightening) is routing the binding channels. Definately a high adrenaline, sweaty palm thing for me.   

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

Faves: planning, dreaming, designing, neck carving, bending, anything involving a sharp edge (hand) tool, brace carving, neck carving, volute carving, just the general woodwork.

Least faves: binding, the entire finishing process, fretting, setup.

Most favorite: Starting a new one

Least favorite: Finishing what I've started

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

For me the all time favorite is cutting and fitting my end graft. It's hard but it's also a great challenge that I love overcoming.
Like others I don't really have a least favorite, as I really love doing everything I do. But if I were forced to decide, I think it would be crowning frets.
Oh, and changing paper on my general sander. What a bugger that is. Only to get gummed up on the first pass by a particurally nasty piece of Zircote. ARRRRG!

Favorites
everything, would send my inst. out for finish though, no skill there yet other than tru oil.
Being here seeing many wonderful instruments CRAFTED.

Least favorite
Being here seeing many wonderful Instruments and knowing that they are meant for other relationships.

K.O.39061.7807291667

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"It's a Tone Faerie thing"
"Da goal is to sharpen ur wit as well as ye Sgian Dubh"
"Sippin Loch Dhu @Black lake" ,Kirby O...