carpenter - 10-5-2007 at 08:23 AM
Some time- and temper-savers I've found handy: at the top is a digital caliper. I grew up thinking in inches; mm were the foreign stuff of math class.
Now I can click and go back and forth between decimal inches and mm and continue my education. Also, the display is good-sized - the increments on a
dial caliper are getting a little fuzzy for some of us oldsters. 20 bucks, more or less, your local machine tool supply.
A 1/16" drill bit. Drill bit? This is a Screw Machine Drill, much, much stiffer than your hardware store bit. 80 cents, more or less, again at the
machine tool supplier. As with flossing, not all of us center-punch all the time. I like bits that go where I point them, and these bits do it.
Particularly handy for peg holes, bridge holes, rose drilling, etc.
A little chisel I made, .028" w. This is officially a violin purfling channel lifter, but just the thing for tiny rose work. It's made from a
street-sweeper bristle - good steel, and free on the street. I've made other chisels and cutters from them; they work well.
Nut files. The cut is on the edge, radiused, two widths per file - .012/016, 026/032, 036/042, and that should cover about anything.
Stewart-MacDonald, not really known for low prices, but these files are just what I want for nut work; nice, smooth, rounded slots.
How about you? Some favorite tool that eases a process, a Better Way, a bright idea, some secret-weapon fixture? I'd be interested, and I bet I'm not
alone. The world is waiting. Don't forget to floss.
One more
carpenter - 10-5-2007 at 08:33 AM
"How we stuff peppers." The tool here is a keyless chuck on the drill press. Around $40, at the machine tool shop - and you can spend more, they'll be
happy to take your money. This one is an import, from Poland, I think, Bison brand, and plenty good for wood. Firmer-gripping, with practically no
runout, definitely less than the keyed chuck that came with the drill press, and takes bits down to 1/32". I've spent countless hours over the years
looking for the chuck key, but no more! Now I can put my attention to the larger issues of our time, like "Where'd I put my glasses?"
And another ...
carpenter - 10-5-2007 at 09:17 AM
A clear plastic 45 degree drafting triangle, with a perpendicular scratch. So? So, if you have something without parallel sides, but with a centerline
- say a neck, fingerboard, top - lay the scratch-side-down along the centerline, and get a 90 degree reference to that center. Nice for bridge
placement, at the very least. The longer the distance from the base to the apex, the more accurate, I say. (Within reason ...)
Meets my criteria - free or cheap, a fuss-saver, and an elegant solution.
jdowning - 10-6-2007 at 12:27 PM
A mini gouge carving chisel can be made from the rib of an umbrella. Umbrella ribs are (or were!) usually made from high carbon steel so can be
sharpened. Just cut a short length of a rib (using a 'Dremel'tool cut off disc) and set it into a wooden handle with epoxy glue. I will have to wait
until I have a wrecked umbrella before I can post an image!
Broken 1/8" shank carbide drills or cutters - set into a wooden handle - can make good tools for setting a burr on scrapers - particularly curved
scrapers. Used with a 'paring' action (like using a 'pen knife' to carve wood)
This could be an interesting thread so will give a bit more thought to other tools that I have made in the past from scrap materials.
Dr. Oud - 10-9-2007 at 01:12 PM
a simple balance beam to measure equal weights of whatever.
Dr. Oud - 10-9-2007 at 01:14 PM
oud holder thingy - inspired by the carpenter of ugene
Dr. Oud - 10-9-2007 at 01:15 PM
face brace clamp - the best I've used (so far)
Dr. Oud - 10-9-2007 at 01:17 PM
moldless oud back holder
carpenter - 10-12-2007 at 01:21 PM
Thanks, Richard, for the face brace clamp reminder - I really should be making one. Just the thing!
Here's my sharpening setup; for all you sanders, give edge tools a chance! This is a granite surface plate - though a nice, thick glass or steel
plate, anything hard and dead flat, would work as well - with sticky-back sandpaper, 400 and 600 grit. I like it because, at 80 pounds, it's not
going to walk around the shoppe. Also, a 6000 grit waterstone for final sharpening.
