Official Luthiers Forum!

A few of us have talked about the superior tools made by Jim Byrnes: His miniature table saw, his thickness sander, and his two different disc sanders. Unfortunately, Jim passed away in early October from ALS.

The message on Jim’s website says that the family is currently uncertain about the future of the machine-making business. We can all hope that someone in the model making community will take on the business. If not, the craftspeople who depend on these tools will definitely be worse off.

However it pans out for the family, we can all share their grief for the loss of Jim, but also be thankful for his contributions to the various crafts in which his excellent tools have been, and will continue to be, used. I never met Jim, but I am thankful for his life and his work.

Sad to hear that, I've always lusted after his fine tools, but just admiration from afar.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Sorry to hear that he is gone. He made some fine tools.


Steve

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Sad news.
Glad I got him to make me one of his table saws this past summer. What he made was very high quality.

Terrible news. I have one of his tablesaws. A very useful work of art.