Somebody once told me "you can do a lot with a little, or a little with a lot".... think that fits woodworking projects well. For speed and accuracy I would say a drill press and a belt/disc sander are the two most useful power tools to have. I rely mostly on those. A band saw is also a big help for sizing blanks or rough cutting spacers and things but it's not at all essential.
If you're going to go with D handles or do a lot of hand shaping - some good files, or some adhesive backed sand paper stuck on flexible sticks of hardwood are huge help too.
A carvers vise, or some sort of "holding" tool that will make it easier to work on the pieces freehand is another plus.
For slotting the tang hole, I will use a dremel tool to help along with a drill press.
I've been using a zip bit in a dremel (you need the high speed or it just wanders all over the ferrule) for the tang slot. It's VERY nice...but man do you have to be careful.
Also, I use downcut inlay router bits that I got from a luthier supplier.
Can you supply name/link of the supplier, I would love to get some of those bits.
y
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.
For dremel type bits - another unusual source is jewelery maker/supply shops like Rio Bravo.
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
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
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
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????
Enter your email address to join: