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Old 01-16-2021, 03:45 PM
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Mark Hatcher Mark Hatcher is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Green Mountains
Posts: 4,859
Default What does a luthier do on the weekend?

The weekend is here it's time to work on the shop as opposed to in the shop. But I guess I have to be in the shop to work on the shop. In the shop to me means working on guitars, except it's the weekend so it means I'll can work on the shop. Hmm, Maybe I'm spending too much time in the shop

If you've been following my posts lately you may know that I'm slowly converting my shop over to non-powered hand tools only. The soul of a power free woodworking shop is the workbench. So I got the best I could afford and I've been making it my own and setting it up for the things I do when making guitars.

I'm in the process of building out the hand tool wall behind it as well. The first thing I added on the back of the workbench was a 6" wide tool shelf. I added it not so much for tools but for catching small stuff that falls off the back of the bench. The bench weighs hundreds of pounds so it isn't easy for one person to move.

The second reason I added the tool shelf was to pull it away from the wall a little bit. It gives me more access to the bench top because I have tools hanging on the before mentioned tool wall. They get in the way and worst case scenario a tool drops from the wall and goes right through the back of an almost finished Tree guitar back.

Then I added a clamping shelf onto the bench end. That comes in handy and it uses the 3/4" hardware I already have. The bench itself has 1" bench dog holes. Another big advantage is it goes over the trash can. I've had a couple small items drop off the tool wall and mysteriously disappear. That won't happen any more!

So this weekend's project is a woodworking job. I saw this picture in an ad for this swing stool:



It would be perfect in pretty much the same spot on my workbench. I do almost all of my work standing but for close work like inlays or cutting the miters around an end graft it's best to sit. This is perfect for that and when I stand up I can easily knee it around out of the way under the bench. No more tripping on that stupid roll-around stool that is always lurking, waiting to strike.

The swing-away stool comes with or without the seat. I have just enough European Beech left over from the tool tray I made to make my own seat. The Beach matches my workbench perfectly with a couple coats on linseed oil on it. I expect the shipment this Wednesday or Thursday and I aim to have the seat ready to go.

I'm joining 5 pieces together to make the seat. My workbenches' laminated top has splines running down the joints for strength and to prevent warps so I thought I'd do that on my seat too. To make it mine I'm making the splines out of Eastern Black Walnut. The ends will show and have a nice contrasting touch:



Here it is on the workbench getting glued up:



Tomorrow I'll unclamp it and clean it all up and put the finish on. Then back to work in the shop on Monday!

Thanks for getting through all that!
Mark
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Mark Hatcher
www.hatcherguitars.com


“Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.”. Andrew Fletcher

Last edited by Mark Hatcher; 01-16-2021 at 03:53 PM.