@boo

With all our pooled resources I'm sure we could build a monster Ark big enough for all the Bailey community. As for money I've always found that if you're good enough at what you do then work flows in your direction. 

What the...? Did I forget to include the link for the vid of Dan and the buffer?

What am I, an idiot? Wait, don’t answer that...

Blimey Rocknroller! In words of Jack Dee you’re a real old ray of sleet!😂😂

I do just feel the need to point out that I’m currently NOT up for designing a low cost 48” diameter automatic robotic guitar polisher! In my next life, maybe!

However, I do love Boo’s idea of pooling resources and opening a factory. This kind of thing has been bouncing around in my head for years and there are now some really well equipped shared, ‘hire space’ type woodworking facilities dotted around the country. Setting up something like this specifically aimed at instrument makers would just be amazing. Who knows what opportunities the post-Covid world might hold?

Darren

Hi Robin,

Thank you for your comments. Yes, the two grub screws in the shaft locate in the motor shaft keyway and there are also two grub screws in the bearing sleeve that also secure the shaft. I intend to use some high strength thread lock compound on the shaft/motor screws so I think this should do the trick. Once I’ve got a shaft installed and it is is spinning a mop I’ll take a view on how much vibration there is, I’m hoping not much, and then take view on any other measures that might be required.

Cheers

Darren

Hi Mikey,

I understand your comment about the length of shaft. I going to have three prototype shafts made @ 500mm, 550mm and 600mm so I can assess the difference . The longer the shaft then the more clearance you get to to the body of the machine but the downside is that, unless you increase the distance from the motor bearing to the front bearing, therefore increasing the total length of the machine, then you increase the side load on the motor bearing. This may, or may not, be an issue. The front motor bearing actually looks pretty beefy and it will be spinning at well below it’s maximum speed so it could well cope with no problem. I have ordered two of each motor rated at 750W, 800W an 1000W and I will have a good go at destroying one of each. I don’t think I’ll manage it though. If you think about it, to stall a 1hp motor by ramming a lacquered guitar into a polishing wheel, you’ve really got to not be caring all that much about the guitar surely! I keep you informed of progress.

Cheers

Darren

A two pack system just means that you have to mix two components before spraying, it doesn’t automatically mean that the finishes are hugely toxic. The main issue with 2 pack PU finishes is that the pot life isn’t very long, 1-2 hours (ish) I believe. Anyone getting into regular spray finishing should really get equipped with some kind of spray booth/extraction/filter system but I doubt that half a dozen guitars finished with rattle cans or a small spray gun in your back garden or garage is going to be of interest to the authorities.

Darren

@darrenking

Sorry to be a wet blanket it must be all the drugs the hospital have been pumping in to me the last few days affecting my thinking. Your design looks very good and I think it will fly off the self. Shared spaces sound great it's a pity we all live so far away from each other.

Hi Rocknroller,

I’m sorry to hear to that you have been under recent medical care and I hope that you make speedy recovery. Take care and get well soon.

Cheers

Darren

Do you think we would make any money? 

I'm reminded of the joke
Q : "How do you make a million in the music business?"

A : "Start with two"

On a more serious note I'm trying to get something happening re guitar building at my local hackspace (or at least I will when it reopens). There's a certain amount of interest. We have routers, router table, band saw (need to fix that), pillar drill. I'm trying to source a motor to make a thickness sander.
A lot of the smaller more specialized tools I have myself (fretting saw, fret hammer, etc) and for a few builds I'll be ok lending them (under close supervision, I like my tools!) but if there's enough interest I'll organize pledges to buy some for the space.

However, I do love Boo’s idea of pooling resources and opening a factory. This kind of thing has been bouncing around in my head for years and there are now some really well equipped shared, ‘hire space’ type woodworking facilities dotted around the country. Setting up something like this specifically aimed at instrument makers would just be amazing. Who knows what opportunities the post-Covid world might hold?

There are actually benefits to it not just being for instrument makers because you can benefit from other skillsets. Building Bloqs in North London have a resident violin maker, but they also have people who use the place who could machine you a custom bridge, sew you a gigbag, paint cool artwork on your guitar, whatever.

