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What's On Your Workbench?
- Thread starter HaMMerHeD
- Start date
Thanks!
I don't have a good shot of the front yet... I'm starting with back and sides, then will do the neck and leave the front for last. There is some nice bearclaw on the front:
I don't have a good shot of the front yet... I'm starting with back and sides, then will do the neck and leave the front for last. There is some nice bearclaw on the front:
2 years and 2 days on my workbench..
when will be ready?still a mystery ..
when will be ready?still a mystery ..
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,588
- 221,965
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
- Jan 28, 2009
- 2,929
- 4,152
- Disclosures
- Owner: Moonshine Custom Guitars
Not exactly on my workbench... More like new workbenches (and More!).
A former employer liquidated his business, he has been pretty much out of business for several years and like a buzzard I have been patiently waiting for the right moment to swoop down and get what I could... (This is a good discussion for another time... Some of builder/repair buddies and I joke with each other about morbidly waiting for each other to die so that we can be the first to get a chance at each other's "Stash"... Surely we aren't the only ones?
)
A lot of items (a small paint booth, resaw, killer router table among others) were already gone but I was given the chance to go through what as left (there was a lot left!). It took a whole day but it was totally worth it.
First, the benches...
A couple of well made workbenches (including the white bench, which was a part of my old corner workstation), A big down draft sanding table (the one with the lights which I will replace with LED's), furniture quality cabinet that I am going to convert into a router table and a smaller table.
Now for the Motherload...
The company built high end acoustic string instruments (guitars, resonators, mandolins and banjos)and I got a bunch of acoustic and resonator guitar wood and parts along with molds and templates for both some mandolin stuff with an option to get more...). A lot of his wood stash was already purchased (at one point he had one ton of old growth Brazilian rosewood... Beautiful stuff!) but I did get my hands on some really nice quilted and flamed maple an figured walnut tops and a couple of ebony billets for fretboards. I did get some Brazilian big enough a few fretboards, headplates and bridges.
Tool wise, I got an arbor press set up for pressing frets (with radius cauls), a small bending iron (it is the exact diameter of a F mandolin's scroll), laminate routers set up for binding including bearings and a jig to cut binding routes on arched top/back instruments, a couple other routers, a bunch of clamps (!), several air tools and a quantity of other hand tools.
I also got what I wanted out of his finishing supplies; some stains and a variety of metal flakes and pearls. I also got the chemical he used to "pop" the grain on figured maple (can't remember what it is...
).
One of the biggest scores was sandpaper (all Klingspor or 3M)... 20+ full sleeves of sheet paper- wet and dry, several unopened packs of of sanding belts of various sizes and (the coolest to me) two large boxes of medium and small 36 grit sanding/grinding discs with arbors; these are somewhat flexible and used for carving/shaping archtop/mandolin tops and backs. They can be used in drills, grinders or even a drill press.
I already have the benches in place and some of the other items stored, enough that i can get back to building.
Moonshine
A former employer liquidated his business, he has been pretty much out of business for several years and like a buzzard I have been patiently waiting for the right moment to swoop down and get what I could... (This is a good discussion for another time... Some of builder/repair buddies and I joke with each other about morbidly waiting for each other to die so that we can be the first to get a chance at each other's "Stash"... Surely we aren't the only ones?
)A lot of items (a small paint booth, resaw, killer router table among others) were already gone but I was given the chance to go through what as left (there was a lot left!). It took a whole day but it was totally worth it.
First, the benches...
A couple of well made workbenches (including the white bench, which was a part of my old corner workstation), A big down draft sanding table (the one with the lights which I will replace with LED's), furniture quality cabinet that I am going to convert into a router table and a smaller table.
Now for the Motherload...
The company built high end acoustic string instruments (guitars, resonators, mandolins and banjos)and I got a bunch of acoustic and resonator guitar wood and parts along with molds and templates for both some mandolin stuff with an option to get more...). A lot of his wood stash was already purchased (at one point he had one ton of old growth Brazilian rosewood... Beautiful stuff!) but I did get my hands on some really nice quilted and flamed maple an figured walnut tops and a couple of ebony billets for fretboards. I did get some Brazilian big enough a few fretboards, headplates and bridges.
