Clubmaking Shop

[progolf4life]

What's in yours and what do you reccommend?

I will be purchasing some new tools for my garage shop. I was wondering what you guys reccommend as far as what to get. I will be changing shafts, bending the loft and lie (I'll probably need a loft and lie fitting settup aswell), cutting shafts, measuring the swingweight, club head weight, etc.. (basically blueprinting them). Adventually I'll be dabbling in wedge grinding and making some putters, but that'll be at a later time. If you want to add equipment suggestions for this aswell then that'd be great.

What tools are needed and what do you guys reccommend?

Thanks

[Grum]

Vice(must have)

A good puller(must have)

heat gun(must have for graphite)

little propane torch(must have for steel)

BIG propane torch(luxury for flaming and oilcanning)

Drill(must have)

SW Scale(must have)

Loft/Lie machine(luxury I guess, but very handy)

bending bar

Stanley knife x 2(must have, 1 normal blade, 1 hook blade for ripping grips off)

Hack saw with decent blades(must have)

Decent pipe cutter for steel(must have, but both graphite and steel can be done with a chop saw, quick and very clean, my next purchase!)

Grip remover for syringing grips off(luxury, but again very handy for saving grips)

tape stripper

Loft/Lie guage(luxury, but if you've got a loft/lie machine, its good to have.)

2x Bench grinders(different wheels, and one has a sanding belt, handy for some finishing, tip prep and random bits and bobs)

Spine finder(luxury)

Frequency analyser and FLO kit(luxury)

Bench mounted tape dispenser(luxury, but awesomely useful, just press shaft against, pull, and cut, so easy!)

Decent set of scales for measuring component weights/headweights(luxury I guess for basic clubmaking)

Various drill bits/flap wheels/finishing wheels

46" club ruler(essential.)

 

Probably missed a few things, but you can add all the other gubbins like ferrules/tape/lead weights/grips/shafts/heads/masking tape/whatever in there :)

[Deerslayer]

Mine is so messy, I would be embarrassed to take a picture!

 

~Mechanical~

Two wheel grinder/buffer

2" table belt sander

ANVIL

4 different vises

5 sets of steel stamps

Dremmel Tool - am MUST HAVE for me

Drill Press

Hand grinders and sanders

Numerous files

Butane mini torch

Acetalene Torch

Heat Gun

 

~Golf Specific~

Hydraulic Head Puller

Lie Loft / bending station

Everything you need for custom paint fill

Grip Puller and everything I need to pull, and install grips

Numerous reamers and a big assortment of shafting supplies from ferrules to shims to tungsten powder to head weights etc.

Zelocity perfect contact doppler LM & net

 

I wish I had more, but I do a lot of things old school, so I will never have those ridicules looking stand alone grip stations. What is the fun in that! I still use good ole lighter fluid to regrip, and I DO make a big mess when I rip and strip grips!

 

I DO wish I had some machining equipment. I would kill to just get a chance to PLAY with a CNC machine!

[progolf4life]

Those posts were very helpful. Anyone else have anything they would like to add?

[claytonstoker21]

if you are going to mill putters and want a mini mill either get a taig or a sherline. also the jet grinder on golfworks can do anything

[Deerslayer]

Clayton, I saw what you did, I am envious.........congrats on your fine work!

[Triplebogey16]

2 Benches

Vice

Grip solvent tray

Measuring Board

Swingweight scale

Gram Scale

Hydraulic Puller

Bending Machine

Clubface measuring tool

1x30 Belt Sander

2x36 Belt sander

3buffing motors

Cut off wheel

Spine Finder

Propane Torch

Heat Gun

Dremel

Callaway Ferrule/Shaft saver

Stamp Set

 

Numerour Belts, ferrules, tipweights, shafts and grips etc

Acetone

Solvent

Grip tape

[cigarnut81]

I would recommend you replace that SW Scale with an MOI matching machine. It is the way to match clubs for swing feel. Look it up.

[Grum]

Personally I'd go with the industry standard way and go with the SW scale, specially if you're just learning.

[cigarnut81]

If you are just learning then there is no reason not to learn the new technology. It is not complicated and the Swingweight system is outdated. Why would you take your 2008 golf clubs and apply 1920 technology to it. It seems like a waste of time to not use new technology on your new technology clubs. You will not regret moving to MOI matching. It truly makes your clubs swing the same.

[LowPost42]

Vice(must have)

A good puller(must have) I recommend a hydraulic model

heat gun(must have for graphite)

little propane torch(must have for steel)

BIG propane torch(luxury for flaming and oilcanning)

Drill(must have) A drill press and reaming vice will also be quite useful

SW Scale(must have) I would also strongly consider an MOI speed match machine. The only reason I have a SW scale is for those who ask what SW their clubs are. I don't use it to build.

