Luthier Tools

[seangil]

Does anyone know good resources for second hand luthier tools? I am looking for a number of the specific jigs and tools that are basic for luthiery, but can't spend the several thousand dollars needed to buy them all through LMI and StewMac.

Thanks

ST

[hubcapsc]

You've probably already done this, but "luthier tools" search on ebay and then
adjust for "used", and some tools come up... I checked a couple of the
stewmac ones, they were half price or less...

-Mike

Originally Posted by seangil

Does anyone know good resources for second hand luthier tools? I am looking for a number of the specific jigs and tools that are basic for luthiery, but can't spend the several thousand dollars needed to buy them all through LMI and StewMac.

Thanks

ST

[redir]

The paid classified section of the Official Luthiers Forum often has used tools for sale.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by seangil

Does anyone know good resources for second hand luthier tools? I am looking for a number of the specific jigs and tools that are basic for luthiery, but can't spend the several thousand dollars needed to buy them all through LMI and StewMac. Any advice is welcome.

Thanks

ST

We folks who make musical instruments are a resourceful bunch, and as such have spent many years making our own specialized tools, jigs, and fixtures. That's what people did before the specialty supply houses figured out they could copy all this stuff and make a healthy profit.

There is lots of information on the web that wasn't available 20 or 30 years ago, so it's even easier to embrace the DIY ethic today.

You can learn as much about luthiery by making the tools as you can from actually making the instruments.

Consider your options.

[surveyor]

One of the best tools for building guitars and other instruments is actually a book put out by The Guild Of American Luthiers called "Luthier Tools". You can build your own as many have. I know I've built nearly all of mine just from pictures. It seems hard before you start but actually kind of fun and rewarding later on.

[tadol]

There are a lot of very specialized tools being sold that weren’t necessary for building for a great many years. Some are designed to help do things a little faster, some just help make a specific job a little easier. A lot of very good guitars were built before many of them were available -

I’d try to find local woodworking groups, and join some of the online forums oriented more towards building, and see if there are others in your area who are building that might have resources to share. Unfortunately, some of the best deals I’ve seen are at estate sales, but those can involve a lot of luck, and whether the time it takes to follow those is better spent working and making money is hard to say -