|
|
Post by Marty on Mar 21, 2021 21:02:19 GMT -5
The other day I mentioned a guitar maintenance/string changing station. This is overkill for most of you but if you are serious about doing some minor repair and adjustment work a good bench is a must. This is the bench I set up at Fret Central. A altered reloading bench from Grizzly and a StewMac neck vise. You can work from either side of the bench and the vise rotates 360 degrees. The bench can be altered to fit the StewMac neck jigs and it is high enough to work while standing, which is what I do most of the time, or sitting with a bar height stool. The body pad is a discontinued carpet sample that can be had cheaply from a carpet store. With this type of setup you can clean a guitar and change strings more efficiently and a lot faster because you don't have to hold on to the instrument.   |
|
|
|
Post by Marty on Mar 22, 2021 23:05:57 GMT -5
You guys don't like that one, okay here is another way. Get the carpet square and lay it on any workable surface. You can buy or make a neck rest, the one shown is cork but it can be made of wood and the neck area padded with cork or leather. The last thing you need is a way to keep the guitar from moving. I use a shot bag, leather bag filled with lead shot that I lay over the tailblock area.  |
|
|
|
Post by jdd2 on Mar 22, 2021 23:10:16 GMT -5
... Get the carpet square ... Yeah, but what color and patten is best...?!?  |
|
|
|
Post by howard lee on Mar 23, 2021 6:46:45 GMT -5
I wish I had the space to set up a small workbench, but alas, 3 people sharing 1200 square feet of space makes things a bit tight (especially with a certain unnamed person's way of hanging on to too much "stuff"). There is always someone else's junk on the DR table, which is the only flat surface other than the long row of CD albums on a Danish Modern bench in the LR. Of course, I could clear the coffee table in the LR and use that, but I'd have to sit while I work, and that limits leverage. As you might imagine, I end up doing string changes and such at the foot of the bed, which is much too low for an aging back.
Nice setup, Marty.
|
|
|
|
Post by Marty on Mar 23, 2021 7:50:48 GMT -5
Gray herringbone works, or what ever matches your eyes.
|
|
|
|
Post by drlj on Mar 23, 2021 7:51:21 GMT -5
I have a table downstairs I use for adjustments & setups but I change strings sitting on the couch as we watch Doc Martin on TV.
|
|
Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 20,253 
|
Post by Dub on Mar 23, 2021 12:11:53 GMT -5
This is all very timely. I love Marty’s setup but I balk at spending $200.00 for a neck vice. That is a slippery slope that would lead to needing to buy a nut vice and a full set of nut files and who knows what else.
I have a section from one of those corner pub shuffleboard games. Nicely glued up maple probably three inches thick and just right for the purpose. All I need is a stout support system (legs). I don’t like the carpet so much. I’ve tried a blanket but the guitar is hard to keep in one place. I was thinking a foam pad of some kind that “gripped” the guitar’s finish to keep it from sliding.
And what about those half moon rocker type neck supports? Or those bean bag supports that handle both solid body electrics and full sized acoustics?
Also, Home Depot sells a small, maple-topped, steel-legged bench about that size that goes up and down (crank or motor, I think) to match the working height to the job. I bought a computer desk at Office Depot last year that automatically moves to preset levels and I love it. I usually prefer standing when using a computer but sometimes, like when viewing a long informative video, I prefer being seated.
|
|
|
|
Post by billhammond on Mar 23, 2021 12:23:27 GMT -5
This is all very timely. I love Marty’s setup but I balk at spending $200.00 for a neck vice. That is a slippery slope that would lead to needing to buy a nut vice and a full set of nut files and who knows what else. /getty_vice_and_vise-58279ff43df78c6f6a5291ec.jpg) |
|
|
|
Post by coachdoc on Mar 23, 2021 13:00:45 GMT -5
"And what about those half moon rocker type neck supports? Or those bean bag supports that handle both solid body electrics and full sized acoustics?"
Atsa what Ise gots, wurks gud.
|
|
Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 20,253
|
Post by Dub on Mar 23, 2021 13:08:55 GMT -5
It looks like Marty might have the bench pictured here…  …but it doesn’t seem to be available from either Grizzly or Bullets.com. The only similar bench on the Grizzly Web site is this one which might be fine but isn’t exactly like Marty’s.  The one from Home Depot that I like is this 46" model. (They come in 52" and 62" lengths as well.) Its height is adjustable by crank from 26" to 42" and it has two drawers which could be handy for a restringing table. This one lists for $219.00 plus a little extra if you want it in white. I’m not sure it would be easy to attach Marty’s StewMac neck vice to this table. Note the locking casters.  |
|
|
|
Post by Marty on Mar 23, 2021 13:09:21 GMT -5
I'm going to make one of those neck rests, just because I'm interested in how that design works. You can also get a rifle rest bag at your local sporting goods place. Some of the rifle shooting rest are shot filled and very stable.  |
|
|
|
Post by Marty on Mar 23, 2021 13:14:38 GMT -5
It looks like Marty might have the bench pictured here… …but it doesn’t seem to be available from either Grizzly or Bullets.com. The only similar bench on the Grizzly Web site is this one which might be fine but isn’t exactly like Marty’s. The one from Home Depot that I like is this 46" model. (They come in 52" and 62" lengths as well.) Its height is adjustable by crank from 26" to 42" and it has two drawers which could be handy for a restringing table. This one lists for $219.00 plus a little extra if you want it in white. I’m not sure it would be easy to attach Marty’s StewMac neck vice to this table. The Bullets one is what I had and the photo I posted came from that site so they still offer them but as a woodworking bench not a reloading bench. The Bald Eagle is like the ones Harbor Freight sells, workable but not as well made. The height adjustable one would work also and it is nice because of the height adjustment. |
|
|
|
Post by drlj on Mar 23, 2021 13:29:08 GMT -5
Make one out of planks and bricks like your college bookshelves.
|
|
|
|
Post by Marty on Mar 23, 2021 13:30:58 GMT -5
Make one out of planks and bricks like your college bookshelves. Like the one at the back of my workbench? Heavy and solid, adds mass to the bench. |
|
|
|
Post by Rob Hanesworth on Mar 23, 2021 13:35:42 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Marty on Mar 23, 2021 13:39:26 GMT -5
This is not bad as long as you can lock all the casters. A heavy neck rest would work and you could install a couple of eye hooks along the sides to attach a bungee cord to hold the guitar down. A StewMac vise is kinda pricey and one would need a 5" thick firm/ridged foam pad to hold electric solid bodies in a good working position. |
|
|
|
Post by TKennedy on Mar 23, 2021 13:46:21 GMT -5
Yet another option, a Jorgensen clamp screwed to a base board which can be clamped to a bench top. Pad the jaws with leather or gasket cork.  |
|
Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 20,253
|
Post by Dub on Mar 23, 2021 14:25:00 GMT -5
Yet another option, a Jorgensen clamp screwed to a base board which can be clamped to a bench top. Pad the jaws with leather or gasket cork. Great idea. Somehow that shop looks familiar. |
|
Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 20,253
|
Post by Dub on Mar 23, 2021 14:27:57 GMT -5
Hey! That’s pretty cool. Thanks, Rob. |
|
|
|
Post by Marty on Mar 23, 2021 15:13:16 GMT -5
Altered Jorgensen clamp on the string change bench at the Podium.  The little magnet glued to the side is so one does not lose the truss rod cover screws.  The single large bolt is so the clamp can be rotated out of the way when not needed. If I did that again I would have a BIG wingnut there so it could really be tightened down solidly. The chain is attached to the electric string winder. The guys kept dropping it in the trash can directly below.  |
|
