Wooden Pickup Rings

[verhoevenc]

Ok, so I got some chrome pickups rings to use as a "template" for making wooden pickup rings. Now since this is all small and delicate, I've gotta use a Dremel router (cause I like my fingers where they are). So yeah, i've made like a mini router table and i've set the bit height so that it follows the chrome ring, and cuts the wood. However, since the wood gets so thin at points... if the router ever catches just a little, it sends a piece of the wood flying off and TADA ruined wooden pickup ring, all work down the drain. So, my question is... anyone know how I can get this to work?? OR is there some wood that'll do this, some that won't? (I'm using lacewood, but I've also got mahogany, and spruce pieces sitting around).

Thanks,

Chris

[mikhailgtrski]

Sorry, no help here...

I'm making some rosewood rings using the Dremel freehand with a StewMac router base. Multiple passes with an 1/8" inlay bit. I figure I'll get close to the line and clean it up with a file and sandpaper. I thought about it and decided I don't really HAVE TO undercut them like the factory plastic and metal ones. All that's needed is a simple ring.

Someday I'll figure out how to use a template.

Mike

[thegarehanman]

There could be several problems causing the tear out. Your dremel might not spin at a high enough rpm, or have too little power, you might be making too deep a pass each time, or you might be routing in the wrong direction. My guess is it's one of the last two...unless you're using a cordless dremel.

[verhoevenc]

I'm gunna bank on the "too deep" a pass. This time, I've used a saw and cut everything down until it's RIGHT up against the template.

I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

Chris

[thegarehanman]

If you're just looking for maple or something else common, specialtyguitars has sets of wooden rings for $40. I bought a set for my last build, very hight quality.

[verhoevenc]

No, I want the satisfaction of building my own . Plus, I'm in the process of pulling a "Thorne". I'm gunna have the wooden pickup rings with the recon stone lined screw holes like on the navajo. Ie: They needa be home-made. No way I'm drillin' into $40 maple ones for an experiment. Plus, I've got tons of extra little bits of wood to play and try out with. Plus $40 isn't my cup of tea for merely rings.

Chris

[JPL]

You might want to try saturating the wood with CA to make it a little more plastic and consistent.

[verhoevenc]

would like.... expoy do the same? Cause i've got some 5 minute devcon that's doin' NOTHING. Or does it have to be thin like watery super glue? Cause all I've gots that 5 min devcon, some grain fill epoxy, and some GEL superglue (but only a little... and that stuff's not cheap).

Chris

[thegarehanman]

You might want to try saturating the wood with CA to make it a little more plastic and consistent.

That's a good idea, but don't do that if you're planning on staining the rings. Although, you could just tint your clear coat instead. If you go that route, I'd get the rings as close to the final product as possible before saturating them in CA. I don't know how deep CA will penetrate.

Edited December 30, 2005 by thegarehanman

[SwedishLuthier]

You need the thinnest possible version of CA to get maximum penetration. The gel you have won't do it

[Setch]

I'd also be careful to wear an organic vapour mask if you plan to machine stuff which is soaked in CA. There's no particular trick to cutting pickup rings, just care and attention all the way through.

I'd an oversize blank, and thin it to the dimesions I want, then mark and drill the mounting screw holes. Screw it to a template, and route the pickup hole, then use a belt or disk sander to bring the outside to final dimensions. Use sharp cutters throughout, and don't dig in, or you'll shred the fragile areas instantly.

[JPL]

Good call on the mask. CA is nasty, even the "low odor" version will sneak up on you. Treat it as the poison it is.

Epoxy might work if you thin it down enough to saturate but CA would be best. Go to the corner hobby shop and get a jug of the thin stuff. This is not a cheap hobby.

Staining/dying could be done if you get the outside dimensions cut and finished first and then saturate. then rough out the inside and saturate again. Slowly route until you start hitting raw wood and then repeat. In fact I'm so paranoid that I wouldn't use a router bit at all. I would find the least aggressive bit (well, not the least aggressive but you get the idea) I could find and just nibble away at it.

