Hatcher's Studio '20 #2

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

The latest Woodsman looks amazing!

Really a beautiful combination of woods...

Thanks Nemoman, That top and back go together really nicely. I like how well the darker streaks match up so well with the color of that old Black Walnut.

Originally Posted by Lonzo

I agree !
.. I have a Hatcher Greta in Tunnel Redwood and Walnut ... and it sounds amazing as well! Looking forward to how the sound will turn out on a woodsman... have a feeling this will sound great and complement the looks !

Black Walnut goes great with cedar and Redwood. I love the tonal match and they record exceptionally well too.

Originally Posted by Aspiring

Mark very cool photos and those tools look very cool.

Out of curiosity do you use the hand tools more from the hand made aesthetic point of view or do you actually find them more effective and lower risk for making mistakes than something like a router with a circle jig for cutting the inlay circle for the rosette?

I ask as I recently picked up a router jig for circles and while I am amazed at how awesome a tool it is I can definitely see that the risk of slipping and damaging the wood could be quite high.

I've been seriously re-introducing myself to hand tools lately. When I started, like many new builders, I had the most basic of not-so-great hand tools. When I started investing money into tools it mostly went to power tools. I loved how fast you could do things with power tools. Over the years I did pick up some decent hand tools and as more years passed I found I was gravitating to these hand tools more and more. I big part of it was I was learning how to maintain and actually use them.

Here are some of my observations and I am speaking only from my experience and perspective:

Best, in power tools means faster. Best in hand tools means accurate.

Power makes work faster with power tools. Faster with hand tools isn't the goal it is a by-product of skill and mastery.

Power tools want you to "build to the tool" Hand tools want you to "build with the tool"

The less power you have between you and your work the closer you are to it.

I bought a new house with a separate building to put the shop in only because of the noise and sawdust made by the power tools.

Glue joints on planed wood are much, much stronger than sawn or sanded wood.

Wood finished with a mastered smoothing plane is much better than anything you can do with sandpaper.

I am likely to live longer. for a variety of reasons, if I build with mostly hand tools.

I'll more likely die still being able to count to ten on my fingers if I stick with hand tools.

I'm not a woo-woo guy so I won't talk about the "magic of working with hand tools but I will say I'm not vibrating after working with hand tools for hours like I do after working with power tools.

There is a lot less maintenance and cost working with hand tools.

Hand tools did not stop evolving when they came out with electricity. There are amazing tools being made today.

Finally, I sometimes feel I am doing art when I make a guitar and I love that I am making art for artists. There are artist making hand tools that could be had for artists making art for artists. Take a look at a couple of these:





I originally set my shop up with a separate large power tool room. I am in the process of moving all my power anything tools into that room and making my regular work space hand tools only. I have to say this is the most exciting time of my building career.

Honestly, I haven't figured out how to hand cut the fine purfling lines that are in that last Woodsman rosette and I used a router, but I'll get there. I'm giving myself 5 years to learn my way into electric free.

Of course your opinion may vary!

Mark

[Aspiring]

Mark thanks for taking the time for the comments. Those are some incredibly gorgeous hand tools.

You have some beautiful work.

[Erithon]

Originally Posted by Aspiring

Mark thanks for taking the time for the comments. Those are some incredibly gorgeous hand tools.

You have some beautiful work.

Ditto. It's been fascinating to see your journey to this point, Mark. Hearing your latest thoughts is always informative and thought-provoking.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Aspiring

Mark thanks for taking the time for the comments. Those are some incredibly gorgeous hand tools.

You have some beautiful work.

You're welcome. I want to add that when I say art and I'm talking about tools, it is not just about the looks, it's really more about the function and comfort of use, it's the combination of form, function and comfort that makes it art. Just like a beautiful guitar that doesn't sound and feel great will never be art, just a soulless pretty object.

Originally Posted by Erithon

Ditto. It's been fascinating to see your journey to this point, Mark. Hearing your latest thoughts is always informative and thought-provoking.

Thanks Erithon!

OK let's get back to that Woodsman

Here I have the first side bent and the second in the side bender:



Then with both sides in the bender they are joined by gluing in first the end block and then the neck block:





The Spanish Cedar kerfing and side braces are glued in and trimmed:





From there we can work to close up the body of the guitar:









It looks old already. And that's because it is old. The Eastern Black Walnut was milled over a 100yrs ago and that old growth Redwood was milled over 150yrs ago.

Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[TomB'sox]

yes, it looks old which is really cool. Another great Hatcher coming down the tracks!

[WayneJohnson]

I always love your work Mark, always!!!

[Treenewt]

Mark

I love your description of your love for hand tools...it's inspiring!

