Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello all,

I being with an apology, becuase you are probably swamped daily by beginners like myself looking for guidance. But, basically, my problem consists not so much in knowing what tools to buy, or what wood to get, but how to set up a useable workshop in the space I have available, one that will accomated those tools, and store the wood itself.

First of all, the workshop will be located in a new, but uninsulated, shed. I have not checked moisture levels, but as I live in Ireland, I wouldn't say it would be ideal. I'll probably store the wood in my house, and use the shed for working. Could I store wood in a suitcase with a small humidty control pouch (like the Planet Waves Humidipak one, or something similar? Short term solution?). The shed itself has a decent light source (I could add more), and is certainly dry to the touch on the interior, but I am limited in how much space I can occupy. The active work area would be an along a wall (not a thick one though... wood) around 6ft long (the wall itself is longer than 6ft), about 3 1/2ft in depth, and around 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 ft tall (sloping roof). You can add a bit more to that for seating. It just can't be enormous is all. The floor is raised above the ground, so I can't really bolt things into it (like the Stew Mac Shop Stand).

As for what my goals are, well, I originally inteded to build a classical guitar, but now I realise a kit might be a better choice. I have no real woodworking experience, just electric guitar repair/maintainance. I think I will start with the Uke kit from Stew Mac (I've read the other thread on this) or the 000 steel string one.

Anyway, I'm going to probably use a mix of power and hand tools. So I would like:

A workbench
A drill press
A router (dremel? table mounted maybe?)
Band saw

These are pretty basic tools in a 'modern' shop, and even though I know I won't need all of these for the uke kit, they're the ones I'd like to end up with.

What's the best way forward?

P.S. I own a few books on guitar making, and have read them, so I understand the process in theory. I just need to begin setting up my workspace.

P.P.S. I've seen some plans for wokbenches and the like online, but you'd need a workshop to make the half of them! Anything luthier specific out there?

P.P.P.S. Thanks in advance for any help. This is a great site, and I look forward to posting here.

Uke, I probably don't have your answer, but let me be the first to welcome you to the OLF. It is a great place, and you will probably get some answers. It would be nice, if we had a name to identify with, only for knowing you better, and because,..........well, we care! You told us where you are, but not who you are.

I'm certain you can do what you want to do, many have built with very limited shop space. For some, it is just a work space in a room. Humidity will be an issue, at some point, and you'll have to deal with it. Hopefully some of the folks with small work spaces will chime in with some suggestions.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Can't believe I forgot that bit!

The name is Joe. Sorry, how rude.

Thanks for the response, and yes, I have been reading some of the heroic conditions in which lutherie has been practised. I mean, a hotel room for god's sake!

As for who I am. Well, work in a guitar shop. Early 20's. Average Joe really.

Hey Joe

What are the interior dimensions of your shed?

I build on my patio, and the way I've combatted moisture has been by covering my stationary tools with tarps every time I finish using and cleaning them. I wrap the tarps around and fasten them with bungee cords/tie downs.

My hand power tools are kept in a storage closet, and my hand tools are in my spare closet inside.

Well the shed is a good deal bigger than the space I gave. But a lot ofit is used for storing garden equipment. There is a chest of drawersI could use for power tools and the like. I have lots of bike parts in it at the moment (which have never showed any tarnishing btw), but they can be moved. As for hand tools and wood, I could bring them indoors, when not in use. The shed isn't leaky, or really very damp at all. It's still a shed though. The dimensions I gave above would be the ideal ones to stick to.

Would I be right in thinking that a big old wooden table would be a good idea. An old pine one say? A bit soft for clamping to?

Hey joe,

All the best with your setup and hope things go well.

Cheers,
Ankit

Hi Joe, Welcome aboard here at the OLf ! A lot of builders have started out in smaller spaces than yours and succeeded
in creating some great guitars. I would spend some time with the humidity issue right away.Maybe a dehumidifier,some
insulation,and get it around 45 to 50 RH. Get your workbench made and,I agree a uke kit would be a good place to start.
Good Luck setting up and making your first.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Joe,
Welcome to the forum! I agree with Dave that the humidity issue is a good place to focus attention. If the humidity level is fairly constant, you shouldn't have much trouble during the building process with parts changing size on you. It's the wide swings in humidity that are troublesome. If the humidity is high and you will send finished guitars somewhere with a much lower level, that is also a problem. I build in a free standing building that was a garage before I insulated it and put in a window air conditioner/heater. The temprature and humidity now stay pretty constant - 70-80 degrees F and 38%-45% RH (in southeast Texas, the outside is 90% RH in the morning at 78 degrees F and 45% RH at near 100 degrees F in the afternoon). The AC/heater unit cost me about $900 and the insulation about $700 for a 1,200 square foot space. It was money well spent in my experience as I can now keep everything in one place.

Good luck!

Chuck

_________________
"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong"
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

Thanks guys for all the tips. I must get a hydrometer, and take some measurements at different times of day. We're coming into winter now, so it'll only get wetter.

As for buidling a workbench, how do you go about that? Essentially as simple as a table with legs I guess?

