Official Luthiers Forum!

We haven't had an odd tool, jig or fixtures type thread in a while and seeing as we have sooooo many new members here I thought that I would start one.

Back when Kevin G was posting progress pictures of his African guitar (still gives me goose bumps thinking about that great guitar) there was a picture of the body in progress laying on a piece of "corrugated" foam (for lack of a better word).

Well, I was at the local MCC the other day and saw this for $4. It's a thurma rest.



And thought, hey that kind of looks like it could be good for a soft protection of the guitar body when sanding and scraping etc...

There are little divots or what have you to catch the dust, chips etc so that they don't aid in scratching the top etc when working on the board.





Anyone else come up with some odd things to use in the shop. I sure like the Serge Sander posted a while back Rod True39088.7431828704

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"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

Here is probably the most used tool in my shop. I use it in almost every step while building my guitars. I don't know what I would do without my high tech glue spreading device.

Robbie: I've got a bunch just like that one here, too! Only danger is they sometimes tinge the glue a nice shade if pink if you're using indexing brads and forget to avoid them...

Gee, That is an odd one Robbie

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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

    I don't know of any luthiers that have ever used this tool.

I use it a lot!







It's great for sucking up lacquer fumes!

Billy T39089.3990393519

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Billy,
I had one but CA fumes did it in.


Tom Armstrong
Savannah, Ga.

Rod...call me paranoid but I try to avoid those molded rubber or plastic pads for anything around guitars. Having some knowledge about the molding industry, it's quite common to use silicone mold release sprays around those operations. The problem is...it hangs around for a long time and I don't know of any practical way to detect it's presence.

So for me, it's still plush carpeting.

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

A rubber router pad ruined the lacquer finish on my #3 guitar. It has a nice waffle pattern in the back, and no amount of polishing, sanding, overspraying, or redesolving has been able to fix it.


Al

[QUOTE=Billy T]     I don't know of any luthiers that have ever used this tool.

I use it a lot!







It's great for sucking up lacquer fumes!

[/QUOTE]

Billy, where did ya get that tool, can't find any at Lee Valley's!

[quote=Tom Armstrong]Billy, I had one but CA fumes did it in.    [/quote]

Tom, that's a common problem likely!!

     I can second what JJ said, I was in the plastic fields for years. Better safe than sorry!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Mario says pretty much the same thing. I tend to pay attention to what he
says.

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

[quote]Billy, where did ya get that tool, can't find any at Lee Valley's![/quote]

   Ive seen them in the meat department!! They're practically giving them away cheap!

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

[QUOTE=Billy T] [quote]Billy, where did ya get that tool, can't find any at Lee
Valley's![/quote]

   Ive seen them in the meat department!! They're practically giving them
away cheap! [/QUOTE]

What I'd like to know is:

HOW DO YOU SHARPEN THOSE THINGS?

Mine's been dull for years!

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

Thanks Rod for liking my Serge Sander, Alain now own's my super power dough roller!

Here's my neck handler made with...well...a kitchen table's leg

Billy, is it ok if i glue that tool with HHG?

Thanks for the tip JJ on the therma rest, I guess I'll just use it for taking a nap seeing as no one else has anything to add to this thread.

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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

Give us another look (a first look for newer folks) at those "O'Brian Spreaders," if you would. I think they're an ingenious alternative to the usual turnbuckle type.

[QUOTE=Robbie O'Brien] Here is probably the most used tool in my shop. I use it in almost every step while building my guitars. I don't know what I would do without my high tech glue spreading device.

[/QUOTE]

Robbie you have no idea how many times I have used my high tech glue spreading device provided to me by God. or how may time I have accurately redefined a skosh

[QUOTE=CarltonM] Give us another look (a first look for newer folks) at those "O'Brian Spreaders," if you would. I think they're an ingenious alternative to the usual turnbuckle type.[/QUOTE]

Here is a shot of the spreaders. Now I want to see everyone spread 'em!! You can make them out of threaded rod and aluminum tubing availabe at your local "luthier supply warehouse"

[QUOTE=MichaelP] [/QUOTE]

Robbie you have no idea how many times I have used my high tech glue spreading device provided to me by God. or how may time I have accurately redefined a skosh [/QUOTE]

Apparently you have been watching my DVD's. How's that classical guitar coming?

Slow!! but not because of the guitar. I have pretty much taken building time off from Thanksgiving till this week. I decided to carve the neck full (Spanish heel type)prior to glue up of the rim neck. From all the literature I have read and the Hauser plans I have the neck set angle is Zero This caught me off guard a bit. Every thing should go pretty fase form hereMichaelP39090.4885416667

[QUOTE=MichaelP] Slow!! but not because of the guitar. I have pretty much taken building time off from Thanksgiving till this week. I decided to carve the neck full (Spanish heel type)prior to glue up of the rim neck. From all the literature I have read and the Hauser plans I have the neck set angle is Zero This caught me off guard a bit. Every thing should go pretty fase form here[/QUOTE]

I am looking forward to pics!

Here's one. I'm sure you can buy something like it for some bucks at the
local luthier supply where(?)house. But, lets say you are teaching a
mandolin building class and you need to demonstrate a plate carving
technique (Bendetto style, as I've heard) using a drill press and need a
hole depth gauge. Well, you get this:



side view



It actually tells you how much wood is left below the drilled hole, very
handy for visualizing the carved top contours.