Man On A Mision

[Muddd]

Hi, Im on my first build. Im going to be building a tele out of a swamp ash blank from stewmac. I thought that i was going to have a shop available but that fell through. Now i need your help on deciding what to do. I did some searching and found that people had some prefrences on jigsaws vs Plunge routers, I went to a rental store and they thought that i was nuts to try to use a jigsaw ( the one they had seemed a little small). As far as a plunge router they seem kinda expensive and i dont have any expirence with them. I also found this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006JZZ...glance&n=228013

>will it be able to do the trick?

I also have another option which would be to go to the First Act guitar studio and have them do it for me.

What would you suggest?

This is somthing for school and i need to have this guitar cut out by monday, other wise i would not be stressing.

[Duff Beer Man]

Router all the way. The router is one tool you can use for anything on a body. Weather it be shape, cavities, binding, anything. Router all the way.

[j. pierce]

I think a router is important to have for most guitar building, but I certainly wouldn't use a router as my sole tool for cutting out my body, which seems to be what you're implying? A router and a jigsaw really are different tools, and whether you should get one or the other really depends on what exactly you are doing.

Edit: I just saw from your link, you're looking at a bandsaw, not a jigsaw. (At least, when I think jigsaw I think a hand-held reciprocating saw thingy)

[Mickguard]

What would you suggest?

That you take a deep breath first...It sounds to me like you dove into this project without actually planning it out --spend some time reading first, that'll make things go a lot more smoothly.

The first thing you need to worry about is making a template. Get a piece of not too thick MDF or plywood or pine. You can use a jig saw to cut the body shape with that and use a sanding block to clean up the sides. Draw out the body shape on the piece. It helps to cut slightly wide of your line--jigsaws don't always cut straight up and down (that's why they thought you were nuts at the store), then use a sanding block to sand down to your line.

It really really really helps to work from a template. It hurts a lot less to screw up a piece of plywood than it does to destroy a swamp ash blank from Stewmac.

Once you have the template --what I do, I place that on the body blank, draw out the lines, then draw a second line about half an inch wide of the true line. I use the jigsaw to cut along the wide line--this allows for the drift of the jigsaw blade through the thick body wood (and it will drift).

When that's done, I use a router --it's a much more useful tool than a bandsaw, you can pick up a cheapo (I paid 20 euros for my first one), and it'll take up less space in the garage too. My router came with a guide collar attachment --that makes your life easier. Dunno if they're delivered with that in the States?

But while you were placing your order at stewmac, you probably should have bought that template bearing bit --well, buy one when you buy the router...

You're going to need that router to do the pickup and control cavities and neck pocket anyway...a bandsaw can't do that. Anyway, I think the bandsaw has a steeper learning curve.

The main thing, if you've never used a tool before, is to practice on scrap before taking it to the real wood you want to use.

And put some time in planning this out, make sure you understand all the steps involved. Really, it will help.

[demonx]

Band Saw - no smaller that 14"

[Muddd]

Thanks for the advice guys,

I should have said this in the begining but yes i am trying to cut out the body shape and, I do already have a template, I orderd it off of Ron's site. It sounds like a router and jigsaw is the way that i want to go but i want to ask, which router and which jigsaw do you reccomend (does it have to be a Plunge router)? I want to know because the jigsaw that i looked at in the rental store would have had a pretty tough time cutting through the body blank.

Also Mickguard you said something about a template bearing bit from stewmac, is this it?

link

Thanks again.

Edit: Since ive already spent alot, do i need a router and jigsaw or could I make with just getting the router (not sure how that would work but....)?

Edited April 11, 2006 by Muddd

[pgosselin]

Thanks for the advice guys,

I should have said this in the begining but yes i am trying to cut out the body shape and, I do already have a template, I orderd it off of Ron's site. It sounds like a router and jigsaw is the way that i want to go but i want to ask, which router and which jigsaw do you reccomend (does it have to be a Plunge router)? I want to know because the jigsaw that i looked at in the rental store would have had a pretty tough time cutting through the body blank.

Also Mickguard you said something about a template bearing bit from stewmac, is this it?

link

Thanks again.

Edit: Since ive already spent alot, do i need a router and jigsaw or could I make with just getting the router (not sure how that would work but....)?

I have to agree with one of the posters earlier. If you're serious about doing more of this I would recommend getting a bandsaw of no less than 14". I got mine from Grizzly Industrial (you can find them online) and I also got the riser block which increases the heigth so I can resaw raw lumber if I choose. The bandsaw itself is a good quality Taiwan copy of a Delta bandsaw. Not as nice as a Delta, but about half the price. It ran me somewhere in the $300 range when I bought it about 5 years ago. There are other Taiwan copies out there. The Jet brand comes to mind. Just shop around. The bandsaw can do a lot of jobs. With a thin blade it can also cut out pickguards. Don't scrimp too much on the bandsaw. You'll find it indispensable for things outside of guitar making, as well.

You also want a router for cutting out pickup caveties. You can do that job with a drill and a chisel, but it's not recommended. My router plunges, but I never use the plunge feature. I just slowly crank the bit shaft lower by a few eighth on every pass. Your bits will last a lot longer if you don't try to take off too much wood at a time.

Good luck.

