ALL TOOLS
The tool reference
All 28 documented tools across five categories. Filter by category, stage or search text; every card opens the full page.
Spruce top
The default soundboard: stiff along the grain, light, and loud.
Cedar top
Opens fast, plays warm, and marks if you look at it wrong.
Mahogany back & sides
Dry, focused and punchy — the working musician’s back wood.
Rosewood back & sides
Deep bass, long sustain, and a wall of overtones.
Maple neck
Stiff, stable, bright — the electric default.
Ebony fretboard
Hard, slick and black — the fretboard that stays put.
Fret wire
Nickel silver or stainless, and the crown shape decides the feel.
Fret slotting saw
One saw, one kerf, no second chances.
Fret press
Seats a fret evenly instead of hammering it in.
Fret leveling file
Makes every fret the same height, then gives the crown back.
Nut file set
The slot depth sets the action at the first fret.
Truss rod
The adjustment that decides relief — and it only works if it was installed right.
Bracing chisel
Shapes braces to a measured taper without tearing the grain.
Spokeshave
Shapes curved surfaces a plane cannot reach.
Radius dish
Gives the top and back their curve, consistently.
Go-bar deck
Clamps a whole braced plate at once, evenly.
Binding router bit
Cuts the channel that takes the binding and purfling.
Body mold
Holds the sides in shape while the box goes together.
Action gauge
Reads string height at the twelfth fret without arguing about it.
Feeler gauge
The only honest way to measure relief and nut height.
Notched straightedge
Reads the fretboard itself, not the tops of the frets.
String winder
Turns a fifteen-minute string change into five.
Capo
Clamps the strings at a fret — and shows up any setup problem.
Nitrocellulose lacquer
The traditional finish: thin, clear, and easy to repair.
French polish
A shellac film applied by hand, one thin layer at a time.
Sanding sealer
The first coat that stops the wood drinking the finish.
Glue
Three glues, three jobs, and none of them interchangeable.
Clamps
Enough of them, and enough reach.