Power Tool Order of Importance

[ScooberJake]

Hello all. I am gearing up for my first build, and trying to decide where to spend my money. I will not be able to buy a whole shop full of power tools, so I could use some help determining which are the most important for the luthier. Obviously the importance of any individual tool will be different to different builders depending on alternatives available, preferred methods, skill level, etc. So I will give you some information about me that might help bound the discussion. I am a first time builder with some limited woodworking experience. I will be going roughly from scratch. I am willing to spend a good bit of extra time working with hand tools if it will save me a few hundred dollars, but I would rather buy a tool which will give me a much higher chance of precise construction for an excellent sounding instrument.

So what do you think are the most important tools? Band saw? Drill press? Thickness sander? Table saw? Others I'm missing?

[ken cierp]

Welcome Jake


If you are going to be a true scratch builder -- like from raw boards

bandsaw --- tablesaw --- drum sander --- joiner --- drill press

Now I'll toot my own horn -- I constructed my first guitar using all hand tools with the exception of a radial arm saw used to cut large billets. BTW thinning tops and backs with a hand plane --- well most will only try it once!!

[ScooberJake]

Ken, thanks for the reply.

Perhaps "scratch" builder is not the correct term. I do not expect to split billets, but rather I will order soundboards, back and side sets, fingerboards, etc. from the usual suppliers. However, those will only be roughly the correct size and will need to be sanded/planed/trimmed/radiused/etc. I guess my point is that I am not planning to order a glue-together kit. Maybe that doesn't change the answer?

I currently own a drill press, a router, and a shop vac. Then I also have some other tools that I don't see mentioned much in these forums so they are probably not very useful for lutherie: compound mitre saw (use to cut scarf joint?) and circular saw (no real use?).

It sounds like I should look for a band saw. I probably only have the budget to add one power tool at this time, so hopefully I can get by without a table saw. I am definitely concerned about thicknessing. I may have to go with the hand plane on this first one. Maybe I'll consider it my right of passage into lutherie!

What about a belt/disc sander? Only a "nice-to-have"?

[Dave Bagwill]

A number of people use the Wagner safe-t-planer, on their drill press, to thickness the backs and sides. If you google Robbie O'Brien, I believe he has a vid showing how it is used.
Welcome to the forum!

[ScooberJake]

Thanks Dave.

Yes, I am on the lookout for a Safe-T-Planer. It seems that the originals in used condition are a bit steep. I have seen some listed as copies or replacements for the Wagner model. Are these also a recommended tool? Or is the knockoff less than satisfactory?

[Kevin in California]

I have the knock off version of the Wagner and it works just fine, if you can find one of those even now....good luck.

My order of necessity would be:

Trim router for bindings, hand drill, Bandsaw, small drill press, bench disc sander (the bigger the better), Binding routing machine (much better than doing this process with a hand held router), drum sander, table saw, shop vacuum!!

Kevin

[John Parchem]

I agree a band saw over a table saw. I never use my table saw. It would also be good to have a router table for the router to cut the truss rod slot in a neck. Also do not think that all of the expense is in the power tools. You need chisels, sharpening tools and a block plane and a something around the size of a jack plane.