Here is a metal scraping plane that I made, based on a standard Stanley No4 plane.

There are many kinds of push sticks or blocks for the table saw, but we have seen appearing from the US a new kind of model, which certainly brings inovation on that topic, it is the GRR-Ripper from Micro Jig. 

Here is a tenoning jig for the table saw.

Here is a spokeshave I have built.

Here is a tool not so common, originally designed for instrument making, but that can also be used for any kind of precise woodworking.

This is a tool for thickness calibrating, with good accuracy. It is mostly used for setting up any kind of tools having a depth stop, like the drill press or the thickness punch.

I must give credit to Rick Sparber for the tool I’m presenting here. He published the idea of it on the [homemadetools.net](http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/self-centering- scribe-8482) forum.

Here is a platform that is used for holding a wood piece of any shape on the bench, in order to work on it, under any angle.

Here is a simple way to make a little chisel that aim at carving a groove for purfling inlaying.

Here are two ideas for making push sticks, which are essential safety pieces for always keeping the hands away from the blades of band-saws or table saws.

Highly figured woods like curly maple or some burled woods are very difficult to work.

My personal build of thumb planes.
Funny enough, thumb plane translates “rabeau noisette” in French, which means hazelnut plane.

For rough carving the top or back of a violin, or any other archtop instrument like the mandolin or jazz guitar, there are several possible methods. The fans of power tools may use a rooter to do so, but the true amateur of the “wood feeling” will by far prefer to use the gouge.

The purfling cutter or scriber is a tool that allows scoring or cutting the thin groove that will fit the purfling on a top or back of a violin, as well as on the edge of top, back and sides of string instruments like the guitar or the mandolin. The tool allows scribing this groove parallel to the edge of the top or back.

Most of the serious bandsaw models feature a blade tension indicator that allows to setup visually the tension of the blade, depending on its width :

A very simple trick, but also very usefull : a pocket calculator, intended to convert currencies, can be easilly tranformed to convert inches into millimeters and vice versa.

The thickness sander is one of the most usefull machine to the luthier. It is a drum sander, relatively powerfull, that allows to sand some thin pieces on the thickness, but on a large width.

Very often, a bandsaw breakage is felt as a fate that inevitably leads to the replacement of the blade.

It is advised to release the blade tension while a bandsaw is not used.

The radius sanding block is an essential tool when you want to make an arched fingerboard on a string instrument.

We are often tempted by using our mechanic vise for working a piece of wood. It is besides the most common vise one can find in any shop.

Resawing in its thickness a plank, often of high value in case of luthiery, is never easy and the bandsaws are often capricious when you want to saw along the parallel fence.

When you make a nice ornamental piece, and that your are proud of, you are naturally tempted to sign your master piece.
I made myself my own branding stamp, that allows me to sign exactly the same way all my pieces, in a discreet place.

Here is a special vise somewhat particular which is delighted by luthiers and carvers.

It is easy to find a well known commercial version of this kind of gauge which aim at measuring the heigth between strings and frets.
One measures at the first fret, the twelvth, etc … and the wished heigth is under the musician’s preference and the specs of the instrument.

If you have like me series of cheap clamps, even they have been usefull for even heavy duty works, they are not very suitable for delicate work like instrument making.