no power tools

[grim83]

I'm curious to see if anyone here builds without any power tools, links to build logs would be cool. I spend half my time on the mylespaul forum and there's a guy who does this and I always enjoy seeing his work, but I haven't seen anyone who does it for acoustic guitars

[Alan Carruth]

Let me put it this way: I've done every operation in building a guitar using hand tools except for re-sawing the wood from the planks or logs. I don't think there are many makers trying to make a living building solely by hand though; a few machines can really speed things up. As an example: it takes me about two days to cut binding and purfling rabbets with a marking gauge, chisel and files. I can do the same job in a few minutes with a router, and it's the same ledge. Since the customers don't care how it got done, and I have electricity, it only makes sense to do it with the router.

That said, there is a lot of value, IMO, in being able to do it by hand. For one thing, hand tools are basic. If you can do the job with hand tools you can figure out how to do it with power tools, but that's not always true going the other way. I've met makers who have no idea of how to thickness wood without a sanding machine. There are also things that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to do with power tools that can be done by hand. I can't think of any way to do a bevel cutaway that does not require cutting in the purfling by hand. Once you've developed the tool chops (and it takes time!) you're free to do some things that power tool users can't. This contributes to a flexible approach that allows for easy customization and adaptation to varies woods or design demands. There are many operations that are quicker or simpler with hand tools than with power tools if you have the skill. Power tools, and particularly the stationary ones, get really expensive. You can make violins with nothing more than a shoe box full of hand tools, and guitars don't take much more than that. I know people who feel that it would take much more than $1000 to tool up to make a guitar: you'd have to get some pretty fancy hand tools to exceed that total, and could use the rest to buy cool wood. Finally, I've never heard of anybody taking off their arm with a 5/8" chisel. Yes, you can chop off a finger if you try, but compared with the speed and efficiency of accomplishing the task with a table saw or joiner, it's cumbersome, and this is one case where that's great. I've been a wood worker for almost fifty years, and I can still count to ten without having to take off my shoes.

[Hierophant]

Except for drilling holes for the tuners, I only use hand tools. The reason for this is that I can't (don't want to) afford electric machinery but got some very nice hand tools. And I'm doing this just for fun as a spare time activity. I don't need to earn any money with it.

[grim83]

Alan I understand your point thank you for taking the time to share your opinion. I wasn't necessarily talking about professional luthiers but more people like hierophant who do it for fun not monetary gain. I also feel that most of the highly prized instrument were crafted without a single power tool. Speaking of violins stratovarious is the benchmark and the originals seem to be some very fine pieces of art. It seems to me totally hand built instruments have a unique character that one's built with power tools don't tend to have.

[grim83]

Also I would be very interested to see the list of hand tools you'd keep in that shoe box you mentioned lol. It's interesting to see what people consider essential and what they don't.

[Hierophant]

Well, power tools have a lot of advantages: working pace, accuracy and (very important) consistancy in replication can be increased.

Also I think that you cannot draw a comparison between modern acoustic guitars and Stradivari violins. First, at that time when Antonio Stradivari built his instruments, the use of electricity for tools was not known. Second, a recent study by a team of scientists showed that professional musicians did prefer modern guitars to real Stradivaris in a blindfolded experiment (look here for more information on this: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/04/03/1323367111)

I mainly use different planes, many chisels, rasps and knives and tons of sand papers.

[JosephLukes]

Hello!

I noticed this thread and couldn't help but respond! Joseph Lukes Guitars are completely built by hand. We use no machinery at all in the building process, even our inlays are hand cut, filed and fitted.

I'm a huge fan of hand tools and I firmly believe that this is the basis in guitar making, its an art form and although there are many companies producing fine instruments utilising machines to speed up their processes, I don't agree at all that this is necessary to run a commercial enterprise.

I think the industry has become very used to utilising machinery but I truly believe that using hand tools makes each build completely unique. Yes, it's a longer process, in fact we only currently produce 12 guitars a year using this principle, but since when was an art form supposed to be rushed?

As for build logs, please have a look at our instagram account, where we photograph every process for each guitar. I'm about to start a Sitka/ Dalbergia Granadillo with Bloodwood binding. I'll be posting the process so feel free to follow or drop me a message with questions!

http://instagram.com/josephlukesguitars

Luke

[dekutree64]

I build almost entirely with hand tools, with the exceptions of a dremel router for saddle slots and inlay work, and an electric hot pipe and hide glue pot.

My 5 most used tools are a 1/2" chisel, 3/4" violin knife, block plane, scraper, and dozuki saw. But there are a lot more essentials (too many to list quickly). $1000 should be enough to get started, and few hundred more once you figure out 2 or 3 really nice things you want to indulge on For me it was DMT dia-sharp stones (extra-extra-coarse is the most important) and StewMac fret barber. If I had it to do over, I would have bought a Lie Nielsen or Veritas plane for jointing plates when I first started. But I ended up making one out of wood, and it gets the job done.

Here's my shop, with the proverbial shoebox of tools, although it's a bit bigger than a shoebox, and all the most frequently used ones are up on the little table anyway, except the saws and diamond stones are stashed down in the gap along the right...