Shared spaces sound great it's a pity we all live so far away from each other.

There are various "shared space" initiatives around the country.  They're not intended specifically for guitar makers, but are intended to support various different woodworkery / metalworkery / etcworkery crafts - either to help small businesses get established, or to allow hobbyists to do their thing.

Given our geographic dispersion, not really an option for us. 

I guess the best option would be if one of us could get a workshop set-up, and then perhaps open it up and run courses there for a week or two every so often ...

I'm reminded of the joke
Q : "How do you make a million in the music business?"

A : "Start with two"

I think Mark's version of that is;

Q: "How do you make a million pounds as a guitar maker?"

A:  "Start with £2m and work damn hard for a year".

🙄

@rocknroller912 Sorry to hear you are not so good and in hospital. I hope you are back to normal and home soon. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Yeah I think because we are spread all over the country, it’s not feasible set up factory unless we committed to moving home to one geographical location. If a serious conversation starts about doing this then can I suggest us finding a workspace just down the road from my new house in Scotland, I think it’s the perfect place. 😆 

I think all we can do for now, most of the time, is send stuff to each other via courier if certain jobs are required that can’t be done at home or if we haven’t got the equipment or skills to get it done. We could call it the “decentralised factory model” (DFM). Someone specialise in making necks and fretboards (maybe invest in a radius machine), Mark Bailey already has one and we could send any radius work his way. Someone specialise in jigs, templates and patterns etc (someone with a cnc machine maybe 🤔). Someone become a pickup expert (and electronics. I hate doing soldering etc and would love to outsource this to a fellow communiteer). Someone become an expert in hardware (bridges, machine heads etc). Someone become a paint finishing expert (I have no clue where we would find one 😳). Now, the idea isn’t to take custom away from Yoda (I mean @markbailey) and some of the products and services he offers but if we do certain jobs for each other, it will enhance the community and bring us closer together (even though we are miles apart). 

We could test the DFM out by some of us trying a community design and build. Maybe someone could draw out a design and send it to @darrenking who could make a routing template set. These could be sent to a person who will make a neck or a body (this could be multiple participants, we could all make one), I would suggest whatever woods we choose, we sand and grain fill before going any further. They could then be sent to someone who does good finishes (stain, oil and paint). Once a finish has been done, they get sent to someone who is good at electronics to get all the soldering done. Finally, everything gets sent back to their respective owners, ready for final construction and setup. 

It’s a really long winded, and not particularly economical, way of building a guitar (or guitars, plural) but it’s all fun and who knows where it might lead. 😁

We could then showcase our creation by sending them to Mark for inspection. I may send the glitterball Strat up to Mark and if he wants to make a neck for it, we could perhaps run another competition or charity fundraiser with it. 

Food for thought maybe? What do you think? 

We could test the DFM out by some of us trying a community design and build.

Lockdown LooseyTwo @Boo?

Food for thought maybe? What do you think? 

Depends on what you're trying to achieve @Boo.

As a standard, albeit somewhat decentralised, production line approach, then it makes sense with each person specialising in one aspect of guitar building.

But that's not really the Bailey ethos - of learning all the skills required to do the whole job yourself?

Plus, building the things isn't my problem ... the problem is what to do with them all once I've built them! 

I've attained the mythical status, long believed by guitarists to be an impossible state, of "too many guitars".

I know.  I'll be excommunicated and de-forummed shortly ...

I've attained the mythical status, long believed by guitarists to be an impossible state, of "too many guitars".

I know.  I'll be excommunicated and de-forummed shortly ...

@tv101 😱 Be very careful T, you are pushing it now. 🤣

But that's not really the Bailey ethos - of learning all the skills required to do the whole job yourself?

@tv101 No, I don’t mean all of us do that all the time. We can learn to do everything ourselves (as per Mark Bailey) on our own builds but for community designs and projects, we can outsource specialist jobs. 

Lockdown LooseyTwo @Boo?

@TV101 As this would a community project we could call it “Lockdown Groupie”. 

As this would a community project we could call it “Lockdown Groupie”. 

@Boo - now it's got to be done, just to use that name.

now it's got to be done, just to use that name.

@tv101 Yes I think so. 🤘😁🤘🎸