Paul

[Mickguard]

Thanks for the advice guys,

I should have said this in the begining but yes i am trying to cut out the body shape and, I do already have a template, I orderd it off of Ron's site. It sounds like a router and jigsaw is the way that i want to go but i want to ask, which router and which jigsaw do you reccomend (does it have to be a Plunge router)? I want to know because the jigsaw that i looked at in the rental store would have had a pretty tough time cutting through the body blank.

Also Mickguard you said something about a template bearing bit from stewmac, is this it?

link

Thanks again.

Edit: Since ive already spent alot, do i need a router and jigsaw or could I make with just getting the router (not sure how that would work but....)?

Yep, that's the bit. It'll make your life a lot easier.

I'm the king of cheapass tools, of course...mostly it all depends on how serious you are about this, and what your future plans are. If you're only trying to build a couple of guitars, and you're never going to build anything else, then I see no reason to lay out a lot of money on tools. Just get the bare minimum, it's going to hold up at least as long as it takes to finish the guitar.

On the other hand, if you're serious about this, then you might as well buy quality right away.

For the jigsaw, you just need a blade long enough and aggressive enough to get through the body blank. You're not trying for a clean cut --you're trying to take away as much wood as possible before taking out the router.

[fryovanni]

Ok, you need this done in less than a week(next Monday?). You have a Swamp Ash body blank and a set of templates from Ron. If you are going to use the templates you will need a router and good template bits. You will not want to try to route the entire thickness of a body blank without trimming the body blank close(within about 1/4") of its final shape. A jigsaw is more than capable of making the ruff cut(just take your time). Now if you have to have this by Monday and you are rushing(not enough time to feel like you are comfortable doing the task). Then take it to the shop you mentioned. Really cutting out the shape of a body is a very small task in the grand scheme of a full build. You will have plenty of work ahead of you after the body is cut out. Just give yourself enough time to plan well, and that includes getting your tools in order.

Peace,Rich

[Guitarfrenzy]

I agree with what everyone has said so far. I have the small Delta 9" bandsaw your talking about too, and for the price it's the best one you can get for a lower end model. It will cut out bodies with no problem, but it's not going to do you any good for resawing. That's when you'd want a 14" bandsaw with riser blocks, for the capability of resawing and with you get a stronger motor. A jigsaw like others have said is good if you make sure you stay quite a bit away from the body outline you draw with the template. I do think you would be better off using either of these to get your body close. Then you can use a router with flush trim pattern bit, to finish it off. Just be careful of tearout, by taking your time and taking small amounts with mutliple passes you can get the job done.

Good luck,

Matt Vinson

[Drak]

...AND THAT PATTERN BIT LINKED TO ABOVE, IT WILL NOT CUT AN ENTIRE BODY, IT'S NOT LONG ENOUGH.

YOU'LL NEED EITHER A LONGER BIT, OR 2 PATTERN BITS, ONE WITH THE BEARING ON THE TOP, AND ANOTHER WITH THE BEARING ON THE BOTTOM.

HAVE A NICE DAY.

[Guitarfrenzy]

...AND THAT PATTERN BIT LINKED TO ABOVE, IT WILL NOT CUT AN ENTIRE BODY, IT'S NOT LONG ENOUGH.

YOU'LL NEED EITHER A LONGER BIT, OR 2 PATTERN BITS, ONE WITH THE BEARING ON THE TOP, AND ANOTHER WITH THE BEARING ON THE BOTTOM.

HAVE A NICE DAY.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Mickguard]

...AND THAT PATTERN BIT LINKED TO ABOVE, IT WILL NOT CUT AN ENTIRE BODY, IT'S NOT LONG ENOUGH.

Good catch, yeah.

My bearing bit is something likee 30 mm long.

So do routers comes with guide collars in the States? (Seems like all the routers here come with lots of accessories). A guide collar will help him a lot --it'll let him get close to the final route without having to worry about the router slipping.

[marksound]

I'm seriously looking at this set from Woodcraft.

[Muddd]

Where can i find a router bit long enough and, what exactly does a bushing kit allow you to do?

[Mickguard]

Where can i find a router bit long enough and, what exactly does a bushing kit allow you to do?

The bushing kit (I call it a guide collar) has a lip that rides follows the edge of your template, like the bearing on the bearing bit, except it doesn't move. There's a bit of a gap between the bit and the collar, that you can adjust for when making a template. But like I said, I use the guide collar to get close to the template, before using the bearing bit --no point in wearing out the bit when removing scrap. My router came with a single collar that gets screwed into place, it's a different system from what you find over there.

You can find bits online, just type 'router bearing bit' or 'template bearing bit' etc in google.

[Stolysmaster]

I suppose all this talk is about getting your final body shape using a router. What is wrong with using a band saw to get to within 1/8", and then using a spindle sander (or "drill sander") mounted under a table to get to the final shape...slowly sanding down to your line that you drew around your template?

[Mickguard]

I suppose all this talk is about getting your final body shape using a router. What is wrong with using a band saw to get to within 1/8", and then using a spindle sander (or "drill sander") mounted under a table to get to the final shape...slowly sanding down to your line that you drew around your template?

Nothing, if you have 'em. But then you're getting into more expensive tool territory. Not to mention the size of the machines themselves. And the learning curve. Like I said, it all depends on how committed you are, and what your future plans and goals are.