Posted on March 31, 2026March 31, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Radiused Dishes It Worked for Me: Radiused Dishes by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #113, 2013 Sometimes the simplest changes in the shop make a big difference in the pleasure of working. For the moment, I’ve switched to instruments somewhat smaller than guitars. The first step was to cut down my radiused dishes from 24˝ diameter to 14˝. This was done in order to reach the interior of the dishes, which I use as workboards, with cam clamps. This requires raising the dish enough to get the clamps under it, and for this I used to grab whatever wooden blocks were lying around. Said blocks always got in the way of the clamps. Most luthiers never go through this because they use a go-bar deck. I’ve built three different go-bar decks and quickly tore them down — I just don’t enjoy using them. At this point readers are probably thinking, “Why not put little legs under the dish?” D’oh! It took me years to come up with that thought. T-nuts were sunk into the bottom of the dish, legs were cut from a hefty dowel, and all-thread rod was cut into short lengths and glued into holes drilled in the ends of the dowels. The legs provide enough room for the clamp jaws, plus a skosh. Photo by John Calkin. Life is better now. The legs can still get in the way of the clamps, but life was never meant to be perfect, and it may be some time before I learn how to levitate work off my bench. It only takes seconds to remove the legs when I want to spin the dish as a sanding board. ◆
Posted on March 30, 2026March 31, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Curly Koa Sides It Worked for Me: Curly Koa Sides by C.F. Casey Originally published in American Lutherie #114, 2013 Recently I was faced with the gnarliest set of curly koa sides I’ve ever worked with. I was building a custom tenor ukulele, and the client had personally selected the woods. After thinning the sides, I gently flexed one to check its stiffness, and the darn thing broke! I was able to glue it back together, but I was sure that in the bending process the glue would soften and it would fall apart again. So I installed another clamp bar on my bending form, just at the point of the break, clamped the sides down securely at that point, and proceeded to bend outwards in both directions (Photo 1). Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on March 30, 2026March 30, 2026 by Dale Phillips Dust Masks and More Dust Masks and More by Linda Stuckey Originally published in American Lutherie #116, 2013 Respirators seem like the most affordable part of the dust control system, and if you’re a hobbyist who backs the car out of the garage on the weekends to set up the bandsaw, your only dust control might be a broom and a dust mask. How do you find the one you need? The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certifies particulate respirators that meet its standards. The ratings are based on efficiency and resistance to airborne oil. The letters tell you that the mask is not oil resistant (N), is somewhat oil resistant (R), or is nearly oil proof (P). In a similar way, the numbers describe the efficiency, the percentage of particles the material traps. So an N95 mask is not oil resistant and filters at least 95% of airborne particles.1 (A rating of 100 means at least 99.97%. They round that one.) So if you’re using an N95 mask, no more than 5% of the particles can get through it, assuming it fits well. The mask works partly like a sieve, so that particles larger than the gap between fibers can’t penetrate. But smaller particles also get stuck to the fibers. And the P-rated masks include an electrostatic coating on the surface of the mask as a third filtering method.rticles also get stuck to the fibers. And the P-rated masks include an electrostatic coating on the surface of the mask as a third filtering method. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on March 30, 2026March 30, 2026 by Dale Phillips Battling Shop Dust Battling Shop Dust by Robbie O’Brien Originally published in American Lutherie #116, 2013 As luthiers we are all aware of the many health hazards and dangers we encounter daily in our craft. Sharp objects, hand tools, power tools, and chemicals from finish and repair work come to mind almost immediately. Many of us also play the instruments we make, so just the thought of losing a finger and not being able to play anymore motivates our safety habits. However, we often overlook a pervasive danger in the shop, wood dust. Even in cases when we are aware of the danger, we may do little or nothing about it. We protect our fingers, eyes, and ears in the shop, but what about our noses and lungs? Most of us know that dust in our shops is a major nuisance. But how many realize that excessive exposure to wood dust can cause health problems? The health hazards of wood dust are well documented. Some wood dusts are toxic, even carcinogenic, and frequent exposure can lead to sinus and lung problems, or worse. The U.S. Department of Labor OSHA website warns: “In general, exposure to excessive amounts is considered to have an irritant effect on eyes, nose, and throat in addition to pulmonary function impairment and is considered a human carcinogen. Western red cedar dust has also been shown to cause asthma.”1 Now wait just a minute! I use this species on my guitars. Now you have my attention! Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on March 26, 2026March 26, 2026 by Dale Phillips Multiscale Peghead Scarf Joint Multiscale Peghead Scarf Joint by Harry Fleishman Originally published in American Lutherie #118, 2014 MultiScale fretboards, once so unusual and exotic, not to say controversial, are becoming more accepted as their potential benefits are enjoyed by many musicians. I personally find that the multiscale board is especially beneficial for multistring basses, where it can give the low B a longer, more massive scale, thereby giving a deeper, more massive tone. Similarly, on the guitar, a longer-scale low string countered with a shorter-scale high string can give a nice smooth transition from the deeper low range to the sweeter high range. Obviously, there are many ways to realize a multiscale instrument, from the decision about which, if any, fret is perpendicular to the centerline; to what scales to choose for the long and short of it. As one of the developers of the multiscale fretboard in the modern era, with arithmetician John Starrett, I have done a great deal of experimenting with it and the many ways to do it. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
