Some Basic Tools to Start With . . . . .

If you're just starting out -- and don't have many (if any) tools -- here's a list of basic tools you probably will need to build a guitar from a kit. At least, these are the tools I used when I built my first few guitars. Over time, I have added tools which made certain jobs a lot easier; many of those are described on my "Tools of the Trade" page. But these basic tools are a good place to start . . . . . . . Click on the links to see photos of the tools.

Work Area:

• 24" x 36" particleboard workboard
• good work light (one of those Luxo lamps that you can clamp to the table)
• soft padding to lay atop workboard (I use those webbed rubber pads that people use when sanding or routing)
• some sort of vise

Measuring and Marking:

• 6" metal ruler with 1/64" units
• 24"- 36" metal ruler
• 6" or 12" combination square
• dial caliper with 1/64" units and .010" units
• pencils (also yellow pencils for marking on rosewood)

Power Tools:

• portable electric drill (even better.....a drill press!) (for drilling tuner holes, strap peg holes, position dot holes)
• Dremel Moto-Tool with Stew-Mac binding attachment or router base (for routing binding ledges)

Hand Tools:

• chisels (1/4", 1/2", 3/4") (for shaping/scalloping braces, shaping neck, fitting dovetail)
• coping saw (even better....a bandsaw!) (for cutting sides, back, top shapes)
• jeweler's saw (for cutting inlay)
• cabinet scraper
• Exacto knife set
• Exacto mini razor saw (for trimming bindings, purflings)
• needle files (for shaping nuts, saddles, inlays and cleaning out slots, etc.)
• flat mill file (for leveling frets)
• round file / rasps / spokeshave / drawknife (for neck-shaping)
• triangular file (even better....diamond fret crowning file!) (for rounding off frets after leveling)
• end nippers (for cutting off fret ends)
• reamer (for enlargening tuner holes, endpin hole)
• dead-blow hammer or plastic-headed hammer (even better....fret press arbor) for installing frets

Clamping:

• C-clamps (4-6, with some with 4-1/2" reach, for gluing on bridge)
• orange Jorgensen bar clamps (4-6) (even better.....cam clamps!!)
• black stationery clips (lots!) (for gluing on kerfing)
• masking tape (I use the blue, stronger one) (for taping bindings)
• rope / 7" rubber bands / inner tube strips (for gluing on back and top)

Glues:

• Titebond
• superglue (position dots, inlay)
• Duco cement (for gluing plastic bindings)
• 2-part epoxy (5 minute or 20 minute) (for gluing inlays)

Other:

• waxed paper (to keep things you don't want glued, protected)
• sandpaper (a large variety!!!!)
• Scotchbrite pads ("synthetic steel wool," it's sometimes called) (good substitute for sandpaper)
• wood scraps (for sanding blocks, clamping cauls, etc.)

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