Never ending tool suggestion

LesterPolfus · Oct 31, 2012

I know it's a classic theme, but I searched and didn't find exactly what I was looking for. Hope no one will be annoyed by this.
I've had a limited experience and I'm just starting getting into the world of woodworking tools, I have almost nothing to start building from scrap and I was trying to stay as cheap as possible with only hand tools (right now I don't have any space for a bandsaw), also because it's more appealing to me. I don't care that much if I need a lot of time to achieve the result, if the lutherie thing is going on for sure I'll add useful specific or power tools to speed up the process, but for now I'll try to keep it simple.
I would like to buy only a couple of good durable general purpose tools, a saw and a plane, something that can make me build an instrument. I already have some cheap chisels and so on, but the most of the work will be done by that tools.
For the saw I was thinking about a japanese ryoba saw or something similar, that I can use from cutting the neck blank for the scarf joint to cutting the fret slots. As I said I have no experience so I don't know if it's really possible to have only one tool to do all these things.
Same thing for the plane, I saw the Veritas apron plane that's tempting me, but I have the same doubt.
So, I'm accepting any advice, what do you think about the possibility of having (almost) only a couple of good tools? And if it's possible which ones do you advice, in an acceptable range of price?
Thank you

philrab66 · Oct 31, 2012

LesterPolfus said:
I know it's a classic theme, but I searched and didn't find exactly what I was looking for. Hope no one will be annoyed by this.
I've had a limited experience and I'm just starting getting into the world of woodworking tools, I have almost nothing to start building from scrap and I was trying to stay as cheap as possible with only hand tools (right now I don't have any space for a bandsaw), also because it's more appealing to me. I don't care that much if I need a lot of time to achieve the result, if the lutherie thing is going on for sure I'll add useful specific or power tools to speed up the process, but for now I'll try to keep it simple.
I would like to buy only a couple of good durable general purpose tools, a saw and a plane, something that can make me build an instrument. I already have some cheap chisels and so on, but the most of the work will be done by that tools.
For the saw I was thinking about a japanese ryoba saw or something similar, that I can use from cutting the neck blank for the scarf joint to cutting the fret slots. As I said I have no experience so I don't know if it's really possible to have only one tool to do all these things.
Same thing for the plane, I saw the Veritas apron plane that's tempting me, but I have the same doubt.
So, I'm accepting any advice, what do you think about the possibility of having (almost) only a couple of good tools? And if it's possible which ones do you advice, in an acceptable range of price?
Thank you

If you actually look into the building process in a bit more depth you will come across your answer, You would have to buy all the timber prepared for starters, even just making jigs for certain things you will need a fair few tools. I have a fair amount of knowledge working with wood which if I wanted to make one I could but getting everything together to make one puts me off. If you would really like to make one people normally start off with a kit. In the kits everything is prepared for you all you have to do is put it together. Perhaps after that you will get the bug and want to make your own?

LesterPolfus · Oct 31, 2012

philrab66 said:
If you actually look into the building process in a bit more depth you will come across your answer, You would have to buy all the timber prepared for starters, even just making jigs for certain things you will need a fair few tools. I have a fair amount of knowledge working with wood which if I wanted to make one I could but getting everything together to make one puts me off. If you would really like to make one people normally start off with a kit. In the kits everything is prepared for you all you have to do is put it together. Perhaps after that you will get the bug and want to make your own?

Yeah, I know, you're right, but I already have woods and I already know I really want to do it since I was a kid, I've read a lot of stuff about lutherie and so on... I was just wondering if it's possible to get started with a few things since I don't care about putting a lot of time into it right now...

JamieFromOntario · Oct 31, 2012

I would seriously consider doing a kit build before a from-scratch build. Or if not the kit, maybe try and use some pre-built components.

Personally, I have yet to buy fretboard blanks and do the fret cutting myself. I think you could save a bunch of time using a pre-cut fretboard. This way, you can also save on tools and jig making. I've found that i've been able to slowly build up more and more appropriate tools and jigs by slowly taking on building more and more parts of the uke from scratch.

I've probably spent around $500-600 on tools and still need to spend probably twice that much again (on used tools) before I could even think of building a whole uke from scratch.

One tool i've been loving lately (you might have seen the thread I started) is my Arbor Press. Had I known how much easier it was then using a hammer for fretting, I never would have bought my fret hammer and would be a much happier person!

Rick Turner · Oct 31, 2012

If you're serious about building from scratch, you'll either have to learn very traditional hand tool skills...as would have been applied about 400 years ago...or you're going to have to budget a good $4,000.00 or more tooling up. And that's a bare minimum, in my opinion. Band saw, table saw, jointer, router(s), drill press, belt sander(s), thickness sander, and a good $1,000.00 worth of hand tools is a start...

