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Since I started building I've used a simple 2' x 1 3/4' board clamped to my bench with screwed on blocks to elevate and lock (wedges) a guitar body when binding, sanding (including finish sanding) fitting neck to body, etc
I have another arrangement to sand sides of a body.
Wotcha using?
Thinking to make something "better" although this works fairly well.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I used a variety of clamping fixtures till I got a Troji. Worth the space it takes up in my small shop.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Finish sanding is done on a downdraft table.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Colin, I made this guitar vise attached to the end of my bench and it has worked well for me. You've probably seen these. It's two pipe clamps, two pieces of 1/4" plywood, rubber foam cushioning on the boards and pipe insulating foam pieces on the pipes. This is the only readily available photo...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

yup! Works great.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Terence, That is a much better photo of the guitar vise AND a beautiful instrument...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I use this for working on the body, holds guitar while cutting binding channels or neck mortises, etc.

Permanent stationary "chairs" hold one end of the body. Adjustable "chairs" mounted to 1/2" Lexan on a piano hinge support the other end. The Lexan swings up and down with the hand screw to "level" the body however you want. Lots less fiddling around and works great.





Brian

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

Thanks Brian. That's the kind of holder I'm asking about.
Mine is similar but perhaps a little bit more crude.
I already have a "side of bench" clamping arrangement mostly for neck flossing, a neck or rather body morticing "box" and a carriage for routing binding ledges.
But I like the horizontal holder because I can firmly clamp a body in there and really pull on tape to glue bindings on, and various other tasks.
It can be rotated and/or clamped to the bench in various positions for gluing and scraping/levelling bindings, sanding (by hand or ROS) CA'ing purflings, cutting binding and purfling to length, etc.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Exactly Colin. You are looking for the same thing I was. The double thick MDF base is stiff enough and heavy enough to not need clamping except for maybe scraping the back. I can spin it however I want to access the area of work. The adhesive backed foam sheet on the chairs grip the body very well while protecting it. And 3 simple adjustments will hold about any body shape.

Brian

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

You haven't seen me pulling on that fibreglass binding tape!
What's the arrangement with the brass bar screwed on thang?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

The brass is a piano hinge that is screwed to the MDF and into the edge of the 1/2" thick acrylic. So the bottom 2 body holding "chairs" can hinge up or down to "level" the body. The knob in the middle raises or lowers the Lexan and the attached 2 chairs.

This should help - (side view)

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

I see now. The upper "chairs" are quite high, and the lower section adjusts to level as required.
What are you using to line the chairs to protect the finish - looks very thin?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

The covering is just some 1/8" thick peel and stick foam rubber. You can get it in craft stores. When it wears out or comes off I just replace it. Most all corners and edges the guitar could contact are rounded off for additional protection against my fingers becoming all thumbs when it happens.

Having used it for several years I can't think of anything I'd change.

Cheers
Brian

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

You've certainly given me some ideas.
I might think about adding some carpeting on the bottom in case fumble-fingers me drop a body on the brass bit/area, and non slip matting on the back.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I made this years ago and it has served me well. There is a piece of carpet on the bottom in the picture but I later replaced it with cork. I have a padded tapered block to slide under the head block area to stabilize the body when it is in the top up position.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I'll be ordering LMI's vacuum work holder soon. Since I use vacuum for laminating sides and gluing bridges, it makes sense.

Colin I can't locate the picture but I find the cradle I use to do the binding rebate, as per Trevor Gore and other such systems, really useful. It has a good grip on the body and when clamped to the bench allows binding/purfling to be strapped on with some real tension.

Dave m

Yes, I've got one of those as well, use it with a tower rig for binding, but it's small and light and glides on big telfon buttons so not so useful for clamping down, etc.
Just looking for a "better mousetrap" than the one I've go.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

It's spendy, but it's awesome.

https://www.festoolproducts.com/festool ... m-set.html

Got pics of yours being used "in anger"?
I'd be frightened to get it dirty..

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I use one of those Stewmac guitar repair vise. They are sold in Taiwan as a wood carving vise but it's the same thing as the older version of Stewmac's guitar repair vise. However it's iffy for holding bodies. I have to be very careful where to clamp it or I risk damaging the body if I clamp it tight enough to hold it. If the guitar has a neck, I can clamp the neck down and work on the guitar without any issue or risk of dropping it.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I'm still using my knees LOL. Some good ideas here. I love the troji but just don't have the room for one. I do have one of those Work Mate tables though and I understand some folks use those as a sort of troji... Something to look into.

Guitar repair vise. Had one for years, totally unsuitable for what I need.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Colin--

For body holding, see my workbench in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=52256&hilit=workbench

I use the twin screw vise on the end of my workbench, in conjunction with some pretty strong foam against both jaws. The foam is the really hefty stuff that doesn't yield easily. I cut a curved shape (roughly 15' radius) in the inside faces. This basically works like a Troji, but I can also take the foam out and use the vise as intended. It is just the right width for fingerboards on edge, stuff like that.