Joe,
My workbench is a simple frame with two sheets of 3/4 inch MDF (stacked one on the other for a 1-1/2 inch thickness) as the surface. It stays nice and flat and is heavy enough that it cannot slide around on the floor. I finished the surface with oil based polyurethane and when it gets banged up from use, I simple sand and refinish it.

_________________
"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong"
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

Joe:

Your bench is central to the process, but you can adapt to anything, given the restrictions of space and budget. Things to consider: 1) The bench should be smaller than your normal woodworking bench. Just a little larger than a guitar saves a lot of steps. 2) You need to be able to secure the guitar and jigs to the bench in some manner, without marring the work. 3) It needs to be comfortable to you. (I'm 6'4" tall, too fat and too old and these factors affect the bench dimensions) 4) Over engineer the bench for sturdyness. 5) Look at the woodworking magazines or books for bench desigh and construction ideas.

Just don't wait to start your building because you don't have a satisfactory bench or other item. The kitchen table will work for the first build.

But, if you come up with a brillant new idea, bench or otherwise, you must be inclined to share.

Good luck!

I have a small basement shop I do lots of guitar repairs in. Everything from simple setups to neck resets etc. The basement shop is about 5x8'. The bench takes up the whole 8' wall and I only have a few feet behind me to move. I think the bench will probably need to occupy your work space. I have a drill press at one end and a vise at the other. There is lots of storage underneath. I have a small bench top bandsaw that I can place under the bench when not being used. No problems on the size. Luckily, I also have a nice woodshop in the garage for the big messy stuff. That is where I have the table saw, another drill press, routers, sanders etc.

You may want to consider a shopvac system to keep dust down if your sanding in such a smal place.

Joe

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Joe

Thanks for all for the help guys. I'll let you know how I get on.

Hey Guys,

Just bought a load of timber, screws, and corner brackets, and have pretty much finished putting together a basic workbench for myself. I'll put up pics once I have the lighting and wiring installed. Nothing dangerous though, just a multi-plug adapter and a draughtsmans desk lamp. Overall, it's not perfect, but it'll do me fine.

Now I'm just wondering about tools, specifically bandsaws. The way I see it, I basically need them for cutting the neck, and the sides. That means that there has to be a fair bit of 'room' for me to move the wood around the blade, and that it has to be able to cut very true (with a straight edge guide) if needed. Right?

Here are a few models I'm looking at:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/56797/Power-Tools/Benchtop-Woodworking/Titan-SF8R-190mm-Band-Saw?cm_re=SEARCHPROMO-_-BANDSAW-_-56797

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/20397/Power-Tools/Benchtop-Woodworking/Titan-SF16G-406mm-Band-Saw

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/32189/Power-Tools/Benchtop-Woodworking/Rexon-EBS250A-254mm-Bandsaw

I think drill presses are fairly striaght forward. So I'll probably go for something like this:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/45128/Power-Tools/Benchtop-Woodworking/Rexon-DP2300AL-Bench-Drill-Press-240V

Or this:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/44021/Power-Tools/Benchtop-Woodworking/Titan-SF16N-9-Drill-Press-230V

I don't mind a bit of work, but shopping is not my strong point! Any recommendations, especially on the saws, would be great.

Thanks again,
Joe

I've been searching the forum, and looking at other brands like Rikon and Dewalt, so if the above are junk, by all means say so! I'd prefer to get something of good quailty. Obviously I won't be needing anything fancy, just solid. Suggestions?

Again, thanks.

Much appreciated.

Ok, so the workshop is coming together quite nicely at the moment, and I think I have a fairly solid idea of what I realistically need in terms of tools. I've found a supplier here that should be able to get me the items I'm after. I also intend to place an order with Stew Mac soon enough, to get some of the more specialist stuff (fretting stuff, etc.).

But one problem still needs to be tackled: climate control. Now I know that the first thing I should do is actually check the relative humity of the workshop and get an average of what its peaks and low points are, but assuming it is, in fact, a little too humid, would I be able to create a kind of "isolation" unit in which to store my wood within the workshop, instead of trying to properly insulate and seal the shed itself? (By the way, this is a relatively new shed, so it's not exactly falling apart). I was thinking of getting my hands on something like this:

http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/14/27605914.html

Or making my own out of ply...


I could line the interior with thin (15-20mm) sheets of polystyrene (the stuff used for packaging) or other insulative material, and in order to create a better seal to the lid (assuming a sealed container is good for wood), I could attach strips of linoleum floor covering on the underside of the lid (where it contacts the sides) and on the top edge of the sides (where they contact the lid). This would cause the lid to be quite snug when clamped down. The insulation would help keep the temperature levels from dropping too low, and a small humidity control device (like the Planet waves one) should help to keep the relative humity close to 45%.

Is this a silly plan?

I was initially thinking of using an old chest-type freezer (not plugged in of course), but I heard that they can start to let of weird smells...

If anyone's got an opinion, I'd be glad to have your advice.

I know I haven't measured the humidity of the shed itself yet (getting a hygrometer as soon as i can), but would this plan, at leat in theory, be a viable alternative to the option of trying to renovate the entire shed space?

(sorry about all the typos above, but my browser is reall lagging up when I try to post or edit)