Carve Routing Techniques

[Brad Heller]

What do you guys think of this:

http://www.newwoodworker.com/guidebush.html

Combined with Setch's method, seems fool proof.

[Drak]

The only foolproof method out there is to do a few trial runs on scrap first and learn what you did right, and learn what you did wrong, and correct those things that didn't work to your benefit, then do your guitar.

Truth is, there are many ways to carve a top, and no one way is more 'right' than another, whatever works for you (or me) is good enough if it gets the job done. Some guys use nothing more than a sharped spoon edge (not me, but it works for them) and that's it, besides some sandpaper maybe to finish things up.

The only 'foolish' way there is is to approach a real live guitar without ever having done it before.

There is an art to carving a top that will only come with repeated trials, the hand/eye coordination, knowing what has to come off where, and what comes first, this information only comes by you doing it a few times, you'll never find a 'foolproof' way to do this right out of the gate, because it's much more the operator of the tools, the user of the techniques, not so much the particular tools or techniques themselves.

Look at yourself as a tool ( ), are you sharpened to a fine point or razor edge, ready for use, or are you yourself dulled, not sharpened yet for the job?

Because that's really where it's at with this stuff.