Loft/Lie machine(luxury I guess, but very handy) I'm an MR3 True Blue guy

bending bar

Stanley knife x 2(must have, 1 normal blade, 1 hook blade for ripping grips off)

Hack saw with decent blades(must have) stop fooling around and get good tools - a chop saw is your tool.

Decent pipe cutter for steel(must have, but both graphite and steel can be done with a chop saw, quick and very clean, my next purchase!) A wet-tile saw is the cutting tool of choice for graphite to keep the dust down - and out of your lungs!

Grip remover for syringing grips off(luxury, but again very handy for saving grips)

tape stripper

Loft/Lie guage(luxury, but if you've got a loft/lie machine, its good to have.)

2x Bench grinders(different wheels, and one has a sanding belt, handy for some finishing, tip prep and random bits and bobs) Since it seems like you're doing it all, get the good one - Jet 1HP with multitool arm as one, and I like a 2nd one at 1/2 HP for buffing wheels)

Spine finder(luxury)

Frequency analyser and FLO kit(luxury)

Bench mounted tape dispenser(luxury, but awesomely useful, just press shaft against, pull, and cut, so easy!) no need for air compressor and air gripping

Decent set of scales for measuring component weights/headweights(luxury I guess for basic clubmaking)

Various drill bits/flap wheels/finishing wheels

48" club ruler(essential.) There's a great 48" clubmaker ruler out there with an adjustable foot plate

 

Probably missed a few things, but you can add all the other gubbins like ferrules/tape/lead weights/grips/shafts/heads/masking tape/whatever in there :)

 

A very good list for the 'complete shop'. I have had or currently have all the above, as well as a 48" ramrod for seating corks (cork and powder swingweighting). Lie boards are nice if you're doing indoor fittings, a camera based LM is a great tool (although finicky to setup). I use the Zelocity PureLaunch outdoors for it's ease of use.

 

I also employ a 30" belt sander to get steel shafts to exact specs, a 42" belt sander for turning ferrules, a handy tool is a ferrule puller (for when you've shoved the ferrule too far up the shaft), I don't see shaft pads or shaft clamps mentioned yet - crucial for use with the vice. I would likely only have a 42" belt sander and switch belts had I had the foresight to have bought it first (but GolfWorks had a sale on their chop saw and 30" sander - so it's still good).

[Grum]

Ferrule puller? just put it in the shaft puller and off the ferrule comes :) good for dry fitting cally stuff, sometimes ferrule wont come back off after the dry fit. Load it into the puller and offski it comes.

[SadTrombone]

What kind of budget is satisfactory to get started with something like this?

 

Are you building a bench (or two) or buying them?

 

-mini

[Grum]

Its alot of money, I built my workshop up bit at a time really, bought it as a needed it or could afford it. I really don't want to add all the prices up, LOL.

[PurePursuit]

Please do Grum :) I need to start figuring out what kind of a start up cost this is going to take.

[Grum]

Hmmm, ok, lets figure this out.

 

Bench&vice I already had.

Loft/Lie machine(upgrading currently, will price the 'new' one) £600 UK

bending bar £70

Freqeuncy analyser and flo kit £300

Spine finder £60

Grinders £120 for the two, wasnt bad.

Tape dispenser, home made, basically free.

Solvent drip tray home made for £10 all in

Heatgun £20

Torch £20

Puller £200

Loft/lie/face angle/offset guage £200

Ill say £150 for all the miscelanious tools and supplies i've got lying about, too many to list.

 

£1500($2,187.04) roughly, but I'd hazard a guess theres some stuff in there I've forgotten

[andre112]

I just recently started setting up for my own shop.

It's going to be steel shaft only for now.

No loft/lie bending. No Frequency measuring.

It's going to be about $500.

 

2'x5' Bench ($40 of material)

Air Compressor $80

Vise $45

1000gx0.1g Gram Scale $45

6" Chop saw with blade $45

DIY Spine Finder $30 (good bearings are expensive)

Propane Torch $30

48" ruler $12

Medium File $7

Digital Caliper $35

DIY swing weight scale $2

SW and MOI spreadsheet

DIY FLO clamp $5

You can find a lot of tools cheap on ebay!!

 

Masking Tape

Ferrules

Tungsten Powder

Corks

44 1/2" Ram Rod

47" 5/32" drill bit

3/8" drill bit

Epoxy Gun + Epoxy

Utility Knife with straight and hook blades

80 Grit Sandpaper

Hosel Cleaning tool

Acetone

$150

 

It's kind of ghetto but with the amount of work I'm going to do. It's plenty.