There's a Veritas honing guide, which really works great, and the yellow-handlebars thing is a guide for thick Japanese blades. I like this setup
much better than dealing with bellied-out waterstones - and the constant re-flattening - and the slurry mess, or oilstones and even more of a mess.
Another plus is it's convenient - I tend to touch up edges more often when it's right there and ready to go. I recall there's at least one website
dealing with this technique, for your continuing education. Friend of mine teaches woodworking, and he swears by this method, getting to sharpen who
knows how many tools - chisels, gouges, plane blades - every week. Best he's found; I agree. He finishes gouges with a hard piece of leather and white
buffing compound, for what that's worth.
As usual, one man's opinion.
jdowning - 10-15-2007 at 02:34 PM
With both new and old plane blades and flat backed chisels, I start with a ground flat metal plate (3''x10") and 90 grit silicon carbide with kerosene
as a lubricant to lap the back of the blades perfectly flat. This is usually a lot of work and needs quite a bit of pressure on the blade. I apply
extra pressure with a piece of wood held across the back of the blade so that I can apply an even force with both hands. As work progresses the grit
breaks down and becomes finer so there is no need to work with a succession of finer grits. I like to renovate old blades as these are often of
laminated construction (like Japanese blades today) - a very hard carbon steel plate welded to a soft iron back.
I hollow grind the cutting edge bevel on a hand cranked grinder. A bit slow but little danger of overheating the steel and losing hardness this
way.
I have used Japanese water stones but find them to be too soft and otherwise no advantage over traditional oil stones which are very durable. I use
kerosene as a lubricant. Initial sharpening is on a fine grit Aluminium Oxide stones followed by a natural Arkansas stone. Once the sliver of steel at
the edge has fallen off I hone to a razor edge on a piece of hard leather glued to a wooden block treated with Lee Valley green honing compound. A
razor edge can be verified visually with experience but I usually test the blade (carefully!) on the back of my hand. If it shaves hairs then it is
good enough. In use, it is best to strop the blade frequently to maintain sharpness.
I do not use sharpening guides as the correct bevel can be judged by feel (with hollow ground edges) as well as visually (kerosene oozes from under
the edge of the blade when the bevel angle is correct on the oil stone).
All a bit old fashioned (traditional!) but it works for me.
jdowning - 10-16-2007 at 12:34 PM
Another useful method for clamping braces to a soundboard when gluing - used by many luthiers - is the so called 'go-bar' clamp. This is an ancient
method used by harpsichord and piano makers in the past (and possibly also by oud/lute makers?). It is a method that also has non- instrument making
applications.
A go-bar is just a thin flexible rod of wood, steel or other material such as fiberglass that provides a clamping force by being bowed slightly when
set in a frame. For the piano builder the ceiling of the workshop is the upper part of the frame and a very sturdy bench - which supports the
soundboard - the lower part. The accumulated forces of many go-bars used in a gluing operation can be considerable so the support frame (or workshop
ceiling!) must be strong enough to handle the load.
The method has the advantage of being fast (necessary when using hide glue) so that a complete soundboard may be barred in one sitting. It is best
suited to flat soundboards but curved soundboards may also be accommodated if the support bench is shaped to the required curvature.
I made my small scale luthiers go-bar frame from 3/4" plywood - two layers glued together for the base and one layer for the top substantially braced
with 3/4" pine. The frame is held together under tension by 4 - 1/2" standard screwed rods, available from any hardware store. I have not made an
instrument from scratch for 10 years now but have dusted down the frame and set up an old lute belly showing the frame and go- bars in use - by way of
a demonstration. I could not find the original go-bars that I made from ash wood so have just used some lengths of 1/4" dowel for demonstration
purposes.
The spacing between top and bottom of my frame is 16" which is a bit too tight. A spacing of around 24" would have been better to minimise the
sideways displacement forces introduced by the bending of the go-bar which can cause shifting of a bar when being glued. Also, I found that the ash
wood go-bars under load lost elasticity (i.e. they permanently set in a curve) reducing their effectiveness. Fiberglass rod go-bars - 24" in length -
are available from luthier supply companies.