And here are a few of my past build threads:
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/v...=10130&t=34382
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/v...=10132&t=35031
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/v...=10130&t=38923

[LouieAtienza]

It takes quite a bit of dedication to buuild using only manual tools, and I appreciate the skills of those who do. I also love fine hand tools.

To me, there are certain processes that are simply more efficient done with machine. I don't build much, and most of what I do is in the realm of electric guitars and parts that I "shadow build." I do it half for personal enjoyment, and half for the few times I get a paid job. And with my crazy schedule, I don't have much time to devote to building. So machines help me in that regard.

A great by-product of this is that I have more time to spend on the details I enjoy more - the bindings and inlay work (though sparse), neck (which I rough on machine and finish by hand), voicing, setup, etc... There is no right or wrong way to go about it; rather it's more about what process works for a certain goal.

I do agree with Alan and the others that hand tools give a person a solid foundation on which to build on, especially when moving to machinery. I started as a cabiinetmaker's apprentice and didn't touch a power tool for almost a year (trimming Formica, not just beveling, by hand with a file is no fun nor is carving Italinate scroll feet out of hard rock maple.) But using hand tools one learns the nuances of wood and wood grain, and can better set up a tool to get the best results with power tools. For example, orienting a board to cut cleanly through a thickness planer or sander, router "direction" for a binding rabbet or rosette channel...

There's a vido on YouTube of Jose Romanillos using all hand-tools to build a guitar; though I don't recall how his bending iron was heated. But he scribes the binding channel with a gramil and cleans it up with a chisel and makes it look so easy!

[darylcrisp]

Peter, if i'm not mistaken, builds without power tools, check his site, it offers up a lot of articles to read, he has some youtube video also.

fyi, a couple of folks here on the forum have one of peters classical or flamenco guitars, they are held in high regard.

http://www.tsiorba.com/

d

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by grim83

I also feel that most of the highly prized instrument were crafted without a single power tool. Speaking of violins stratovarious is the benchmark and the originals seem to be some very fine pieces of art. It seems to me totally hand built instruments have a unique character that one's built with power tools don't tend to have.

I can't help but feel that if I were able to somehow manage to magically transport some of my power tools and a means to power them back 300 years to Antonio Stradivari he would have welcomed them into his shop.
And today the legend of Stradivarius would be akin to a second coming!

[theEdwinson]

I agree with Mark, that if Antonio Stradivari had the sort of technology we have today, he probably would have used it, at least to some extent. While it is very admirable for a crafts-person to work diligently at acquiring some highly developed manual skills, I don't think that eschewing the use of power tools makes that person "better" or somehow morally superior to the power tool user.

I also don't think the products of all that labor will necessarily be any "better" than those made by people who use powered machinery and tools. In fact, until that person has invested many thousands of hours in learning that craft, to the point of achieving impeccability, the results will most likely be inferior. This is a long, steep learning curve.

I think a smart person uses techniques and technologies that will help them do a better job.

If someone decides to use ONLY hand tools, out of some purist inclination, or from a deep love and fascination with totally manual craftsmanship, I think that's great.
I truly enjoy that way of doing things myself. But I have to make a living too, and I don't have the luxury of spending 300 hours to make one guitar.

What if your house was built entirely with hand tools? Would it be a better house? Doubtful, IMO. And it would likely cost you either three times as much as a conventionally built house, or the guy who built it would be living in abject poverty.
Jus' say'n...

[Bruce Sexauer]

Power tools are a non-issue to me, it is the automated used of power tools that concerns me. All jigs and fixtures, by extension, have the ability to nullify improvement (growth) by their very nature, not to say there isn't quite a bit of middle ground. Like all things in life, moderation is the key.

I built for a year or so in a shop on an isolated island in British Columbia that had no electricity. As a result of that I have experience in the one area of hand tool-ness that Alan disclaims, I have resawn plate wood with a non-power saw. In my case an 8' two man cross cut saw with which my pal J. Tolling Buffbottom and I decided to prove our proficiency (to ourselves) honed by a year of firewooding in the deep forest where we felt quite good knocking off a 6' round of Doug Fir in 10 to 15 minutes. The 2 man cross cut is a saw powered from both ends only on the pull stroke, the reverse motion is equally important however as it is where the cut is controlled. We broke a few tops, but we also had some success. Great memory, thank you.

[Rudy4]

You can investigate the luthiers of Paracho, Mexico. Over half the population of the entire town is involved with making musical instruments, mostly using simple hand tools.

http://www.hechoenparacho.com/paracho.html

[kwerry]

This is an interesting topic.. I use power tools but also do a lot by hand.. What I do with what tool changes with my mood.. Since I do this for fun not profit some days I feel like planing a top by hand some days I do more with the sander..

One advantage of hand tools is in general your screw ups are less dramatic ;-)

I have my own personal definition of what a hand built guitar is, in my case it is a guitar where all the tools used to build it were in direct contact with the makers hand... yes this allows jigs etc but not CNC.. if CNC is your thing great you can build a wonderful guitar, just not how I want to approach it..

Would I ever build one 100% with hand tools frankly probably not but certainly some day i might go for 90% Call me lazy but like Al I don't want to resaw by hand :-)

Kerry