Clarion peals is christopher newbury

After so many years of work for others, i am following a desire to build musical instruments. Lutherie is lots of time building tools, jigs, bending machines, and for each instrument project, many kinds of clamps, and building an instrument in between tool making. At some point instrument building should overtake tool building,but I haven't gone that far. so in the interim I will build tools.
As lutherie has been around forever, it is doubtfull I will invent anything new and amazing so I will share how
I "rediscover" and modify existing tools, no doubt picking up lots of great tips from you all and sharing what I run into with you. Thanks for having me and sharing your knowledge and skills, Christopher Newbury AKA clarion peals.

Hi Christopher - welcome to HomemadeTools.net :welcome:

Agreed, luthiers are frequent toolbuilders! What kind of tools are next up on your build list?

Hi Jon, and thanks for the welcome. I was walking home from our yearly veterans day parade here in Elk Grove CA and found someone had left a destroyed piano along the curb. I walked home and returned with a piano dolly and shoved it a few blocks to my home. I dismanteled the piano with a screwdriver, as thats how they assembled it 100 years ago. I found a delightful amount of worthless stuff in the piano, but also a large quantity of large pieces of seasoned hardwood. Some sort of ceder i think. I will resaw some large pieces into instrument necks and various other pieces for bridges and saddles, tuning pegs and headstock blanks, and of course, new tools. I use a particular clamp by the bucket full for each instrument I glue up. sometimes up to 50 clamps for a dreadnaught guitar. They are made using two matching pieces of 1 1/4 pine doweling. one piece drilled on the flat side halfway thru,
using 5/16 bit, and the other piece thru drilled at 7/16. I use 8" of 5/16 threaded rod. one end is glued into the blind hole using gurilla glue and a bit of water. I push a 5/16 T-nut into the the thru drilled piece with 7/16 hole to accomidate the T-nut walls and thread it on. I lightly sand the doweling after cutting, but leave the angles sharp so I can use just an edge to grab whatever i am gluing. At $200.00 plus for 18 clamps from a well known luthier supply, I save for buying tools I cant build myself. These clamps are completly pedestrian and no way near the quality of the purchased clamps, but for now they get the job don. Next tools will be a series of cam clamps. I dont need them now, but they look so cool!. Also I have been buying really cheap power tools and building proper fences and some safety into them. These tools have it to go if some thought and a little time is put into them.
I will post more formal descriptions of my hoopty clamps soon. Meanwhile, thanks again for the greeting and feel free to keep in touch,. If my email isn't visible to you let me know and I will get it to you. Cheers, Chris

Hi Chris,

Welcome! :welcome:

As a long-time string player (though not recently, unfortunately), I have the utmost respect for luthiers and a lifelong fascination with their work. I'm really looking forward to seeing some pics of your instruments and process.

If you haven't already found it, we have a Luthiery category containing an extensive range of tools and ideas. Our own Christophe Mineau does some of the best work in this area and can regularly be found on the forum

When are you planning to start on those cam clamps?

Ken