A Little Shop Upgrading

Alex Reid

Member
Messages
739
Location
Zushi, Japan
Well I got some time on my hands as I haven't been able to start the guitar build with the humidity hovering around 80% in my workshop. Recommended humidity levels should ideally be around 45%. So anyway I decided I need some more cabinet space for the new tools I purchased. :D

Here's the old.
benchcabinet1.jpg


Here's the new unit made to fit under the bench.
benchcabinet2.jpg


The new family members are housed in these luxurious velvet lined drawers.
benchcabinet3.jpg
 
Thanks for the comments guys. The new tools are related to guitar making. I will try to get a photo up in the next day or two. FYI the cabinet joinery was made using This router bit. I bought it about a year ago but used it for the first time on this. Very handy :thumb:.
 
Nice work Alex. I've got one of the lock miter bits as well. Haven't used it for drawers yet, but did use it on a humidor I built for a friend. I used it on all sides of the box, worked really well for hiding the end grain.
 
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Alex,

Looks great!. Unfortunately, I fall into line with the others who haven't used time as wisely as you. The wood is beautiful. What did you use?

Regards,
 
Very nice cabinet, Alex.

I'll be eagerly looking forward to a nice, retailed thread on your guitar build. ;)

I'm working on it slowly but surely. Here's a couple of pics of the tools I have recently bought and made. I even bought a glue pot and hide glue, which almost all instrument makers used up until about 1965 or so. Some still swear by it today.

A bunch of tools of the trade: Files, rasps, reamers, gentlemen's (fret) saw, fret saw jig, circle cutting jig for a dremel tool, miniature chisels and planes, purfling cutter, binding cutting jig for dremel tool, radius and fret scales and fret hammer.
Underneath it all is an assembly table that slides on top my TS.
guitartools1.jpg


Fox Side Bending Jig and electric timer switch
The red thing in a bag in the tools pic is a heating blanket which will be used with this jig.
guitartools2.jpg


Stew-Mac has some very good quality kits for sale. In their free downloadable PDF instruction file there is a list of recommened tools for building guitars.
 
Alex,

Too cool. I haven't heard of Stew-Mac in a while. I used to get their catalog on a regular basis. I basically did all my repairs for the electric guitars I had and if not too deep, even on the acoustics. I also used to have a side-business called "The Amp Doctor" where I'd repair electric guitar amps (primarily tube) and even do some mods. Still have the o-scopes and signal generators on my bench, but not as involved as I used to be. One of my buddies who used to own a guitar store, shifted gears and started managing some pawn shops. He'd call me whenever he got an amp in so I could give it the once over and get it ready for him to sale. Now I'll toss my old Marshalls and Boogie on the bench if they need some new caps or ...

I'll look forward to seeing your guitars. I'm sure they'll be great.
 
Looks like you're nicely set up, Alex. (I drool pretty much every time I see the Stew-Mac catalog or website.) I've done a lot of repair work on electrics, and a bit less on acoustics. I kind of fell into the repairman job at the store where I used to teach guitar. Now that I have a semblance of a real shop, I'm getting the urge to try building a guitar or two, although I suspect I'd start with a kit that has the hard parts done. An electric wouldn't be too difficult to do from scratch (although I think I'd buy a pre-slotted and radiused fingerboard), but for at least the first acoustic, I think I'd want someone else bending the sides for me. I'll be watching your process with great interest.

Lee, I wish I knew more about tube amp innards. I've got a mid-60's Fender Deluxe that burns up power tubes within a few minutes of turning it on. Probably a simple fix for someone who knows what to look for. I haven't used it in nearly 20 years. Come to think of it, I've not plugged in my little Boogie or my Music Man in over a decade. What little playing I've done in the past few years has been through modeling boxes like the POD or the Black Box. (I only play at home these days, and usually it's through headphones. LOML isn't real fond of loud noises.) ;)
 
Vaughn,

I know what you mean about not using the amps much. It's been quite a while since I've plugged mine in, too. The modeling boxes have gotten so much better and don't have to worry about bothering the family nor the neighbors. As for the Deluxe, send me a PM and maybe we can figure it out from afar.
 
Hi Alex.
Does such an investment in new tools and equipment mean that you're thinking about shifting your career to guitar making or that you just needed/wanted a different project for a change? :)
 
Hi Alex.
Does such an investment in new tools and equipment mean that you're thinking about shifting your career to guitar making or that you just needed/wanted a different project for a change? :)

A little bit of both Toni. Between you and me the LOML is not keen on me filling up the house with unneccessaries. And I have basically finished making all the furniture we needed. This autumn I will also be working on a semi-built-in kitchen/dining for a friend but other than that commission pieces are few and far between. Sooo as I have had an interest in making a stringed instrument for quite some time now just happens to be a good time to dive in.
 
A little bit of both Toni. Between you and me the LOML is not keen on me filling up the house with unneccessaries. And I have basically finished making all the furniture we needed. This autumn I will also be working on a semi-built-in kitchen/dining for a friend but other than that commission pieces are few and far between. Sooo as I have had an interest in making a stringed instrument for quite some time now just happens to be a good time to dive in.

Then I wish all the best to you. Having seen the quality of your work in your web I'm sure that that guitar will have a fantastic tone. Look forward to see it done!:thumb:
 
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