| Common questions about Lessons in Lutherie |
~ How do we decide what to work on?
We talk on the phone, and after you arrive, about your interests, level of experience,
and the tools and machines that you have, or plan to get. My own inclination is to
teach you guitar making techniques through hands-on work with the tools and
materials you have, and will be using. I want you to go home with skills that are useful
to you in your own shop.
I'm a great believer in doing the fundamentals really well, so we start with sharpening.
I have had very experienced guitar makers come to study with me that are amazed at
how wonderfully a hand plane can be made to work, if it is well tuned and well
sharpened. Likewise, a scraper honed with a 1200 grit diamond stone is a different
order of tool from one sharpened with a file.
~ Time scheduling:
I teach one week a month to allow myself time for making my own instruments. The
day's schedule looks like this:
8:00 AM to 10:00 ~ Work in the shop
10:00 to 10:30 ~ Coffee break, and chat about guitar making.
10:30 to 12:00 ~ Work in the shop
12:00 to 1:30 PM ~ Lunch and walk in the Botanic Gardens (doctor's orders, I'm 70).
You can come too, or stay and work in the shop.
1:30 to 3:00 ~ Work in the shop
3:00 to 3:30 ~ Coffee break, and more chat about guitar making
3:30 to 5:30 ~ Work in the shop
This makes for a total of 7 hours of "time on task", and I charge for 6, to allow time
for answering an occasional phone call or chatting with a visitor. At $30 per hour that
comes to $180 per day.
Students often want to work in the shop on their own in the evenings, and that's fine
with me, provided there is no use of power tools. Neck carving is often done in the
evening.
~ What about building a steel string guitar?
There is a lot of overlap of methods between classical and steel string guitar
construction. The basic woodworking techniques are the same, and if this is going to
be your first instrument, I can help you a lot with doing the fundamentals well. Guitar
making of any type is a high level of woodworking craft, and there is much to be
learned about fine tuning of tools, and working to close tolerances.
~ What about accommodations?
Since the Mendocino coast is a tourist destination, everything from campsites to fancy
bed-and-breakfast inns are available nearby. We have an apartment at our house that
we rent to students for $40 per night. It has it's own separate entrance, fully equipped
kitchen and bath, and accommodation for two. The shop, being on the property, is a
two minute walk away.
We talk on the phone, and after you arrive, about your interests, level of experience,
and the tools and machines that you have, or plan to get. My own inclination is to
teach you guitar making techniques through hands-on work with the tools and
materials you have, and will be using. I want you to go home with skills that are useful
to you in your own shop.
I'm a great believer in doing the fundamentals really well, so we start with sharpening.
I have had very experienced guitar makers come to study with me that are amazed at
how wonderfully a hand plane can be made to work, if it is well tuned and well
sharpened. Likewise, a scraper honed with a 1200 grit diamond stone is a different
order of tool from one sharpened with a file.
~ Time scheduling:
I teach one week a month to allow myself time for making my own instruments. The
day's schedule looks like this:
8:00 AM to 10:00 ~ Work in the shop
10:00 to 10:30 ~ Coffee break, and chat about guitar making.
10:30 to 12:00 ~ Work in the shop
12:00 to 1:30 PM ~ Lunch and walk in the Botanic Gardens (doctor's orders, I'm 70).
You can come too, or stay and work in the shop.
1:30 to 3:00 ~ Work in the shop
3:00 to 3:30 ~ Coffee break, and more chat about guitar making
3:30 to 5:30 ~ Work in the shop
This makes for a total of 7 hours of "time on task", and I charge for 6, to allow time
for answering an occasional phone call or chatting with a visitor. At $30 per hour that
comes to $180 per day.
Students often want to work in the shop on their own in the evenings, and that's fine
with me, provided there is no use of power tools. Neck carving is often done in the
evening.
~ What about building a steel string guitar?
There is a lot of overlap of methods between classical and steel string guitar
construction. The basic woodworking techniques are the same, and if this is going to
be your first instrument, I can help you a lot with doing the fundamentals well. Guitar
making of any type is a high level of woodworking craft, and there is much to be
learned about fine tuning of tools, and working to close tolerances.
~ What about accommodations?
Since the Mendocino coast is a tourist destination, everything from campsites to fancy
bed-and-breakfast inns are available nearby. We have an apartment at our house that
we rent to students for $40 per night. It has it's own separate entrance, fully equipped
kitchen and bath, and accommodation for two. The shop, being on the property, is a
two minute walk away.
~ What about materials?
I usually recommend that you buy your materials from suppliers like Allen Lutherie
Supply, Allied Lutherie, and Luthiers Mercantile (see Favorite Links). These
suppliers offer a 10% discount to students enrolled in a lutherie school, and I qualify
as one. The discounted materials need to be shipped to me.
~ What tools do I need to bring?
While you're here you can use any of my tools, jigs, fixtures, and machines, so you
don't have to bring anything in particular. But it's a good idea to bring tools that need
sharpening or tuning, particularly a block plane, chisels and scrapers, if you have
them. A shop apron is nice, and I use a 3 power Optivisor a lot, for close work.
My favorite plane is the Veritas standard block plane, catalog #05P22.30, from Lee
Valley. It's almost the only plane I use for guitar making, and I use it a lot. While
you're at it, get a spare blade for sharpening to a high angle, for planing figured
woods.
I usually recommend that you buy your materials from suppliers like Allen Lutherie
Supply, Allied Lutherie, and Luthiers Mercantile (see Favorite Links). These
suppliers offer a 10% discount to students enrolled in a lutherie school, and I qualify
as one. The discounted materials need to be shipped to me.
~ What tools do I need to bring?
While you're here you can use any of my tools, jigs, fixtures, and machines, so you
don't have to bring anything in particular. But it's a good idea to bring tools that need
sharpening or tuning, particularly a block plane, chisels and scrapers, if you have
them. A shop apron is nice, and I use a 3 power Optivisor a lot, for close work.
My favorite plane is the Veritas standard block plane, catalog #05P22.30, from Lee
Valley. It's almost the only plane I use for guitar making, and I use it a lot. While
you're at it, get a spare blade for sharpening to a high angle, for planing figured
woods.