[verhoevenc]

Yeah, like a "high-speed cutter". But I like what setch was saying, route the inside out first, cause the outside's wood will leave support, and then instead of routing the outside too... just use a saw to get it close to the template edge, and then just sand with an sander that has a nice level flat sanding bed (to make sure you get a flat edge)... like my palm sander I'll try it today and let ya'll know how it goes.

Chris

Edit: Oh yeah, here's another good idea. I just finished routing the inside out (went well even with a brittle a wood as SPRUCE!) and then I used a jeweler's saw (since it's got small teeth and will snag less) to cut CLOSE to the outside of the template. SO here's the idea now that I've prefaced it: For sanding the outside without putting un-needed presure on the fragile ring, since the inside is already routed out to size, I think I'm going to try sticking a humbucker IN the ring while sanding, then the sides won't flex and break (I'm gunna use an EMG since they're "sealed" and no saw-dust can get inside).

[thegarehanman]

I've never had a humbucker that actually touched the inside of the ring all the way around. You might want to wrap the humbucker in a few pieces of masking tape to get rid of the gap.

[RGGR]

Wouldn't it be possible to take oversized (thickness wise) blank and tape this to workbench. Then take template and tape to piece. Take normal router and follow the template. The router will cut the shape till the desired thickness........leaving some wood under the piece that still needs to be sanded off.......but where tape would stick to on work bench.

When done routing, you simple take piece from work bench and on flat piece of wood with sanded paper glued on it....you simple sand off the excess wood that the router hasn't taken off.

Make sense???

[verhoevenc]

I will admit that's yeah, that's pretty genious too... but sanding that excess off from behind to get the actual ring... I think that'd be more work than what I'm doing. And I just finished my first ring, and it's AMAZING! I love it!

Here it is:

I know, it still needs the actual mounting holes... but I'm waiting for that cause I've first gotta inlay the recon stone hole liner.

Chris

[Mattia]

I just do the inside bits by hand; start with a blank, mark/drill the mounting holes, drill the 4 corner holes, tempalte route the outside edge, and simply saw out the middle. It's 4 short, straight lines, and it's too fragile to risk routing everything. Minimal sanding (fingers providing support) will take care of the inside details, although if you cut close enough to the line, and back the thin bits with support (from the side, like), template routing at high speed with, say, a 1/8" or 1/4" downcut spiral bit should clean up the minimal amount of wood left to tidy.

The ones I made for the red PRS-type guitar (flamed maple) took all of 3 hours to make, and that's including resawing slices by hand, futzing with a router thicknessing setup, and slapping on some shellac.

[Clem]

I use a full size router to make them but I start out with a thicker piece of wood than I need. This helps to make it stronger while routing on my table. I then go back and plane it down with my router after all holes are drilled and sides are cut. It also helps to make them with the grain going longways across the ring that way the thinnest part doesn't have small sections of grain that will crack easily. It just took trial and error and wasted wood too figure this out. hope it helps for future reference.

[verhoevenc]

HA HA! Take that adversity! After ruining many a ring trying to do this I finally inlayed the dot BEFORE I cut the ring out... and TADA! Absolute Beauty!

Chris

[Marzocchi705]

Very classy

[ryanb]

Another trick is to route the rings into the surface of a thicker piece of wood. The extra thickness provides the support. When the shapes are done, a single pass through the table saw (or a resaw bandsaw) will slice the rings off the block clean and simple.

[verhoevenc]

An even better trick.... today I made pickup rings that have BOTH red AND blue "hole purfling" like above. Blue ones of the top.... if you get tired of those.... flip it over! cause there's red ones on the bottom!!!

Chris

PS: I'll post them in my "Meu X" build thread tomorrow at some point if ya'll wanna see them.

[stiggz]

thats a brilliant idea, its like swaping barbie's clothes depending on ur mood, lol

have fun with ur barbie

luke

Edited January 12, 2006 by where's the beef???

[verhoevenc]

thats a brilliant idea, its like swaping barbie's clothes depending on ur mood, lol

have fun with ur barbie  

luke

←

HEY! Not cool! You're gunna see these and be SOOOOO jealous! They'll be up tonight on the other Meu X thread, so beware!!!

Chris

PS: See above: NOT actual yelling