Hi Jonathan - welcome! Beware... this is adictive... hope it goes well and you have a blast!

cheers, Herb

Hi Herb

thanks for the welcome, and the warning. It's Saturday and time for a bacon sarnie soon. Does life get any better than that?

J

Glad to have you Jonathan!

Happy hunting -Let me know if you get stuck finding anything.

Remember you don't need to go mad and buy whole sets of things! (most people do...)

Better to buy one quality chisel than a set of duffers 🙂

Good luck with your first build!

Welcome Jonathan, I really hope you enjoy building your first guitar here with Mark.

Are you building an electric or acoustic? 

Herb is right with his warning, it is addictive. Haha......

Take your time choosing good tools, just buy what you need and try and stay away from buying sets of things such as router bits (like Mark advised). 

Your first build is not time sensitive so really take your time, absorb Mark’s knowledge and memorise the processes. You will make mistakes (I did) but don’t panic, Mark is here for you, he is a star! 

If you catch the bug, you may want to start thinking of the endless possibilities for future builds, I have loads. 

Enjoy! 

Hi John

Thanks for the welcome. I'm building one of Mark's acoustic kits. However, I have been watching the lessons and inwardly digesting Marks expertise in case I jump in the deep end and do the whole lot by hand, one day.... in the distant future.

By nature I am slightly obsessive and have already spent far too much time down the shed. Still, it keeps me off the streets. 

Some of my tools are Neolithic but still do the business, though I did get a bandsaw because I've always wanted a bandsaw. The curved chisel from StewMac seemed like an investment and the truss rod router bit from Mark a bargain.... however, I do agree with you both that one good chisel is better than lots of naff ones.

I do believe that failure is an integral part of learning and research, and I fully expect to learn by my mistakes. I have been rescued many times by the patience of on-line communities (diyaudio.com being an example) and hope that I may be able to pass on some knowledge in the future.( At this point I get on one of my soapboxes and rant a bit about the way education is going ..... but that's for another day.)

Yes, Mark has got a really good way of instructing and it's nice to know that there are people around to help.

Right.. kettle on again and back out to the shed

all the best

Jonathan

Excellent! I’ve still not got around to building an acoustic, just electrics so far. 

Old tools are great if you spend some time cleaning, sharpening and perhaps replacing handles. A lot are made from really good steel, “Shefield Steel” sometimes, not cheap stuff you find a lot of new tools are made from these days. I’m always on the lookout for stuff like that at car boot sales, secondhand shops etc. 

Good luck with the build and make sure to take some good quality photos/videos as you go along. These are good for your own reference and if you want to share with others. 

I hope to see some on here if you have any problems or just want to show them off.

Rock n Roll! 

Ha ha ha.... I wasn't going to admit to the old plane, file and dividers that I found in a secondhand shop. As you say, the old steel is far better than some of the new stuff. I've cleaned it and sharpened the blade and it goes like .........

Hi Jonathan and welcome to the most addictive thing you will ever do..I hope you have some spare cash ? 

Hi David (or Deej?)

Many thanks for the welcome and apols for the delay in getting back.

Having spent quite a bit of time in the shed 'getting things ready' and making the bits one needs, I have had to do some pre-christmas repairs in the house.... I'm back in the shed and have just routed the truss-rod slot.I'm on a mission.

Yeah it's funny how lots of little 'necessary' extras add up, and that' coming from a guy who never throws useful stuff away.

all the best

Jonathan

Yes -

I always tell folks its not the cheapest hobby in the world... eh?

Also - You can 'acquire' stuff as you need it - don't have to get it all at once...

But when you have all the tools then you can make as many as you like...

Still you are right - there are the ongoing expenses - who wants to spend money on sandpaper?

Unfortunately in the end it all comes down to time and money - you can spend money on a tool/jig/gizmo to save time or vice versa.

I've tried several other hobbies and they can all get very expensive believe me...

All good fun though and it does keep us out of trouble for the most part - I hope you'll agree the end result is worth it -

Hope yo'll keep us all informed of your progress!

Funny you should mention sandpaper.

I have a cheapie belt/disc sander that I use for loads of stuff. However, the disc needed replacing about a year ago, so it was acting more like a polishing disc. I felt entitled to buy some new discs and it's now doing what it's supposed to do.  This guitar-making hobby is a brilliant excuse for  the purchase of essentials.

Actually, this might not be the most expensive hobby that I've ever had and, as you so rightly indicate, I will have all the stuff with which to build more guitars.

Is it possible to have too many guitars? Nah...

Is it me or is it cold today?

all the best to all