Tool wise, I got an arbor press set up for pressing frets (with radius cauls), a small bending iron (it is the exact diameter of a F mandolin's scroll), laminate routers set up for binding including bearings and a jig to cut binding routes on arched top/back instruments, a couple other routers, a bunch of clamps (!), several air tools and a quantity of other hand tools.
I also got what I wanted out of his finishing supplies; some stains and a variety of metal flakes and pearls. I also got the chemical he used to "pop" the grain on figured maple (can't remember what it is...
). One of the biggest scores was sandpaper (all Klingspor or 3M)... 20+ full sleeves of sheet paper- wet and dry, several unopened packs of of sanding belts of various sizes and (the coolest to me) two large boxes of medium and small 36 grit sanding/grinding discs with arbors; these are somewhat flexible and used for carving/shaping archtop/mandolin tops and backs. They can be used in drills, grinders or even a drill press.
I already have the benches in place and some of the other items stored, enough that i can get back to building.
Moonshine
Steinberger style pivot plates, first five have the back side painted with topcoat. Some drilling and finishing touches left before shipping.
Means2nEnd
Supporting Member
I have 4 instruments in the finishing stages and well it's simply the hardest part for me. I just started spraying Crytalac instrument finish on some test pieces and I will be spraying that pretty much 100% other than the finshes by hand that I do that take a billion steps of minor grain filling, sealing, and two different finishing oils. I am in the stage of building up finish then I will sand again and repeat that a few times. Had some trouble with the black epoxy seeping in the glue line I could scream but I did what I could. I did dye some of the buckeye and did terrible things to it in my shop to stabilize it.
Sorry for the crap phone pics....
Sorry for the crap phone pics....
Working on a headstock modification and tuner layout for a 6-string bass.
I'm happy with it, so I'll commit it to wood. Hopefully tomorrow?
I'm happy with it, so I'll commit it to wood. Hopefully tomorrow?
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
I love the sense of fun in your builds. That aircraft carrier bass was very cool!
I guess if you wanted some quick Ace Frehley effects you could stab the lipo battery?
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Thanks! We build for charity auctions and hope that the themes draw in bidders who don’t play guitar or bass.
Hi,
I'm not luthier at all, but, i'm building something that has become so much unusual spending too much time thinking on it. It's not ready to get it own thread now, i'm not often working on it, i'm working how i want to, not really how i would have too ^^
Lot of stuff : Glass fiber/Snakewood/balsa/carbon top, carbon/flamed maple/carbon torzal neck trhu, boco fretboard, carbon/aluminium structure , carved flamed maple head with rosewood layers, head separated from neck, dual delano sbc under top with magnet thru, left handed, chapman+/-like dual truss rod (two strips of carbon on the back of the neck compressing/flexing back the internal carbon/aluminium structure), carved horn inside transparent epoxy, "back door", fret zero, mandolin fretwire...
I'm not luthier at all, but, i'm building something that has become so much unusual spending too much time thinking on it. It's not ready to get it own thread now, i'm not often working on it, i'm working how i want to, not really how i would have too ^^
Lot of stuff : Glass fiber/Snakewood/balsa/carbon top, carbon/flamed maple/carbon torzal neck trhu, boco fretboard, carbon/aluminium structure , carved flamed maple head with rosewood layers, head separated from neck, dual delano sbc under top with magnet thru, left handed, chapman+/-like dual truss rod (two strips of carbon on the back of the neck compressing/flexing back the internal carbon/aluminium structure), carved horn inside transparent epoxy, "back door", fret zero, mandolin fretwire...
This might be the single best thread on this entire forum!! You guys are absolutely inspiring!!! I'm not a luthier. I can barely get a screw to go straight sometimes. So let's build a bass!! Body and neck acquired years ago. No forethought as to fit. No messuring. Like a glove. I wasted my one chance. Will never happen again. Hahahaha. Just blew it apart for body wax and neck oil. Finished pics soon I hope!!! Yes, bridge is being recentered as well
