Home made tool

[antares]

Those clamps are a piece of work Dane. Superb execution displaying that extra care than is necessary for the intended function. +1 as they say. I had a similar device that I made from mild steel that had a micrometer at the open end of the jaws. One day, in the interest of culling unused clutter in thd toolbox, I pulled the mic. and launched the clamp. Much later I realised how useful it would have been as a bridge clamp. D'oh ...

e&oe ...

[dnic]

Steve, I hate when I do that. But it happens a lot. I'll hold onto a small scrap of wood for years and as soon as I pitch some use for it pops up.

[dnic]

Here are two more tools that I built along the way.




The inner tube concept for clamping fretboards was something I saw in a factory video. But it was a large bank of clamps for doing a bunch at one time. And I don't remember seeing the bridge clamp before I built mine but there's no such thing as an original thought. So it must have been in my subconscious somewhere. Ha!

[Deleted]

Hey I like the inter tube clamp. Does it work out well?

 Yep every time I think I thought of something on my own, someone has already done it in some shape or form.

 But I guess it's the idea that we create some of our tools. Sometimes by accident... LOL!

 Yes on the "getting rid of things" Why does that happen? It has happened to me so many times. I hold on to something for a long time and as soon as I get rid of it, it's like the next day I needed to use it. LOL!

 This is fun to see how we all have made things for a job. Most of my home made stuff I wound up making for one guitar, but then found I could use them for other guitars as well. LOL!

 I seen a video yesterday that I thought was cool. It where you take a jig saw and make into a scroll saw. Way cool. So cool I may have to try and make one. The video is on you tube.

 Hope to see more ideas on tool making. They don't have to be just for guitars.

EB

[antares]

Yep I like that inner tube one a lot. My first thought was why cut 'n' seal when you could tighten down the top and pump it up? Horses for courses though and this is more convenient. It reminds me of how we used to vacuum down decorative trim on panels- a large sheet of clear polythene sheet, a long length of string wound around and back and forth, double sided tape around the edges, Plasticene to seal gaps, an extremely wide and thin slot transforming to a tube made from metal and a vacuum pump. It worked by concentrating the weight of the atmosphere down onto the plastic sheet containing the evacuated gap between the sheet and the panel. I couldn't figure out how it worked back then!

e&oe ...

[dnic]

Steve you're right of course it would make more sense to just double or triple the tube over the board instead of cut and seal two ends. Eddie, that was actually the problem I had with the thing was it holding air at the ends. The other problem was it would have to be reconfigured to take different style necks. If you only made Fender style necks for example it would be a simple to set it up just for that.

It is fun trying to develop new jigs and tools. It's not always a win but it's always interesting thinking it through.

[dnic]

And oh yeah, Steve, I've been wanting to get into vacuum clamping for some time. I came very close to building a venturi type system but I don't want my compressor running all the time. Someday it will happen.

[antares]

You won't notice the compressor running because you'll be too busy running round and round sealing leaks! ;<D

e&oe ...

[Deleted]

Yep it is fun and frustrating at the same time when trying to come up with things that one can use in their hobbies.

 I fail a lot of times on the first try. But I don't let it stop me. I look at it and say, what worked or why did it fail. I then think it over and make adjustments.

  But when it done work out, It is so cool! It's like starting up a car engine for the fist time after a rebuild. OK maybe not that exciting but close! LOL!

EB

[Deleted]

Here is one of the persons I seen making tools. Pretty cool Stuff.

[Deleted]

This is really not a home made tool. But I was looking at a video about do you need a joiner/planer?

 He was showing a few ways to do thing without out one.

This neck I did using my table saw. I have another picture of another neck I did using my table saw, BUt I was unable to find it.

 I use what is known as a combo blade on my table saws. The key (to me) on using a table saw is making sure it it trued up.

It takes a little time and some testing to get the saw to cut precise. But it can be done. Now I do stick some sand paper down to the top of the table saw to help clean up things.

I don't get any saw blade marks at all when sawing the wood to do a neck like this.

I have done this a lot before I ever had a joiner/planer. I did experiment with other blades but found the combo blade worked the best.

If I can't find the other Picture of the other neck I'll take one. I still have that guitar. You won't hardly believe what I could do with a table saw. 

EB

[antares]

Yeah, thirty-odd years ago I was sent to work at a sister company situated over on the perimeter of Heathrow Airport and they had an Asian guy with about 2.5 fingers on one hand, two on the other and a happy toothless grin as I recall! He used to work double shifts non-stop. The wonders that fella could do with a mono saw were simply staggering, both on the Nomex honeycomb board we used and on the extruded aluminium profiles we used with Scotchweld to hold everything together. Streets ahead of us chancers.

e&oe ...

[dnic]

Here are a couple more jigs that I needed to make during the ES-335 build. The body mold and form. The body is shaped on the mold and then assembled in the mold.

[Deleted]

Feb 19, 2020 22:00:10 GMT -6 dnic said:

Here are a couple more jigs that I needed to make during the ES-335 build. The body mold and form. The body is shaped on the mold and then assembled in the mold.

That's pretty cool!

I wish I could start building again... But I just had another bad attack a few days ago. Fist one I have had in almost 2 months. Now I feel like I am starting all over again. I told the wife just yesterday I was going to start getting some wood working tools, she told me NO!!! Then there is a really good deal on some hard woods from a guy retiring from a cabinet shop. He has all kinds of woods. WOW! I wanted to go buy him out... But!!! The wife told me NO!!!! So it looks like between the wife and my recent attack I won't be going back to making guitars from scratch. I sure do miss it!

 Great stuff Dane. I never did get to build that acoustic I always wanted to do. I looked at the acoustic kits, where most of the hard work is done, all one has to do is glue it all together. But I don't think it would be the same as building it from scratch. Plus I don't have anything to shape the neck.

 EB

[dnic]

To bad we don't live closer Eddie then you could over and use the shop. That would be fun.