Spool clamps

[MuddyFox]

Alrite... my first to-the-point post on this board.

Not having a kit to build yet, I'm reading up on tools and procedures. A few issues naturally came up and I will be spreading them across several topics so let's start with spool clamps.

Is there any particular reason that they need to be round? If I were to make my own (very likely), having very little in a way of powertools, they just seem easier to make if they were rectangular. Not to mention the increased contact areas.
So, am I missing something here, all spool clamps I've seen seem to be round...?

[Ben-Had]

I bought a 1 1/2" round closet bar and cut off 1" pieces, then drilled holes. Less work then trying to square up a whole bunch of sides. I don't think the shape really matters as now I use cam clamps all around and they are in essence square. But building spool clamps is much easier. Pieces you need are:

1 1/2" Closet bar
1/4" or 5/16" by 8" carriage bolts
fender washers
wing nuts
cork liner
plastic tubing

enough to make however many you want.

Tim B

[MuddyFox]

Let me see if I can offer a half-decent explanation of my problem.

It is entirely possible I could get a hold of a jigsaw. Now, holding a closet bar on a surface with my left hand, I cut it with my right hand at an questionable angle approximating a right angle. This will inevitably produce bits with sides in contact with the guitar hardly ever parallel.

OTOH, if I were to take a wood stud (like a 2x4 only smaller) and cut it at intervals close to the width, I will end up with bits of slightly varying length and width but still parallel (because I will use bottom and top sides as contact points, not the sides that I actually cut with a jigsaw).

Now, if I had a saw that would insure a perfectly perpendicular cut on a closet bar, then it would be no problem. But no such saw around to be had so I thought to work around that problem.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Muddy,
Hey there. You can make your spool clamps square, or rectangle, not an issue. If you can find some fairly square, flat one inch or thicker semi hardwood, you are good to go. Improvise, it doesn't matter what they look like as long as they do the job. Use cork, leather, felt, or any other soft material you can find to put on the clamping surfaces just to help eliminate marring or scratching your surfaces.
If you plan on building more than one guitar, bite the bullet and purchase the laminate trimmer and purchase one of the guide bases available, like the one from Ken Cierp here on the forum. You will be glad you have an adequate tool to do the job.

Kevin

[MuddyFox]

Muddy,
Hey there. You can make your spool clamps square, or rectangle, not an issue. If you can find some fairly square, flat one inch or thicker semi hardwood, you are good to go. Improvise, it doesn't matter what they look like as long as they do the job. Use cork, leather, felt, or any other soft material you can find to put on the clamping surfaces just to help eliminate marring or scratching your surfaces.

Which brings about an interesting point. Not being a woodworker I have to ask, what would one consider a (semi) hard wood, and why would a "soft" wood make for a bad clamp?

If you plan on building more than one guitar, bite the bullet and purchase the laminate trimmer and purchase one of the guide bases available, like the one from Ken Cierp here on the forum. You will be glad you have an adequate tool to do the job.

Indeed a sensible thing to do. I realize this may not be the best forum to ask, but can a laminate trimmer be used to route cavities fin solidbody guitars (I have been looking to build a Telecaster for a while now :) ) or would I need a full blown router for that? If a trimmer can handle such a task then it wouldn't be a one-trick-pony and I could more easily justify biting that bullet...

[Tony_in_NYC]

Hello Goran,

Yes, you can use a laminate trimmer to route cavities in a solid body. No problem. A larger more powerful router might be a better choice if you were going to be routing cavities all day long, but for the occasional solid body (BLASPHEMY!!) you can absolutely use it.
As for why spool clamps are round? Well, I hope the humor does not get lost in translation, but mainly I believe it is some old luthiers cruel idea of a joke. See, a round clamp can and will roll off of the work bench just when you need it the most, for example, when you are gluing the top or back onto the rim. When that happens, the ghosts of luthiers past all have a good laugh and pat themselves on the back for not making them square.
So you see, its all part of a big joke.
For the record, if you have a $2.00 miter box, you can easily make the clamps out of any shape material and have the ends be parallel. You can even make your own miter box if you already own a combination square, t-square etc and have some scrap pieces of wood. Even this rudimentary miter box, or mitre box depending on how you like to spell it, will allow you to make square cuts for a while until the guide slots begin to wear.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Ash, Poplar, Oak.....they will just last longer. If you used Pine that would probably work too.

[MuddyFox]

Hello Goran,

Yes, you can use a laminate trimmer to route cavities in a solid body. No problem. A larger more powerful router might be a better choice if you were going to be routing cavities all day long, but for the occasional solid body (BLASPHEMY!!) you can absolutely use it.

Yes, I'm well aware that I might be ticking off a god or two with that sort of thinking (luckily, no spanish inquisition around but then again, noone ever expects them... :) ).
Good to know. I'll definitely look into getting a trimmer then.

As for why spool clamps are round? Well, I hope the humor does not get lost in translation, but mainly I believe it is some old luthiers cruel idea of a joke. See, a round clamp can and will roll off of the work bench just when you need it the most, for example, when you are gluing the top or back onto the rim. When that happens, the ghosts of luthiers past all have a good laugh and pat themselves on the back for not making them square.
So you see, its all part of a big joke.

No translation needed, Tony. I like to think I have a reasonably decent grasp on English language (even though I don't have much use for it in RL) so it's not lost on me. On top of that, I always appreciate the fine art of irony and sarcasm so I gotta say, good one. :)

For the record, if you have a $2.00 miter box, you can easily make the clamps out of any shape material and have the ends be parallel. You can even make your own miter box if you already own a combination square, t-square etc and have some scrap pieces of wood. Even this rudimentary miter box, or mitre box depending on how you like to spell it, will allow you to make square cuts for a while until the guide slots begin to wear.

If it comes to that, a miter box is a fine idea. I was just looking for a way to save a bit of elbow grease for later and use a jig saw. But it's clunky and inaccurate.

[JRHall]

Go to "Hobby Lobby" and look for wooden toy wheels. They are about 2" in diameter and have a 1/4" hole for an axle. Add some 1/4-20 bolts and wing nuts of the appropriate length from Lowe's and you have cheap quick spool clamps without a lot of trouble.

[kencierp]

To me spool clamps are the the second least desirable way to glue on the top and back -- Go-bar deck being the most problematic. Take a look at the KMG web site and you'll find many alternatives including the simple and my favorite, use of common #64 rubber bands. Also take a look at the KMG Masterworks mold which is a "souped up" version of the the mold used by Jonathan Kinkead --- his book is a good investment for those just starting out.