ive stated to buy the needed tools but when it comes to a work bench systems and clamping ideas, I'm unsure what's best
1) a fold away / portable work bench (the ones with the step to get your weight on it.) & plywood jig (to hold the neck)
2) a shave horse - ive never used one but they look like they might work well for shaping
3) a small height adjustable frame with a thick wooden top - with either traditional vices or dog holes for holdfast clamps
4) a roman bench / shaving horse hybrid - giving me both the shaving option and a regular work bench in one (with dog holes )
any advice would be a huge help
thank you in advance
@Dowel
I have a shaving horse that I use to shape necks. I only use it because I have it for other work, and I like to use it. You might find just a vise clamped to a workbench or table to be more useful?
My first banjo was built on a kitchen table with two c clamps...long time ago, before I had a shop, or a shaving horse.
Feel free to contact me if you want?
Bill West
One thing I always say. “You can never have too many clamps”. I shape necks in a vise bolted to the bench. I have a large variety of clamps including bicycle tubes for wrapping tightly around objects that are hard to clamp conventionally.
You don't need much to get started, basic workbench, basic vice. I would spend more on good files and rasps, tapered reamer and peg shaper...
What are you clamping? The neck gets shaped in the vice. Only the head gets glued on, and the tacks hold it. I also use masking tape.
Three things I find essential: a planer to ensure the fretboard is totally flat, a bandsaw to rough out the neck, and a lathe, to make the pegs better.
I would say a portable workbench is too small. You want something with mass. #3 sounds like the best to me, maybe you can fortify it with sandbags.
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