Guitar Template and Other

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Kevin Waldron
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 1:28 pm

Guitar Template and Other

Post by Kevin Waldron »

Hello all,

Thought that I would introduce myself and our firm. We are a sponsor of the forum. My name is Kevin Waldron and we consist of myelf, my two sons Jon and Erick, and my son-in-law David Miller; we own and operate Waldron Instruments, Inc.

We began operation about 2 years ago primarly as a instrument maker we have now migrated more and more to parts, pieces, materials, and other. We still continue to build instruments just not as many........... we were re-production furniture people for almost 40 years prior to luthier......... so our back ground has been in wood. Check out our shops and our videos of what we do.

We are now making all kinds of templates, fixtures, carving molds and many other different things. I would invite you to visit us at http://waldroninstruments.com or at http://luthiermaterials.com

Take a look at our acrylic templates for acoutic, electric, clasical guitars, as well as mandolin, violin, and others. We also are offering many kits and soon will have several different mandolin kits available.

Thanks, for looking and may you be blessed.

Kevin Waldron

kevin@waldroninstruments.com
johnnparchem
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:50 pm
Location: Seattle
Contact:

Re: Guitar Template and Other

Post by johnnparchem »

I've recently picked up a few templates from Waldron and I am very happy with them. They go beyond just having layout templates of the top, but also include neck and peg head templates for a variety of instruments. My first violin kit was also purchased from Waldron.

John
tippie53
Posts: 7011
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Hegins, Pa
Contact:

Re: Guitar Template and Other

Post by tippie53 »

I also use them . Love the quality.
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
David L
Posts: 1319
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:04 pm
Location: Slidell, La

Re: Guitar Template and Other

Post by David L »

Thanks Kevin for being a sponsor of the forum, I have been visiting your website often and I'm looking at templates as well. I will make an order as soon as I put a couple of coins together, I feel it's important to support KGF sponsors.

David L
bblake

Re: Guitar Template and Other

Post by bblake »

I received some of these templates a couple of days ago. They are works of art. To say I was pleased with them is an understatement.
Incidentally, I am currently repairing a 30's 0-17 and the template is a perfect match. Every point of reference is there, from braces to bridge pins and saddle, end blocks and more. A top quality item.
For what it's worth, I don't know the Waldrons and do not even live in the States. (on that matter, their International shipping was very fast.)
David L
Posts: 1319
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:04 pm
Location: Slidell, La

Re: Guitar Template and Other

Post by David L »

Thier templates are awesome, I am using the complete set for tho OO-14 fret I'm building.

David L
ColestineGuitar
Posts: 135
Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:30 pm

Re: Guitar Template and Other

Post by ColestineGuitar »

Hello all. I am an igner'nt newbie, having embarked on my first build, and this thread has sparked my curiosity. I have purchased plans for the guitars I want to build. The plans show pretty much where every part will go. What, then, is the utility of a template?
Slowest builder on the forum. These things take time. Apparently.
David L
Posts: 1319
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:04 pm
Location: Slidell, La

Re: Guitar Template and Other

Post by David L »

Plans are good, brace locations, etc, can be transferred to top, back, provided plans are 1 to 1 ratio, John has a youtube video that shows a good method of doing it. The advantage of having templates is that they are partially cut-through so that you can mark directly where all the braces go, also they are clear so that you can see the grain/figure of the wood when deciding where to locate, they are made of some kind poly something or another so they are durable, I'm sure there are other utilitarian reasons but I'm not smart enough to think of any more. I'm sure there are lots of people who make wonderful guitars and don't own a single template. Maybe some other folks can give you a little more insight than me because I can also be igner'nt! BTW, whatcha building?

David L
tippie53
Posts: 7011
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Hegins, Pa
Contact:

Re: Guitar Template and Other

Post by tippie53 »

I use patterns for bracing. Kevin made mine .
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
bblake

Re: Guitar Template and Other

Post by bblake »

ColestineGuitar wrote:Hello all. I am an igner'nt newbie, having embarked on my first build, and this thread has sparked my curiosity. I have purchased plans for the guitars I want to build. The plans show pretty much where every part will go. What, then, is the utility of a template?
You are correct in saying that the plans have all the information you need but templates make it a lot quicker and easier to keep things accurate. They are used in conjunction with plans.
When using plans, most people cut out their own templates anyway. Often by using a print of the plans, glued onto some plywood or such.
This template can then be used as a guide for a router to follow, when cutting out forms and more. As someone else has mentioned, the fact that good templates are transparent, means that imperfections in wood can be seen and avoided and there are many other benefits as well. I doubt anyone who has used transparent templates could be easily persuaded to do things another way.
In the case of a "complete" template, like the Waldron ones, there are many, many registry marks on the template. This means that center lines, bridge and block positions and other important marks can be quickly and accurately transferred to the work surface, whether it be the building mould or the actual guitar wood. Although these marks can be transferred by using a plan and accurate measuring (again and again), it is much more time consuming and increases the possibility of error. Of course templates can be used again and again for multiple projects with consistent results.
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