I'm a pretty good cabinetmaker, with a decent shop. But almost all my tools are dedicated to making rectangles of one sort or another; I'm good at plumb, flat, square and level. So I needed to make some special tools and equipment. Some of these won't be used until midway in the game, but I had some time while I was getting basic materials together.
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| This is a mold for holding the steam-bent sides in position (with the pressure cauls) and for holding the sides vertical when assembling the bodies of the guitar(s). |
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| These are 1/8" interval "contour map" templates of the outside (convex side) of the tops and backs. Getting these contours took all my skills in logic, tracing, and page layout software. I traced horizontal sections of the top and back from the plans, scanned them and imported them into Indesign, and applied a 1/2" grid to each image. Where the outline crossed a gridline, I made a mark, then transferred all these "altitude marks" to a full-sized tracing of the front and back. I then spray-mounted these tracings to 1/8" masonite, connected each dot of the same height with a curve I felt appropriate, and cut all the resulting lines on a jig saw. These templates will be used in rough carving the tops and backs, in a way I feel will be safest for a first-time archtop carver. |
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| This is a carving clamp for the tops and bottoms. It's made to fit one of the vices on my bench. I can use it for both sides. A decent sheet of 3/4" AC plywood was on sale at HD, and I grabbed it for this. A couple of coats of water poly, and simple hand knobs for the clamps. |
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| I made this thickness gauge based on Bob Benedetto's design, and improved it a little with the easier to read indicator. It's really neat - you put the part of the top or back you're carving in the jaws, and pull the trigger. The string on the roller pulls the springy top down so the two dowels touch top and bottom, giving you a readout. All made from scraps laying around, including a nice chunk of 3/4 Hondouras from about 30 years ago. |
