Hey there, it's Tom Bills here - and I'm excited to welcome you to The Art Of Lutherie RU-vid channel!
I've been handcrafting high-end guitars for over 20 years, and my passion for guitar building is stronger than ever. That's why I created this channel - to share my knowledge and experience with guitar builders around the world.
Whether you're just starting out or you're an experienced builder, my goal is to help you build better guitars. That's why I've packed this channel with all sorts of tips, tricks, and tutorials to help you hone your craft and take your skills to the next level.
But more than that, I want this channel to be a community. A place where we can all come together to share our love of guitar building and inspire each other to create amazing instruments. So be sure to hit that subscribe button and join the conversation in the comments - I can't wait to see what you create!
Thanks for tuning in, and welcome to The Art Of Lutherie!
Lots of good advice. I'm still very early on my path to becoming a "luthier". My first project was a ukulele kit, which I'm still working on as I have the time, from a well know guitar parts supplier and the sides were twisted. I was going to use the sides and force them into position but decided I didn't want that added stress to the body. While it might not have ever been an issue, I didn't want it to become one so I swapped it out for another kit and moved on with my build. I'm glad chose to swap out the kit because I wouldn't want the thought that it might come apart in the back of my mind.
Hi Carlos, I learned French polishing from Eugene Clark. He was a true master and my good friend and is sorely missed. I do my best to try to pass on what he entrusted to me.
@TheArtOfLutherie 😃 I knew Eugene well and used to visit him when he lived in El Cerrito. I greatly encouraged him to get back into guitar-making and even got him a handful of commissions. Too much to talk about. Glad to hear you learned from him.
I decided to find Everclear for my solvent and I'm glad I did. When I bought this bottle of Everclear it was really cheaper than what the denatured alcohol was that I had to order. I learned to use shellac in the early 70s when I was in high school woodworking. Back then we had a great selection of ready to use shellac products. I live in the Texas panhandle and now, in 2024, premixed shellac is almost as scarce as hen's teeth. The big box stores are selling finishes that look like wood is covered in plastic. That is OK for countertops or table tops but when I spend money for figured wood I want it to look like wood and not plastic.
Did you De-Tention that screw cap before increasing the depth of cut? I just got a Quangsheng block plane and had trouble with the depth adjuster. I thought if i de-tentioned the screw cap, it may skew the blade. But i guess you just barely take the pressure off, just enough so the deoth adjustment works? Thank you for this video!
is it important for solid body electric guitars with nitro finish also? or more for acoustic and hollow body? my condo is around 30-35% most of the time, is that bad?
Thank you! This was very useful. Too much information on the web that just confuses. I've seen people use silk for the outer layer. Do you have experience with this? Does it make a difference vs cotton T-Shirts.
I just wear a 3M respirator and sweep up my dust when I'm finished, or use my shop vac. If I install one of those big dust collectors, instead of mounting that bag to it, I'll just run an exhaust pipe through my garage wall and let the dust fly out the back of the garage. I live in a rural area and the worst that can happen is I wind up with a big pile of sawdust behind the garage which I can use for stuff like filling in holes in the yard from moles, etc.
I was hoping you would get to your pattern makers vice, and I wonder if you have any thoughts over it and the StewMac version ? I'm starting into guitar repare.
Watch the full video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-g1FlKmVpzxE.html Check out the StewMac Side Bending Machine here: stewmac.sjv.io/AWvM6N
It's great. I still love it and use it constantly. There are no problems at all. It does make quite a bit of heat if you run it for long periods (which is good in the winter), but other than that, I have no complaints and highly recommend it.
@@TheArtOfLutherie I have the Dust Gorilla Pro 5hp in my garage and that big boy gets hot as well. I wanted the supercell in my basement which is always colder and for my cnc. Thanks for the info! Thanks again for your review and great content!
I know next to nothing about guitar making. I found this video looking for some details about this specific Oneida system. But I must say your level of detail is amazing along with the density of information presented. You both showed and discussed aspects of this system that I haven't seen in other videos. It was almost eerie how you covered many of my questions about the internal layout and operation of the machine. And the really awesome part is you didn't take 60 minutes to do it. Overall a job very well done, thanks!
Stopped in at Rockler yesterday and started getting the parts of this same build for my basement shop. Thanks for the great video. One tip I learned there was for the plastic bag. Since they are reusable, glue a small magnet (like a flexible fridge magnet) along the top edge to hold the bag in place while you position it over the canister.
I've seen microscope fotographs of scraped and sanded wood. The scraped wood had open pores, whereas the sanded wood had fluffy fibers on the edges of the pores. It was suggested that the sanded surface was therefore easier to pore-fill... do you agree? And is there a difference in the end result, either visually or sonically?
Thank you Tom, for making these videos and sharing your knowledge. You always think of everything and take care to explain it as well. You're the best! Love your newsletters too!
2000 dollars, buy a bluescreek bender complete with a pattern for under 700. Buy your own blanket and you can get the bender itself for under 500. I own a ton of Stewart McDonald tools. Some very useful, some way overpriced because you bought it at Stewmac. And ok, I misquoted the price, its $1999 not $2000!
Thanks for your comment and for letting me know that it was helpful! It is expensive for sure, but it's also the highest quality bender there is right now.
@@TheArtOfLutherie I will not fault that fact it is a quality bender, but as a hobbyist and boutique builder, even selling a guitar for 1500 to 2000 with very little profit, I doubt that machine for most of us would ever pay for itself. At first I wanted this machine but figured compared to everyone else, it would be 999 and maybe 750 on sale. Thanks again for reviewing it and you point out a lot if finger stick issues with the older machines. Enjoy your new machine!
@@danweaver1517 this machine was conceived at LMI and when LMI left the industry, the design went to Stew-Mac and the price was double the original concept. How would we even calculate the machine 'paying for itself' - we believe this machine only makes sense in a workshop in production on a schedule. The other issue is the lack of intimacy in bending that a machine like this removes from the builder and the building process. The more we have conceived how we intend to build - the less we are focusing on machinery. Regarding $2,000 price - you are paying for the utility (that is speed and accuracy) - which is something my workshop will not be seeking - we will be the 'unhurried' luthier - and bending by hand slowly will be our build approach.
I just found that you can get 99.97% (200 proof) ethanol from USA Lab. It's expensive (1 gallon for $80 bucks which includes the 27 per gallon excise tax) but it's as pure as you get, and it has no odor. I am loving this video series, thank you so much for your time.
Sure, you can see the whole process here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XlikNJPCoEA.htmlsi=dKZtgYeda5utRJIx& and you can check out the written version here:theartoflutherie.com/card-scrapers/? Hope that helps!
I've spent 25 years working in the trades, and though I'm in the leadership spot now, my foundation has always been in woodworking, which I deeply love. Your work is impressive, and I really admire your willingness to share some of the secrets of your trade. Some experience you only get through trial and error so what you provide here so valuable, it’s really giving time.
Rockler’s catalog has the filter bag for this unit listed at 30 microns. Not 3. If that’s true I definitely wouldn’t ever use the filter bag as it’s just pumping the most harmful particles into the air. Go for the canister filter.
Thank you, Tom. I needed that. I finished my 6th acoustic guitar build. I do feel the pressure to “just get it finished”. Thanks for the great reminder to slow down and enjoy the process. I’ll incorporate this in my next build.
