Woodworking in a Tiny Shop

I make classical guitars in a small workshop, well perhaps I should say I work in a tiny workshop. Actual working space is 9 feet wide by 13 feet long (117 square feet), there is additional space at the back of the room that is 9 feet wide by 7 feet long (63 square feet) and half of that space is occupied by the well head, well pump and pressure tank. 

Photos of one of my most recent classical guitars, this guitar has a Western red cedar top with Santos rosewood back and sides.

This is my space:

Tool racks for the hand tools I use on a daily basis, a set of low shelves and new workbench that accumulates workshop detritus.

Here you can see the back wall of my shop, on the other side of that short wall that the air cleaner sits on is the well head, well pump and pressure tank for our house. My best tonewood is on the metal shelves.

The shop looking towards the sliding glass door. To the right is my workbench that I originally built in 1994 and has been renovated several times. The guitar that is hanging up has a Western red cedar top with East Indian rosewood back and sides, those tonewoods are over 20 years old and this guitar has an elevated fretboard.

I do get asked why I use only hand tools to make my guitars. It is a choice I made when I first started down the lutherie road and small spaces like this aren’t suited for power tools.

My favorite hand plane with a toothed blade. This side is California Laurel that will be part of the next guitar.

“No! Try not! Do or do not! There is no try!” That is what Yodo said to Luke Skywalker in “The Empire Strikes Back”. That movie line is still valid today. 

If you can’t make something in a small shop with simple hand tools, then there is a good chance you won’t be able to make something is a huge shop filled with power tools.