Tools

Workbench

My kitchen is my workbench.

• Cutting board

• Desk lamp

• Float glass with carbon paper on the top. For flattening the rib structure

Hide glue

• Hide glue (bone and hide) comes in granulated form, to be soaked in water in 1:2.5 ratio by volume

• Heated in a water bath in a sauce pan

• Kitchen thermometer to monitor the temperature at around 60C

• Chinese calligraphy brush to apply the glue

Sharpening

• Diamond stone (I previously used waterstone but it was too messy)

• Honing guide

• Slipstones for sharpening gouges

• Leather strop and stropping compound

Measuring tools

• Metal rulers

• Centre-finding ruler

• Vernier calliper

• Projector

• Elevation stick: for checking neck projection at 27mm

• Winding sticks (a pair of straight edges). For checking surface flatness

• Thickness calliper: dial gauge with a handmade frame

Marking tools

Note: marking tools are for marking not for cutting.

• Square x N

• Sacconi compass. For drawing contour lines on plates during arching

• Thickness references of various values

• Purfling marker (not cutter) and pick

• Marking gauges, in two styles

• Divider

Planes

• Old Stanley-Bailey No. 6 fore plane, with a dedicated blade for centre jointing

• Old Stanley block plane, standard angle

• Veritas block plane, standard angle

• Thumb planes, with a toothed blade for back arching

Chisels and gouges

• Gouges:

  • Sweep 4, 1 1/2" (37mm). The big one for rough arching

  • Sweep 5, 20mm. For hollowing and scroll

  • Sweep 6, 15mm. For scroll

  • Sweep 7, 10mm. For fluting purfling channel and scroll

  • Sweep 8, 6mm. For scroll

  • Incannel, Sweep 6, 18mm. For paring blocks and general paring

• Chisels:

  • Butt chisel, 5mm. For chamfering scroll and pegbox

  • Straight chisels: 5mm, 6mm, 10mm, 20mm, 30mm

• Craft knives and craft saw

• Palette knife. For separating glue joints

• Table knife. For splitting wood

Saws and drills

• Tenon saw

• Fret saw. For rough cutting F-holes

• Coping saw. For cutting curves

• Japanese rip cut saw

• Japanese cross cut saw

• Craft saw

• Small hammer. For inserting purfling into the channel, and splitting wood

• Drill bits, power drill and hand drill (not shown)

• Jigsaw (not shown). For sawing out the plates

Clamps

• Closing clamp x32+. For closing the box

• Cloth clamps x 50+. For gluing on linings to the ribs

• Bass bar clamps

• G-clamps x N

• F-clamps x N

• Wood vice

Bending iron

• Bending iron. For bending ribs, lining and purfling

• Bending strap

Cradles

• Cradle

• Shooting board

• Fingerboard cradle

F-hole cutter

Abrasives

• Scrapers

• Burnisher. For sharpening scrapers

• Sanding sticks

• Sandpapers (not shown)

• Masking tape

• Fine needle files

• Small and large files

Varnishing

• Isabey Isacryl Series 6562 Flat Brushes

• Hammerl Joha clear oil varnish

  • Affordable alternative: Le Tonkinois oil varnish

• Hammerl Joha colour extracts. Brown, golden brown, red, blue, green

• Solvents: white spirit and sansodor (low-odour alternative to turpentine)

• Sandpapers: 600 grit, 1200 grit. For rub down between coats

• Raw linseed oil. For rub down between coats and for 'fatting' the varnish

• Artist's Mars Black oil paint. For F-hole edges and pegbox

• Micromesh, 3200 grit. For polishing

• Soft toothbrush. For polishing

• Pumice stone. For ground (sealing the wood pores) and for polishing

• Rottenstone. For polishing

• Mineral oil. For polishing

• Violin cleaner and polish (not shown)

Setup tools

• Peg hole reamer. Standard 1:30 taper

• Peg shaver. 9mm, 8.5mm, 8mm, 7.5mm. Standard 1:30 taper

• Soundpost setters

• Fingerboard and bridge template