[claytonstoker21]

here is what is in my clubmaking/putter milling shop

 

taig er spindle maual mill with lots of acessories.

jet multitool bench grinder

gram scale

many filies

heat gun

torch

graphite shaft puller

chop saw

air compressor

hoping to buy taig lathe

angle grinder

metal stamps

digital caliper

drip pan

shaft clamps

machinest vise

and other tools i cant think of

 

not doing much clubbuilding mostly putter making

[TLT_Dan]

Equipment is very important and I do suggest you do buy quality equipment - because if you don't you will be replacing it down the road, adding to your cost.

 

If you are going to be a quality fitting shop, then yes MOI is the way to go.

 

I would also sugget you take a look at True Length Technology - Awarded 'The Best New Fitting Idea - 2007 AGCP' as Tom Wishon himself has endorsed it on numereous occations. The age of fitting to random lies and 1/2 inch increments is so far behind the times

[g-money]

I have two shops, one mobile and one in house. This hobby can get expensive, real fast. Kinda retorical, but I build up through the years tinkering on my own clubs and then friends, now customers. Same way I approached the tooling, built up over the years.

 

Start with the basics:

 

Good shop tables...you need more room than you think

Heavy duty vice

Lever action shaft vice

Quality Shaft Puller...worth the money

Heat Gun and Propane Torch

Quality SW Scale

Cut off saw w/30 or 42" belt sander...can be done with hand tools, but is well worth the convenience

Frequency Analyzer

Bench Ruler

Gripping Station...again can do it by hand but real convenient to have, make it yourself as other have done

Dial Calipers

Cordless drill and alot of good bits and reamers

Grinders and buffers...are nice and not esential to start, but nice to work scratchs out and refinish

Tons of supplies

Loft/Lie...while not esential to start out, really nice to have.

Various hand tools

The list goes on and on.

 

Here is a few picks of my mobile shop, you can get a better idea of all that's there. I think it would be great if others put up a few picks, I'm always looking for new ideas as well.

 

Good luck w/ you're project.

 

G

[LowPost42]

Ferrule puller? just put it in the shaft puller and off the ferrule comes :) good for dry fitting cally stuff, sometimes ferrule wont come back off after the dry fit. Load it into the puller and offski it comes.

 

Good tip! If I didn't already have a ferrule puller, I'd use this one. LOL.

[LowPost42]

The thing you have to remember is that essentially you'll be trading your time for your money - the more money you spend the more time and/or headache you'll save.

 

Sure, you can build clubs with a hacksaw (both steel blade and grit-edge for graphite) a box-cutter, a tape measure, a vice, acetone and hairspray (for grips), but there's a reason why we have power tools. Saws make cutting faster and easier, belt sanders speed up tip prep, proper measuring tools aid accuracy...

 

If you like to tinker and like to build stuff, don't waste your money on the hacksaws and pipe cutters. Buy the chop saws, belt sanders and air compressors to speed up your job.

[andre112]

lowpost,

 

is GW's belt sander and chop saw combo for $99 a good buy?

[LowPost42]

lowpost,

 

is GW's belt sander and chop saw combo for $99 a good buy?

 

Considering the 30" BS is $77 and the chop saw is $44 (individually), I'd say yes. I'm pretty sure that's the deal I took advantage of.

 

Pro trick to get precise measurements on steel shafts - cut close with the chop saw (there's enough lateral play in it), then use the belt sander to grind down to your precise mark.

[Deerslayer]

That is a SWEEEEET rig Gmoney!

[Golferpimp1]

That is a SWEEEEET rig Gmoney!

 

 

Ya, no kidding, I could have a field day in there. That set up probably costs more than my house! Very nice!

[Grum]

Pro trick to get precise measurements on steel shafts - cut close with the chop saw (there's enough lateral play in it), then use the belt sander to grind down to your precise mark.

 

 

Also good practice when trying to acheive a specific frequency with parallel tips and wood shafts(clamp at desired length, measure, grind/sand/reclamp at desired length, re-measure, and so on)

 

and g-money, that is an AWESOME set-up. Maybe one day I'll have a trailer like that :D

[Gozz]

g-money, what do you do with a trailer like that? Do you do fittings for country clubs, cover the small golf tours? My wife would never see me if I had a rig like that. Well, except at my funeral after she killed me.

[MR MIZUN0]

I wish I had a trailer like that!!!!!!!!!

[g-money]

Thanks for all the kind words, I really appreciate it. I do private work at CC's and local courses and travel upon request. I also work out of one local course as a home base. I pretty much do it all from fittings to service and custom work. Basically the same concept as a Tour Trailer for the common man. Has taken off pretty well, everybody love to watch. There pretty amazed at what goes into building clubs.

 

Yes, my wife never sees me, but has not tried to kill me...yet. She doesn't complain on payday though.

 

Thanks again, G