wa handle making tools and guide

[apicius9]

Pretty sure I got them from stewart mac (stewmac.com)..... them or LMII - both sell all kinds of cool tools and supplies for guitar makers. There are lots of specialty bases and bits for dremel or mini routers at both.

I have had my eyes on their little router tool for a long time, they have nice stuff.

For dremel type bits - another unusual source is jewelery maker/supply shops like Rio Bravo.

LOL, wrong movie, I thing you mean riogrande.com

With all that said, I am glad if you are happy with your Demels, but for me, investing in a Foredom tool was one of the smartest things I ever did. I burnt 3 Demels, should have done that much earlier... The also have the flex shaft that makes work easier and less tiring for your hands. Cleaning out the tang slots is one of the main things I use them for, but as Cris said, you gotta be careful because it's easy to go to far or the wrong way.

Stefan

[mkriggen]

Cleaning out the tang slots is one of the main things I use them for, but as Cris said, you gotta be careful because it's easy to go to far or the wrong way.

Stefan

Ain't that the truth brother!

[CPD]

I have had my eyes on their little router tool for a long time, they have nice stuff.



LOL, wrong movie, I thing you mean riogrande.com

With all that said, I am glad if you are happy with your Demels, but for me, investing in a Foredom tool was one of the smartest things I ever did. I burnt 3 Demels, should have done that much earlier... The also have the flex shaft that makes work easier and less tiring for your hands. Cleaning out the tang slots is one of the main things I use them for, but as Cris said, you gotta be careful because it's easy to go to far or the wrong way.

Stefan

....yeah, rio grande. That's a funny slip. No John Wayne in their store, lol.

I'm with you on the Foredoms. They are great tools and well worth the upgrade over the dremel if you are going to throw a lot of use at them. I don't have one but have used one a few times. They're comfortable and seem bombproof.

The router bases as stew mac are really well made, too. I have my eye on the little purfling base as a way of cutting inlay channels for a future project.

The guitar tool that's caught my eye the most though is this sanding setup from LMII http://www.lmii.com/products/tools-s...uthiers-friend
I only make the occasional handle for myself or friends so I have zero need for it but if I was gonna make a bunch - always struck me this setup looked like it might be a good base to streamline the process so it wouldn't take as long to freehand sand/shape each one on the belts and discs.

[apicius9]

Thanks, that's an interesting tool, I'll have to think about it more to figure out how I would use it. But I actually enjoy the freehand part of it. To be more precise, I use the sander tables to get things started close to the right angles, but then work free hand from there. It may be more work, and with jigs it would be easier to be more precise and replicate patterns and shapes. On the other side, I tried to avoid going into 'mass production mode' (with one exception). Making them free hand just means that each one is unique in a way. If you take a caliper to them, most of them are not perfect. Sorry if I talk to much about what I do in the wrong thread, I mainly wanted to express that I value uniqueness over precision and therefore free hand work over jigs and production tools. If they look good and feel good after mostly hand-eye coordination, I am happy enough...

Stefan

[CPD]

I mainly wanted to express that I value uniqueness over precision and therefore free hand work over jigs and production tools. If they look good and feel good after mostly hand-eye coordination, I am happy enough...

Stefan

I hear you! I'm of a similar mindset, for the most part. I like consistency and precision - i want a certain amount or repeatability when making similar things -- but I really like the idea that anything hand crafted has its own unique character. The challenge of the hand work is part of the fun for me too.

I'm making two D handles for myself right now... on them, I used jigs and templates to keep the modified D shape I was going for consistent but I also did much of the shaping freehand to give it a taper and curve that felt right in my hand. I guess I like a bit of a balanced approach.

Tools like that sanding station definitely suit some styles more than others. Struck me that for some, though, the fact that it's a way to use a drill press accurately as a sander (usually the drum attachments are not any good) is both a cool way to double up the functionality of a tool to save space in a small shop. And, for those that either want to speed production or are less comfortable with freehand, it's a clever set up. With templates, seems like it could be a fast way to rough shape coke bottle scales or octagon shapes.

[NO ChoP!]

Dangit! I lost my Dremel set up in my move last year, and was looking to replace it, and now you've all planted the Foredom seed! How can I explain this to the wife????

[mkriggen]

Dangit! I lost my Dremel set up in my move last year, and was looking to replace it, and now you've all planted the Foredom seed! How can I explain this to the wife????

Tell her it's part of your "buy American" pledge?