An improved design of go-bar would be a straight wooden rod fitted with a spring loaded tip. This would have the advantage of providing the required
clamping loads without any sideways force so that the go-bar could also be made shorter to fit into a more compact frame. I shall try a design of this
kind next time around
Peyman - 10-16-2007 at 07:04 PM
Can you guys also write a little about finishing? It would be helpful to most of us. I would appreciate a little discussion on the topic.
carpenter - 10-17-2007 at 09:44 AM
I'm from the "Get 'Er Done" school, and a big fan of Tru-Oil finishes. I'm sure jdowning will weigh in from "The Good Old Way" end of the spectrum -
right, John? Anyway, you could do worse than check out this 'Finishing Instruments With Tru-Oil' link from Luthier's Mercantile:
http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/TruOil.htm
Also, I imagine you might search the Oud Forums for "finishing" or "Tru-Oil" - I haven't, but you sure could, in a spare moment. (We're all experts
here, and our word is final, of course. Wait - what?)
We're pressing deeper into Opinion Territory again, but the LMI article doesn't go far enough, stopping at 600 grit Wet-or Dry paper. Burnishing as a
final step is the way to go.
In the photo, there's a pile of red cedar shavings - a word to you habitual sanders, start planing! - which make a dandy, shiny burnished surface.
Also, self-shavings, the wood you planed from, work well. Get a big fistful or two and have at it.
Two foam-backed sanding (choke!) sheets; look for the 'Made in England' stamp - got those at Woodcraft, if I recall; others probably carry them.
Particularly fine grits there, and contour-following properties with the foam. Followed by:
The white fibrous sheet, which is from the 3M folks, who bring you the green pot-scrubbers. Worth finding - they also make a brown coarser item, but
the white is the finest. Nice for lathe polishing, too.
Not shown is nylon netting, which works absolutely great! Get your old tutu out of the attic, and win!
The pointy steel thing is a printmaking burnisher, great for making unfinished pegs shiny. You could also use that old piston wrist pin out of your
Volvo on the bowl - I have one for turning scraper edges.
I take my burnishing weapon of choice, and rub the wood to where it looks like there's a couple of coats of shellac on the surface (without the
shellac) - then apply the Tru-Oil finish.
Of course, we're talking new construction here, not restoration ... I love French polish, but it's pretty delicate. Tru-Oil seems to be pretty much
bullet-proof on instruments.
Anybody else? This thread is starting to get interesting ...
Peyman - 10-17-2007 at 12:50 PM
Yes, tru-oil has been covered here a lot. I have done some reading and it seems like penetrating oils like tru-oil should not be used with open pore
types of wood, such as oak and mahogany. I'd be interested to know the opinion of the experts. I have used tru-oil and it's very easy to use and gives
nice results on hardwoods like walnut and maple. I tested some on oak and noticed that it didn't do a good job. Shellac seems to be a great finish
(and very traditional) for all types of wood but not as durable. Anyway, it's a nice discussion. Thanks for the post.
carpenter - 10-17-2007 at 01:37 PM
Tru-Oil worked fine for me on mahogany, and "penetrating" might be a little strong mental-image-wise. A couple of good swipes with a scraper, and it's
gone.
I suppose you could always go for a pore filler on that oak; they're available. Not every wood is going to shine up like ebony or a show car ... that
mahogany still looked like mahogany, which is fine with me. I tend to go for the minimal amount of finish, and let the wood be what it is. Starting
with good wood always helps.
I'm no expert by any stretch, just passing along successful experiences for what they're worth. (My dad once told me "expert" comes from two Latin
words - "ex" being has-been, and "spurt" being a drip under pressure. Heh.) Different approaches for different folks - keeps things interesting.
A lot of the enjoyment for me in building comes from trying other techniques, and seeing where they lead. Keep 'em coming.
Jameel - 10-17-2007 at 02:13 PM
Great info guys. What a great thread! I wish I had something new to share. I'm afraid this dog doesn't have too many new tricks.
I do have a couple little doohickeys that I'd like to share, but my shop is completely torn apart and not fit for photography. Heck, I can't even walk
safely from one side to the other right now.
