Posted on May 13, 2026May 13, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Homemade Portable Jointer It Worked for Me: Homemade Portable Jointer By Todd Brotherton Originally published in American Lutherie #110, 2012 My 24˝ Northfield jointer doesn’t travel so well, nor does it break down to store under a bench. Long before the days of benchtop jointers, I made my own with a large portable power plane (PP). If you already have a PP, it can become an instant jointer, thus saving the cost of investing in more tooling. Like the benchtop models, PPs are not extremely accurate, but they can inexpensively serve the basic needs of milling smaller stock, are small and lightweight, and can be easily stowed away. Common sense, some photos, and these few suggestions should get you going. A careful examination of your PP will identify what is needed in the profile of the base to create a stand to hold it upside down. Find the construction details of your specific model that will best “lock” it in place; stability is important. For example, the tool shown has webs cast into the tables. I cut tabs that fit snugly in between the webs so it holds nicely in place. I made mine from scrap 3/4˝ hardwood plywood. My 6˝ PP is 21˝ long; accordingly, I made the base 32˝ in length to provide a broad foot for stability and sufficient clamping area to secure to a bench, sawhorses, or other supports. 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 May 4, 2026May 4, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Downdraft Sander It Worked for Me: Downdraft Sander by Tom Harper Originally published in American Lutherie #120, 2014 A small downdraft sander that attaches to a drill press is a handy shop item that can be used for shaping and thicknessing. Although there are some very nice commercial offerings, I have found that this homemade one meets my needs. I got the design from a neighbor and made it from pieces of scrap plywood I had on hand. The box is held in place with two cleats that slide into the drill-press table slots and a screw that passes through the table’s center hole into a T-nut embedded into the bottom of the box. The drum-sander hole has a rabbet around it that lets hardboard inserts provide a flat surface with a small clearance around different diameter sanding drums. A 1/8" clearance provides enough support surface and air movement. Suction is created by attaching my dust-collector hose to the box through a side hole. The down draft removes dust as expected and also helps reduce sandpaper clogging. 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 April 23, 2026April 23, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Sander Drum It Worked for Me: Sander Drum by Harry Tomita Originally published in American Lutherie #109, 2012 The parts for this simple sander drum were purchased at the local hardware stores at reasonable prices. The heart of the unit is the PVC pipe which comes in 2˝, 3˝, and 4˝ diameters, with a wall thickness of 1/4˝. As shown in the top photo, it is cut to the desired length, and a 2˝ piece is saved for later measurement purposes. Using 2×4 lumber, two disks of diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the pipe are cut using a bandsaw. The center hole is drilled to accommodate the steel shaft of the sander, and the modified belt pulleys are screwed onto the disks as shown. 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 April 23, 2026April 23, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked for Me: Ski Boot Holster It Worked for Me: Ski Boot Holster by Roger Alan Skipper Originally published in American Lutherie #109, 2012 Everywhere in the repair shop of Gruhn Guitars are examples of the little tricks of the trade that develop over time, like this ski-boot-become-cordless-drill-holster. ◆ Photo by Roger Alan Skipper.
Posted on February 1, 2026April 1, 2026 by Dale Phillips It Worked For Me: Bandsaw Guides It Worked For Me: Bandsaw Guides by Rick Rubin Originally published in American Lutherie #127, 2016 I purchased an old 14" Rockwell bandsaw from the late 1940s at a garage sale, and it didn’t take me long to want to replace the guide blocks. Steel-against-steel didn’t seem like a great idea. They tend to induce unwanted vibration. They also heat the blade which can, in the worst case, draw some of the temper from it. I looked at some of the roller bearing guides, but I didn’t like any of ones I saw that fit my saw, and I didn’t want to lay out that much money. I remembered looking at an early-20th-century Crescent bandsaw and remembered that it had the remains of some dense wood for the lower guides. On investigation, I realized it was lignum vitae, also known as guaiacum. Lignum is incredibly dense at 84 lbs./cu. ft. and is waxy/oily. I recalled that lignum had been used as self-lubricating pillow-block shaft bearings in ships. In fact, it’s still used as an industrial bearing material, from ships to hydro generators, and is being touted as an enviro-friendly alternative to eliminate greases and oils that can leak into water supplies. I had some lignum vitae; so I used the original guide blocks as a pattern and cut the wood blocks to match. I’ve used them ever since. I can pinch them against the blade without concern and resurface them on the belt sander as they wear. I’ve run my original set for over eight years and still have a lot of service left in them. ◆ Both photos by Rick Rubin.
