Was building your own workspace critical to be able to do the projects
you work on?
I live in an apartment and only have a 5’x10’ patio as a workspace. Woodworking
doesn’t require tons of tools, though it’s hard not to geek out over things like what steel you
need in your drill bits. “Is High Speed Steel crap next to Titanium coated? And is Titanium
crap next to Cobalt?”
Start with just the basics. Stay away from dollar store tools and be wary of super cheap items
online. The maxim goes: “The poor man buys his tools twice”, and I’ve found it generally
true. Cheap tools break quickly or fail at the start. So I’d suggest building a small collection of
basic tools from an established manufacturer backed by a warranty.
Basic equipment:
—A table (any table)
—A hand saw (I like Japanese “pull saws.” Grab a Dozuki off Amazon for $20. Amazing.)
—A wood chisel (learn how to sharpen it and it’ll become invaluable. Around $5.)
—Sandpaper (the absolute HERO of woodworking. ONLY buy name brand since it’s already
cheap. Bad stuff WILL ruin your project. An “Assorted Grits” pack will do fine for $5-7.
—A drill with bits for the tuners & string holes.
CBG Parts:
— Cigar Box (wood resonates better than cardboard. $5 at most tobacco shops)
— 1’x 3’ x 1.5’ piece of wood for the neck
— 3 guitar tuning machines (a set of six is about $6 on Amazon)
— 3 guitar tuning machines (a set of six is about $6 on Amazon)
— 3 guitar strings (a set of six is $3-6 anywhere)
— 2 threaded bolts or screws (to act as a nut & a bridge. Simple!)
That’s basically all you need. Everything else just fancies it up. Free plans and videos abound
on the web and it won’t take long for anyone to wrap their heads around the basics. Shouldn't
cost you more than $20 in parts.
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THE CONE - ISSUE #9 - SPRING 2016