You're granite plate scary-sharp system has got me re-thinking that method. I used to use it exclusively, but switched to Japanese waterstone, which I
like, but I have no sink in the shop, and even a short session leaves the fingers quite dirty--a real headache when working on a nice white
soundboard. Ah, sharpening, the never-ending dilemma.
carpenter - 10-18-2007 at 11:54 AM
Yup. Sharpening - always chasing 'nothing.'
The waterstone mud mess was what made me switch from using waterstones exclusively - I know what hand soap is, but there's always a little
something in there in the slurry/fingertips that's more than ready to transfer to my (formerly) clean surface; and oil's to put in my van
engine. I do like the finishing waterstones (6k - 10k + grit) for that final 'shaving edge', tho'. The mud production is minimal, and I've learned to
keep an eye, and a rag, on it. It seemingly takes forever for them to belly out ...
My shop's not fit for pictures, either, but it doesn't stop me. Fire away with those assorted doohickeys!
jdowning - 10-18-2007 at 01:47 PM
Not sure if this is in the oud tradition ( however, it can become so!) but it certainly was practiced among early lute makers. Lute makers would brand
their maker's identification mark onto the sound board of the lute, guitar or whatever - using a hot iron to scorch an impression into the wood (in
addition to gluing an identifying label inside the instrument body). Simply trying to stamp an impression into wood with a metal die does not work
very well - particularly in softwood - as wood tend to crush under the impact often leaving a less than perfect impression.
Making custom designed branding irons is not very difficult or time consuming. I attach images of two types of branding iron that I have made and used
on my instruments - but they can also be used on other woodworking projects that you may have some pride in.
The simplest is a 'star' brand, used by some 16th C Italian luthiers to decorate lute bridges. This is made from a piece of steel rod and the star
shape produced with needle files. My maker's brand - my initials - was made from a 1/2 " wide strip of brass sheet first bent to the letter profile
(in reverse!) with the fine detail added using needle files. The completed brand was then brazed to a brass rod and fitted into a wooden handle - as
is the star brand.
In use the brands are heated gently with a propane torch and first tested on a scrap of wood before being aligned and applied to the work - carefully,
as there is no second chance in case of error! The images show test impressions for the maker's brand on a piece of pine as the brand cooled from
being too hot to just hot enough to make an impression. The star brand impression on a lute bridge is made deeper by using at a higher temperature. In
this example the bridge is ebony so does not show any scorching. Lute bridges made of lighter coloured woods such as beech or maple were always
stained black so - likewise - would not show any scorch marks.
jdowning - 11-17-2007 at 07:55 AM
Just to keep this thread moving along here are some scraper burnishers made from 'scrap' materials. The first is a burnisher for use on small and
curved scraper blades - one handed operation, with a paring action, the thumb used to push against the scraper blade. This one was made from a broken
1/8 inch diameter solid carbide drill shank (the kind of drill used for drilling circuit boards - but broken HSS drill bit shanks would likely work as
well) and a 4 inch long file handle. The handle was cleaned up - the metal top was polished with some fine emery cloth to remove the slight rusting,
cleaned with alcohol and then re-blued using cold application gun blue available from any sporting shop or gun dealer. The handle was sanded, sealed
with shellac and the whole lot waxed and polished. All of this work, of course, is cosmetic and not absolutely necessary. The broken bit was roughed
up with a diamond coated file for half its length (to provide a better gluing surface) cleaned with alcohol and then glued into the handle with epoxy
glue leaving about 1/2 inch projecting from the handle. I will make my own tools like this if I have the required components already to hand if not
then I would purchase the tool - Lee Valley Tools of Ottawa sell a similar tool for only $7.50!
The bottom image shows some of my larger burnishers made for two handed use - the scraper blade being held in a vice for sharpening. One is made from
a worn out triangular file - the teeth being ground off and then polished to a smooth surface - and one made from a broken chisel. The top burnisher
is one sold by Lee Valley Tools for comparison. The larger three rods are needle roller bearings from scrap bearings. These have very hard, case
hardened surfaces so are suitable for gluing into wooden handles to make either one handed or two handed burnishers - dependant upon diameter and
length.
Always use kerosene or light oil as a lubricant when using a burnisher to minimise risk of galling or tearing the scraper edge.