Clamps and other handy tools

[mickeyj4j]

Hi all I am a small hobbyist. I am looking at expanding my skill into some basic instrument making. I am starting with this DIY Cajon Drum. And I may make other percussion and if Iman I may get to stage of a stringed instrument.
I don't have a workshop or dedicated work space just doing it in my house. If I need to sand I try to do this outside on a fine day.
I have a few things orbital sander, hot glue gun, sanding block, drill, drill bits, hole saw, soldering iron and gear, small clamp on table vice, screw drivers, and a few other small things.
I am looking for ideas of basic tools that may come in handy for DIY and small instrument building. Was thinking king of

1. Portable Workbench: something similar to the workmate that I can fold way for easy storage.
2. Clamps: to compleat my DIY Cajon Drum mentioned above I need some clamps for small projects. Was thinking of G (aka C), or F type. Are there any others I could look at.

What else do you think may be useful for someone fairly new to this stuff.

[dotbot]

I've been going through the same process in the last few months, focused on string instruments, and primarily hand tools. The big machinery will come along eventually, if I'm lucky.

I spent the first 2-3 months reading everything I could find, online and in print. ANZLF is awesome! Probably the best thing you can do to build up your arsenal is to find a good book that covers the build process of an instrument you want to make. From there you should get a thorough list of tools and it ought to tell you how and why to use each. I started with Guitarmaking by Cumpiano & Natelson (before I found this forum).

I also took a course (see here) that was both tremendously fun and educational. If you can do this, I'd highly recommend it as you'll see firsthand how to do things and what tools and jigs you'll need. You also get an experienced builder looking over your shoulder to rescue you when you stuff something up.

Have fun!

Cheers,
Aaron

[kiwigeo]

A basic tool kit for hand building acoustics. Others can add in stuff Ive missed:

1. Planes. A blockie and a smoother. If you can afford it a scraper plane is handy for thicknessing, especially woods with rogue grain.
2. Chisels - a couple of quality bench chisels. A couple of decent paring chisels if you can afford same. A narrow chisel for cleaning out nut slots and other fiddly work. A dunger chisel with a long blade for cleaning up glue.
3. Saws - a tenon saw. a couple of Japanese saws and a fret slotting saw (with jig for cutting slots).
4. Scrapers - I use the Carruth scrapers.
5. A rosette cutting jig. There are commercially available tools but if youre really tight you can use the paddle pop method.
6. A set of Japanese water stones for sharpening blades. A couple of coarser diamond stones are handy too for dressing up nicked blades.
7. A Veritas honing guide for sharpening blades. The additional curved roller for putting a curve on plane blades is very useful.
8. Sanding blocks. I use cork and also felt blocks.
9. Sand paper. I use garnet paper. Grades: 80 - 150 - 180 - 220 - 320 - 400. Finer (2000 or finer) wet and dry is handy for FP levelling work.
10. Clamps - shitloads of the things in all shapes and sizes.
11. A marking knife.
12. Squares - a couple of decent ones.
13. Rulers - a metre job, a foot job and a couple of 6" jobs - all metal.
14. A decent straight edge.
15. Hand drill and assortment of bits. Brad point drills in a few selected sizes for special work such as bridge pin and tuner holes.
16. An adjusted bevel.
17. Drawing tools - compass, dividers, a large and small T square and a protractor.

[56nortondomy]

Martin's covered most things, but a router is a really handy piece of gear, and if you don't have a band saw then a coping saw is handy, also a spokeshave. As far as clamps go you can never have to many, a shitload still mightn't be enough
Wayne

[kiwigeo]

Martin's covered most things, but a router is a really handy piece of gear, and if you don't have a band saw then a coping saw is handy, also a spokeshave. As far as clamps go you can never have to many, a shitload still mightn't be enough
Wayne

My list of power tools in rough order of priority:

1. Router. Build yourself a router table and really get your moneys worth out of the machine.
2. Drill Press.
3. Band Saw (no smaller than 14")
4. Drum Sander
5. Table Saw
6. Dremel. I've given this low priority because everything alot of other people do with a Dremel (eg cutting binding channels and rosettes) I do with a medium sized router and jigs. If buying a Dremel check for any wobble in the chuck.....generally its more than I'd deem acceptable for a serious power tool.
7. CNC...only if you're techno freaks like Simso and Demonx and have too much loot to spare


Oh and nearly forgot........8. Beer fridge

[seeaxe]

Hi mickey

It would be great to accumulate all those tools but then you would somewhere to put them, spare room in the house is great if you have it.

I'd like to +1 dot bots comment about finding a book that works for you. The first thing to know is that they are pretty much all in the library (at least auckland library) . I think you are in unzud??

Second, if you are on a budget then take a look at Irving sloane's "steel string guitar construction ". Even if you are building a classical you can use most of it, along with the others mentioned here.

Best of all sloane shows you how to make your own guitar clamps, as well as a few other tools. Building tools is good fun, great practice, generally uses scrap timber and will also build your confidence. I still have and use all the time the clamps I made. Having said all that, you can never have enough clamps!

I think that's Sloane's list of essential tools will mean a lot more elbow grease than Martin's list, but it might be easier to accumulate.

Good luck

[kiwigeo]

One tool I left off my list is a rasp. I have about 6 of the things.....my go to rasps are my Aurio's. The Dragon rasps sold by Stewmac are pretty good as well.