From Wally Moore
January, 2016

That old saying, "some things are better caught than taught", is never more-true than making jigs and tools to build acoustic stringed instruments.

I've been building acoustic guitars for 10 years, so I'm not a beginner. But neither am I a master luthier; far from it. My knowledge of jigs and tools is rudimentary at best and so are the ones I've built.

Looking to improve my lutherie skills, I joined Robert O’Brien's (private) online guitar building forum, and it was there I became aware of Howard Replogle, his stunning ukuleles and his knowledge about jigs and tools.

One day I visited his website contact page and thought, “Wow! This guy Howard has got this luthier thing down pat. His ukulele's are world class and his craftsmanship is impeccable. Wish I could do that.” Then I noticed at the bottom of the page his invitation: "Visitors are always welcome for short visits to my shop."

A few weeks later I spent a Saturday morning getting the tour. Howard showed me everything, and answered all my questions, which I had prepared before my visit, but our time went by way too fast.

My questions were about hand planes, hide glue, fish glue, tooling, dust control, French polish, circle cutters, bending wood, shop design, hand tools vs. power tools, etc. etc., you name it. His depth of knowledge is remarkable and he likes to share; he’s a natural teacher.

All that to say this: If you're the type that only gets so much out of a book, DVD, or YouTube, but you want to learn more about jigs and tools and how to use them, go see Howard. You will learn a TON and prove that old saying is absolutely true, "some things are better caught than taught."

Wally Moore
Banah Guitars
Wilsonville, OR