Official Luthiers Forum!

Recent posts by Kevin & Louis regarding using (mealworking) lathers for luthiery inspired me.

What are y'all using your lathes to make? Parts, tools to make parts, parts to make tools, etc?

Please post pix if possible.  I'm sure a browse through Don Teeter's books will yeild a few good ideas....

Terry,
   I noticed that you like to call it a lather, too. Actually that was just a typo
and it made me feel better to see you make the same one that I did in my
post about turning pins. Without an edit button, it's important that those of
us who make these kind of typos unite for freedom in creative spelling.

Seriously, though. All I really use my lathes for is to cut bridge and end
pins. When i was making my own truss rod assembles here, I never threaded
them on a lathe, but used a die set and then had the rods hardened at a
local heat treating facility.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Terry,

In lutherie, I use my metal lathe for tool and jig making and reproducing old banjo hardware. In repair its nice for turning plugs to match the taper of your peg reamer and such. Or make a plug cutter to match your reamer etc.

Now that I have a lathe I couldn't imagine life without it! Not essential, but when you need it there is no substitute.

Here's a few things I've made with my South Bend.

A couple of fretting hammers. One with a brass head and the other is a cast lead head.



A fixture for sharpening engraving tools.





A swivel foot for a clamp and a reproduction Vega banjo nut.



Clamps!





Reamers and counter bores.





Louis

_________________
- Louis Freilicher

Oh No! Not another learning experience!

I've got a Smithy 1220 (smithy.com) that's a good machine. Not a great
machine, but good enough for what I use it for. It's a combo mill /lathe, so
it can handle a variety of tasks.I slot bridges, make shafts & bushings, make
my "buttons" that are part of my mustache bridges, make jigs, etc with it.
As for a great lutherie based machine resource... where else but frets .com.
Frank Ford is a pretty dang good machinist too.
://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Machining/index.html
-C

_________________
Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

I've also loked at a mill drill as well. As I grow, that's on my radar. Looking at Kevin's Grizzly lathe, it's under $600. Don't know it's capabilities beyond the listed specs, but I can see it being useful, especially when you need to make a "one off" tool, prototype, or parts.

    Grizzly is the place for you to go to Terry. Muncy PA at the lycoming mall. They have a nice selection of them. You don't need a large one but a small bench lathe should be just what you need
john hall

Thanks John, Been to Grizzly once.
BTW, Glenn appreciated his trip to your place. He left the air powered die grinder with me while I do my brother's guitar. He broke it in here last night doing a heel cap inlay. Hope you guys got your power back reasonably soon.

Are you thinking of doing a summer luthier shindig?

Merry Christmas to you and Brenda!

I had a career as a woodturner before I returned to guitar making. I still sell my turned vessels through a gallery in Mendocino. So I've looked for ways to put turnings on a guitar, and there aren't many. I turn all my own end pins and strap buttons, but without mechanical tool feeds it is almost impossible to get consistent bridge pins; hence my plan to get a small metal lather when space allows.    I also turn the trim rings for my side ports; initially I had them extending beyond the side, by recently I make them flush to the side while extending them a bit into the body like a ducted reflex port.

My classical style headstock has a circular curve on the top, and I've though of turning a small boss to attach inside that curve. Raised pieces on the headstock have a tradition in classicals, but not in steel strings. However, one could turn the little brass knob that crowns a D'Angelico style headstock, or some variant of it.

The little Griz metal 8688 lathe has been around for a while under different brands, and has support forums on the net. It has been improved over the years and generally is well-regarded within its size limitations. But in light of the law that says always to get a bigger, more powerful machine than you think would suffice for all your purposes, I'm thinking to go to the Griz G4000 (a bigger version of the 8688), or G0602 (this is a new design; anyone seen or used one?).

Here are a couple of turned pieces (just to shamelessly self-promote). Woodturning is very satisfying. There are a lot of problem solving aspects to how a piece is mounted to the lather ( ), and you can get quick gratification--the opposite of guitar making, in that a simple bowl is begun and finished in an hour or two.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Those are quite beautiful, Howard.  Why am I not surprised that you are such an artiste?  

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Thanks Howard (and all) nice tip about the support forums. I know just the basics when it comes to lathe work.

Yeah beautiful lather work Howard

Are those two pieces a matching set..........

Those are exquisite, Howard.

Very nice work, Howard!

Another use for a lathe in luthierie is turning rosettes. I glue up wedge
shaped sections to a plywood faceplate and turn it round inside and out.
Then, I bend purfling strips, CA them to the inside and\or outside diameter,
and turn it all smooth and round. Part it off from the rear, and it's all set to
inlay in the top. Easy and quick!

I don't know Howard! That one has a bunch a holes in it and the others edge is really, really uneven, I don't know if anybody noticed that!

_________________
Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)