The Woodsman is coming along quite nicely! I really dig that model!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

yes, it looks old which is really cool. Another great Hatcher coming down the tracks!

Thanks Tom, I see what you did there with the coming down the tracks part

Originally Posted by WayneJohnson

I always love your work Mark, always!!!

Thanks Wayne!

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Mark

I love your description of your love for hand tools...it's inspiring!

The Woodsman is coming along quite nicely! I really dig that model!

Thanks Treenewt, I really like making Woodsman guitars, they are quite different from my other builds.

The next step is to select and put in the binding and end graft. Since it is a really old looking guitar already we decided to stick with the old look and go with 5,000 yrs+ old Bog Oak for this step. It's amazing how big these ancient Oak trees were;





They have been so wet for so long that they shrink by as much as 25% in diameter when dried. It takes time and skill for them not to crack apart in this process. However, that does make chunks available to use for parts though. Here I am planning the binding pieces to thickness and then a picture of the binding and one of those chunks I got for making such parts;





Then it's just a matter of bending the binding, cutting the channels and gluing it all in;







Thanks for following along!
Mark

[Dave Higham]

I have a hand drill like the one in your photo. I bought it new 60 years ago, but I seldom use it these days.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Dave Higham

I have a hand drill like the one in your photo. I bought it new 60 years ago, but I seldom use it these days.

That was the time when the best egg beater drill were made. Most of the new tools I've been buying lately are more contemporary or are remakes and upgrades to older tools like what Lie Nielson is doing with old Stanley designs.
However, hand drills peaked around 60 years ago. The thought and workmanship that went into those has not been equaled since.

After a lot of research I got this 1957 Millers Falls 5A drill. I found a tool restorer named Wiktor Kuc out of New Mexico who meticulously brings the tools back to new (or better) using all original parts.



It is superbly balanced horizontally and vertically. The frame is malleable iron and the handles are Tigerwood hardwood.



It has double pinion gears for smooth operation. The main gear is extra thick so when you are doing extremely fine work with small bits you can hold the drill with the side handle and comfortably grip the main gear to spin a fragile bit.



The nickle plated collet is spring loaded and takes up to a 1/4" drill shaft.

This has a lot of guitar applications and I'll never again worry if my batteries are charged!

OK, back to the Woodman;

I'm onto the neck now. I am making the neck from 250yrs+ old sinker Mahogany from Belize. I got a number of boards with the Woodsman in mind. I also used this wood for some of the internal components like the neck block;



I am also doing the traditional bird's mouth joint for the headstock:





We also decided to go with ancient Bog Oak for the Fretboard;



The Headstock overlay selected will be from the same 100 year old Black Walnut the back and sides are made from. It is the third one, all the way to the right;



It has some nice figure on the bottom and some clear real estate up top to sink the Stag inlay into.

Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[ukejon]

Great series of posts about hand work and hand tools. Very inspiring indeed.

[Guitars44me]

Originally Posted by ukejon

Great series of posts about hand work and hand tools. Very inspiring indeed.

I Love the hand tools!!! My father was a carpenter's apprentice when young.
I could use any of his tools, but if I didn't put it back where it belonged I would go hungry until I found it! Wish I still had those tools...

These instruments are so sweet! Love the new/old concept.

Carry on and have fun

Paul

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by ukejon

Great series of posts about hand work and hand tools. Very inspiring indeed.

Thanks ukejon! I agree they are inspiring. A well made hand tool is an inspiration to my guitar building in much the same way that I hope my guitars are an inspiration to the artists that buy my instruments.

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

I Love the hand tools!!! My father was a carpenter's apprentice when young.
I could use any of his tools, but if I didn't put it back where it belonged I would go hungry until I found it! Wish I still had those tools...

These instruments are so sweet! Love the new/old concept.

Carry on and have fun

Paul

Thanks Paul, your father sounds was a wise man!

I've been organizing my guitar woods sets. I have 43 different species of back/side sets and I've been adding to my tops woods lately. One thing I find more inspiring than great hand tools is new woods!

I was talking with my supplier about my Red, White and Blue guitar and he loved the concept and commented, "I have a couple of those float wood bear claw Sitka sets with the Red, White and Blue in them". Well, now I have them!;





While I was at it I also got a really dark Blue set too;



Amazing bear claw on that one!

I also picked up two curly Sitka sets. Curly Sitka, you don't often see curly Sitka!;





I'm an inspired guy!

Mark

[Carpinteria]

Wow, Mark, what a spectacular collection of wood and tools! Thanks for sharing them! Dave

[The Bard Rocks]

I don't think I have ever seen curly sitka. Incidentally, I like the bear claw better - and also the RW&B.