Knob Indentation?

[grungehead]

http://images.andale.com/f2/118/108/534092...23_IM001446.JPG

what drill bit do i use to create this indetation under the the pickup selector and the volume knob?

any special veneering techniques?

[GregP]

I dunno what's typically done other than CNC, but I seem to recall (and I would do it this way intuitively, 'conventional' or not) the use of forstner bits followed by sanding the edges to smooth them out.

As for veneering, dunno. really really thin veneer and a vacuum press? I don't know much about veneering. The guitar in that pic, and many of the guitars like PRS that use this technique, are actually maple tops rather than veneer. Though, of course there are hundreds of veneered guitars with the feature, too.

Greg

[biliousfrog]

Use a rouded router bit in a drill press, you can use one with a bearing underneath as long as you've predrilled the holes for the controls. For example, something like this: http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-CMT-Cov...tters-20978.htm

[GregP]

I dunno... I can't imagine you'd get the kind of torque and speed needed to use one of those... and the predrilled hole is supposed to be just large enough for the shaft of the pot... those bearings are generally a greater diameter than the hole you'll need.

[thegarehanman]

Bilious' technique might work. Looking at the cove radii and overall diameters of the bits on that site, it looks like there are some that should work just fine for this sort of application. I would deffinitely try this on scrap first, of course. You're likely to get better results at about 1000rpms than at your drill press' highest setting, you'd need to remove a thin layer of material, then back out, and so forth until you get to your desired depth, of course. It's worth a try as long as you're safe about it.

[GregP]

Yeah... with thin enough passes it might work.

A new point, though-- cove bit = $50 (or whatever), Forstner bit = $8.

[thegarehanman]

Well, I think the cove bit would yield a much cleaner looking recess. The forstner leaves inside edges with 90 degree angles, ugly if you ask me. Honestly, the way I did it was I used a forstner bit to drill a hole in a template, which I centered over the hole for the pot. I then used a bullnose bit with a bearing in the template. This gives you the option of recesses with curved edges and flat bottoms, rather than completely flat bottoms with a forstner bit alone or completely curved bottoms with a cove bit.

[GregP]

Heh, it's a mini-debate, because we're the only ones here and bored. <chuckle>

90 degree angle on edges IS ugly... but easily cured with sandpaper. Scraper might work, too, though I'd personally just stick to the sandpaper.

Cove bit = curved bottom. Bottom of these little "dimples" and the bottom of any knob I've ever seen = flat. Less ugly a problem than the 90-degree edges, but still not ideal for this kind of indentation.

[biliousfrog]

The curved bottom will be hidden by the knob so that's not a problem, often the knobs will sit a few mm above the surface of a guitar anyway & the use of long shaft pots will prevent any chafing on the curved recess (ooh, chafing knobs!). I personally wouldn't use a forstner because of the small channel they leave around the edges & the 90 degree sides but it's another option.

[Marcovis]

Gouge + sandpaper is how I have always done it.

[Mattia]

Forstner, then gouge, then sandpaper is how I did mine. Works fine.

[grungehead]

Gouge + sandpaper is how I have always done it.

sorry, im a noob. what is gouging exactly?

very very beautiful guitar by the way. is that a neck thru?

[mammoth guitars]

Use a drill press with a cove molding bit with a large enough diameter to accomodate your switch/knob.