Setup for a beginner - really long shopping list

[AJB Temple]

Very good list Pete. Reading through it I am missing purfling and binding tools, and the kind of fine tools used for making inlays.

 

[Jacob]

Haven't followed this thread so may be repeating:
cutting sheets or ripping long pieces over a TS in a small space
cut sheets down to handleable size first by hand, but with reference to your cutting list of course
ditto long pieces - cut to length by hand first

 

[PeteCo]

This is exactly what I was looking for! thank you very much Pete, I'll send you a message with a couple of questions

sure , feel free to ask away.

 

[PeteCo]

Very good list Pete. Reading through it I am missing purfling and binding tools, and the kind of fine tools used for making inlays.

Indeed AJB , I ran out of time earlier tbh

You can do the binding channels with a suitable router binding bit (offset bearing ) and handheld 1/4 router ( Makita , Bosch, DeWalt etc ) with a suitable jig or perspex base ( and a steady hand ! )
For inlays (I've personally very little experience of doing this yet ) a Dremel or similar multi tool with dentist drill bits and a Dremel router base. I use a Black & Decker multi tool with a base bought from a UK supplier ( the StewMac base was too expensive without having an existing annual account )

A fine jewellers saw will also be useful.

I'd also second the guitar neck vise posted earlier - I'm gonna buy one of those myself !!

As mentioned a few times , buy as you go - so you know what you really need.

 

[Sachakins]

Here's a good solution for shop dust, sound and compressor setup

 

[Roland]

Like @PeteCo I started by making guitars. I was advised only to buy tools when I really needed them. (There is more than one way to do most tasks.) For my first build I used a jig saw, a router, and a drill on a stand, which I already had, and bought a palm sander. I made sanding bobbins to fit the drill, and a sliding frame which allows me to use the router to thin and flatten surfaces. For chip collection I used a Henry vacuum.

My first purchase was a floor standing pillar drill. This has been very useful, especially for accurate drilling of string-through and tuner holes. For necks I bought a spoke shave, cabinet scrapers, and a narrow kerf saw for fret slots. Having realised to problem of dust I bought a Numatic extractor and an Axminster air cleaner from this forum. I’ve since added a vortex and large plastic bucket like @sachakins‘ to separate chips from dust.

With a couple of builds under my belt I went to see a professional guitar builder for advice about bandsaws. His advice was don’t buy one unless you want to make your own veneers. Instead get a table saw. If you need to split a panel, for example to make book matched tops, you can use the table saw around the edges. These will guide a crosscut saw or Japanese pull saw to finish the job.

My next purchase will either be a table saw or a table top thicknesser, depending on what my next project is.

 

[Jacob]

.....
... If you need to split a panel, for example to make book matched tops, you can use the table saw around the edges. These will guide a crosscut saw or Japanese pull saw to finish the job.
....

Or for big pieces a rip hand saw in the TS slots.

 

[Mr Christopher]

My brother was a cabinet maker for Heals of Tottenham Court Road and worked on some very prestigious pieces including items for the Royal Family. He also represented Great Britain in the cabinet making Olympics many years ago. My father was a carpenter/joiner all his life and made his living from a very small shed in the garden. Me I'm a retired estate agent! The point is my brother, who is the wrong end of 70 now, always uses hand tools and our late father the same. My father did have a small Black & Decker drill which he plugged into the light fitting in the shed. Me, I've got loads of corded and non-corded tools and am always keen to buy more. The moral of this story............well I'm just saying.