How the Heck?

[Ford]

I've yet to figure out this whole router trmplate thing, I've heard it mentioned a million times, yet nobody seems to explain how exactly it works.

Thanks!

[Brian]

The template can work in many different ways, it can be made for the cavitys or you can have one that's just the outside body shape or even both.

You will generally end up attaching it to your body blank with either screws where you know it wouldn't matter cause the pickup cavity and trem cavity will be routed out at those points or double stick tape.

Now comes the fun, take a look at the router bit image on this page. Look below the blades (shown in blue) attached on the end is a bearing (shown in silver) that spin's freely no matter what the cutting blade is doing. This can ride along the template and won't allow the cutting blade to move into the wood any further. Normally the particular bit shown on that page would be used for doing outside cuts such as the actual body shape.

For inside cuts such as a pickup cavity you would need a router bit with the bearing on top of the blade so it could run along the edge of the cavity cutout in the template while the cutting part below it rips out the excess wood shaping your cavity.

Hope this helps you a little

[Jehle]

Brian's right. There are basically two different types of templates to use for routers:

1) Body templates (the shape of the body cut in a sturdy piece of plywood)

2) Pickup templates (plastic, or wood pattern to cut out the pickup cavities).

Using templates means that you have to use one of two types of router bit:

1) Flush cut bit (with a bearing on the tip).

2) Pattern cutting bit (with a bearing on the shaft).

There's no set rule of which one works best for bodies, in fact I used both to cut out my latest project. In the second picture, you'll see a bit laying down (bearing on the shaft), and the one peeking out of the table that has the bearing on the tip.

For routing out the pickups, you HAVE to use a bit that has a bearing on the shaft. I used Scotch Poster Tape to stick these templates to the body. It's a double sided tape, cheap, and removes without leaving goo on the wood.

I used this router bit from StewMac to make these cuts (because they are short).

Hope the helps a little. BTW, this is the first time I ever worked with a template. So a novice can do it.

[Brian]

This will make a great mini tutorial...........

[daveq]

The stewmac pattern cutting bits are great because of their short depth. Pattern cutting bits are very hard to find that are less than 3/4" in depth. KrazyDerek found a place that sells them for less than stewmac's huge price. I have not bought them yet so I don't know what the quality is.

Let him know if anyone plans on buying them - I guess the shipping charge to Canada is large.

Here's the place Derek found:

Pattern Bits

[Ford]

Ooooohhhh....

I get it.

Wow, thanks guys, that helps a whole lot.

Lemme tack on 2 little questions on to this real quick:

1: What would you use to cut the template out?

2: I've seen at Sears they have the bit "heads" and shafts sold seperatly, so that you can just buy one shaft, and switch out the heads, saving roughly $5-10 over the price of buying a traditional bit. This sounds like a good way to save a few bucks, but will those "switchout" types work for our purposes?

Thanks again!

_Ford

[krazyderek]

KrazyDerek found a place that sells them for less than stewmac's huge price...

Let him know if anyone plans on buying them - I guess the shipping charge to Canada is large...

Actually guitarfrenzy helped me out and got 2 for me and one for himself, he's shipping them out tomorow, so hopefully i'll have them buy the end of next week, thanks though dave

FORD- umm.. as for question 2... i'll have to go check thouse out, but i have my doubts.

Answer for #1, Most people will ruff cut the template out of a jigsaw or scroll saw leaving about 1/8" or more room away from the pencil line. Then sand down to the pencil line. If your copying a guitar with a flush trim bit, first off becarful cause the bearing can damage the paint on the guitar. But again, trace the design on the wood, ruff cut it and in the case of tracing an existing guitar body with a flush trim bit, take your time and work your way down to the pencil line/edge of the guitar with the bearing slowing and in several passes, don't try and trace the guitar in one pass.. you may overheat the bit and then things start to go wrong.

Hopefully that made sense.

[Brian]

#2 yes those are just Sear's way of selling you the single router bit in pieces to make more, plus the bearings typically wear out or the blades go and the bearings are ok so they can be a very good purchase.

[Ford]

Now wait a sec...

The deepest router bit on the link above is 1-1/8", considering guitar bodies average 1-3/4", how do you manage to cut the full depth? Would you flip the template around to the other side of the rough-cut body blank, and continue to route from there?

Eh?

[Brian]

Scroll down and you'll find one thats got a 2" deep cuting blade

[Ford]

Holy smokes!

That sits has free shipping?!?

Huzzah!

daveq gets a cookie for that link!

[guitar_ed]

Hi,

One comment on the router bits. That is that on the Pattern Cutting bit, there is a collar above the bearing. If the collar comes loose, it will float up. Then the bearing will float up. Then you are taking out bits of wood that you had not expected to take out. See my Bigsby Tele to get an idea as to what I am talking about.

Another question was how to to deal with the outside edges of the guitar. I have a Bosch router ($$$$) that has an optional plate with the right type of edge on it. Then I use a 2" straight flute bit. It hugs the edge of my template very nicely.

A few other router lesson, mostly not learned the hard way.

1) Never catch a falling router.

2) Place the router in such a position that when you PLUG it in, it won't fall and hurt anything if the power switch is on. (hard way)

3) Slow and patient works very well.

Guitar Ed

Advice worth what you paid for it. Nothing.

[krazyderek]

if you don't want to use a hudge 2" bit, use your pattern or template bit (samething) and cut as much as you can off following the template, then flip the guitar over, put in a good tall flush trim bit if you have one, and just make sure the bearing on the top is touching the wood that you routed to the template size before and trim the rest of the body sides down

i got some other no no's,

- when you lift your router out of a pocket you were just doing (like a control cavity or neck pocket) be careful you don't angle the router and accidentaly nip away and the wall/template (learned the hard way) now i turn my router off and let it come to a complete stop before i lift it out of a pocket i was routing.

- try to drill out pockets as best you can before you start routing them, this will reduce blade/wood burning, and minimize the amount of times you have to adjust the depth of the router bit, and thus prolong the life or your bits. Just be carefull not to drill to deep.

[Brian]

Also on the outside cuts such as shaping a body try to cut away as much wood as possible before actually routing the shape out using a template.

This will give your bit's a longer life and save you ton's of time. A 1/4" is far easier to remove then trying to plow through a 2" board all the way into a template.

[Ford]

Theoretically you could use a router with a straight cut bit to do planing/doining, yes?

Hmm... I could see complications in making sure the router moves in a straight line.

[krazyderek]

if you had a table router (the router is upside down sticking up out of the table) use a 2" straight cutter bit and a fence to trim the edge of the wood, and yes, you could use it as a jointer for making body blanks