Beau Hannam Ukuleles · Oct 31, 2012

Rick Turner said:
If you're serious about building from scratch, you'll either have to learn very traditional hand tool skills...as would have been applied about 400 years ago...or you're going to have to budget a good $4,000.00 or more tooling up. And that's a bare minimum, in my opinion. Band saw, table saw, jointer, router(s), drill press, belt sander(s), thickness sander, and a good $1,000.00 worth of hand tools is a start...

Spot on with the $4000 Rick. I just did my tax after setting up my new workshop from scratch (moving from Australia to the US is fun....) and deductions came to just over $4000 with alot of 2nd hand equipment (still no drum sander, dust extraction, or spray equipment). I brought over a few small things like lie nelson block and ibex finger planes, nut files etc which saved me hundreds of $$$.

Kits are great, but the catch many don't get is you still need all the (most of) tools, which cost more then the kit.

still need
sandpapers
glues
some decent rulers
blockplane
chisels
Go bar set up
spherical radius dishes (big help but not absolutely needed, like eyes or a nose)
lam trimmer for routing bindings + bits (bind all your instruments for God sake you lazy so and so's!

drill +bits
fretting hammer +fret crown file(s)
Nut files
finish materials + knowledge
etcetcetcetcetectce

BR Ukuleles · Oct 31, 2012

$4,000 ------- Seems more like $40,000 after several years of acquiring tools and equipment.

ProfChris · Oct 31, 2012

I just started with wood and hand tools and (slowly) taught myself the techniques as i went along. Plenty of ill-shaped uke-type objects along the way, but I'm getting to the point where players recognise them and say they work OK.

My main tools are saws (a ryobi would cover all except the fretting saw and the coping saw for curves, though I have half a dozen because, for example, a back saw works better for some things), a Veritas apron blade with both traditional and toothed blade (the latter for thicknessing), chisels (i inch, 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch cover pretty much everything), a card scraper, a half-round file and a brace and bit.

I could manage without, but would miss badly, my scraper plane.

These, with assorted clamps and a vice, are enough to build a uke. But if you were doing more than my 6 or so a year, you'd want to be using power tools.

Rick Turner · Oct 31, 2012

I'm at the point where duplicating my shop setup...and not including wood...would cost at least $150,000.00. That includes benches, power tools, electrical work, spray booth, etc.

Titchtheclown · Nov 1, 2012

On the other hand

A chisel
A drill
A coping saw ( an electric jig saw is faster)
A rasp (Aldi occasionally sell a kitchen razor grater that works a treat)
Sandpaper
tape measure or long ruler
A vernier calliper - you really do need to be accurate with your fret spacing - I use a $2 plastic one.
clamps.
A hammer

http://www.instructables.com/id/All-Things-Uke/

For wood you can use old shipping pallets, scrap hard wood - ANYTHING! or build using cigar box methods.

From personal experience for nylon strings, bamboo toothpicks are fine for frets, but geared tuners are a hell of a lot easier to tune with. Making my own wooden tapered tuning pegs from scratch was a lot of fun and they do work better than the Chinese friction pegs I bought, though they are a lot of work.

Fishing line!

You may not make the worlds best ukes but in next to no time you can have for next to no money a heap of uke based objects you can have fun with.

Of course I may have gone a bit far with the Uke'n'paddle
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/12/howto/ukenpaddle/index.html

For "home built" tips go here:
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/

Just don't forget to have fun!

These guys show how to play a uke:
http://youtu.be/mUyXrpY58lo

For a more up market Uke I am actually surprised the Kit sellers who frequent this forum haven't bombarded this thread yet.

LesterPolfus · Nov 3, 2012

Thank you guys, I've had a lot of useful informations here. I think that for now I'm going to buy some of the basic stuff I don't have yet and try this way, adding what I need for each step when I realize it's necessary. As I said I don't care that much of having my uke done in a small amount of time by now as I care about learning new skills and have fun, even if it's going to be hard, so this way seems fitting to me.

AllanJ · Nov 6, 2012

Lester, that sounds like a wise approach. You can make a pretty respectable uke with a few hand tools. If your experience is anything like mine you'll learn lots.

Allan

Never ending tool suggestion

LesterPolfus

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philrab66

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LesterPolfus

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JamieFromOntario

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Rick Turner

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Beau Hannam Ukuleles

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BR Ukuleles

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ProfChris

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Rick Turner

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Titchtheclown

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LesterPolfus

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AllanJ

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