Guerrilla Radio Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 So yeah, here's an update for you: I finally got some actual work done on the thing this time around. I had some trouble the other time around when I wanted to bandsaw the thing up; over my vacation, the big part of the board started to bow, so I had to cut that in half and then re-glue them and wait overnight. Today though, I finally some work done. The body, glue unscraped. Some form of a guitar takes place. More work will be done on friday. I'm not sure whether i should have sawed to the line on the body or if I should sand down to that. Either way. I'll figure it out from UG. Yeah, that's how far I got. Now, I've got a question. I've seen a lot of people just do a rough cut on a bandsaw and then somehow get it down to the final size of the guitar. How the hell should I go about doing that? Haha, people have said i should use a jigsaw, others have said I should make an MDF template and then route it, but I don't want to do that. Can anyone give me a hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyonsdream Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Well; if you don't want to do it the right way you could always buy alot of sand paper and form the final edges by hand. I make templates and use a router. Simple, quick and easy to make multiple guitars with the same dimensions. There are only so many ways to skin a cat and the two ways that have been suggested to you are the most cost effective and logical ways of doing it. Some use belt sanders in conjunctions with spindle sanders but that's more equipment intensive. A low cost Ryobi router will get the job done in no time. These threads that ask "how do I get around doing it the right way" or "how do I reinvent the wheel" really get lost on me, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guerrilla Radio Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Well; if you don't want to do it the right way you could always buy alot of sand paper and form the final edges by hand. I make templates and use a router. Simple, quick and easy to make multiple guitars with the same dimensions. There are only so many ways to skin a cat and the two ways that have been suggested to you are the most cost effective and logical ways of doing it. Some use belt sanders in conjunctions with spindle sanders but that's more equipment intensive. A low cost Ryobi router will get the job done in no time. These threads that ask "how do I get around doing it the right way" or "how do I reinvent the wheel" really get lost on me, sorry. well... maybe I'll just go with a more accurate bandsaw next time... there's a dewalt one in there for some really accurate cuts that would be good to use. who knows, maybe I'll make a template on friday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGman Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 There is two ways i have done it. Sanded final outline with an oscillating spindle sander. Made MDF template, sanded to correct shape with said sander, then used to route the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinny Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 RGman is right on, the first one I made I did as you have, then used a sanding drum chucked in a drill press along with a belt sander and files, rasps and whatever else I could to remove the rest of the wood. What a pain in the arse. Then on my 2nd gitar I listened to the advice here and made a 1/4'' thick template (boy was that easier to shape) and stuck it to my rough cut body with dbl sided tape, a quick trim with the router using a pattern bit and what a pleasure. Done in no time and the template hangs on the wall ready to make another one. Definitly worth doing. -Vinny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 A template would be ideal, with it you can use a router, plus you'll always have the template for later use. I would at least attempt to cut more off with the band saw, you should be able to get much closer than that. Use relief cuts in the tight radii so you can cut closer to the line. CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarter Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 And do not use a jig saw, they wander and can create a big headache Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theitalianrob Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 well as everyone said, you should have used a template and a router, but i guess you can just cut as close as possible on the bandsaw then sand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guerrilla Radio Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Yeah, see, I don't think I'm gonna end up making another guitar, so making a template, to me, would be kinda pointless. also, I know it's too late, but you should have left the horns uncut until you routed out the neck cavity (I'm assuming a bolt-on neck). Gives you more meat for the base of the router. If you still have the parts you cut away, save them and put them back in place when you go to rout. If you do that, don't sand down the body yet as it will tip the router slightly and your pocket won't have a flat seat and you'll have a hell of a time trying to right it. Also, it doesn't look like you left enough meat for the neck. You may have to seat that neck deep into the body. ^someone from UG. the bolded part is my biggest concern. Will that be a problem? i figure I could always make the neck pocket and then find where I should be placing my bridge. Yeah, i'm a noob guitar maker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGman Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Yeah, see, I don't think I'm gonna end up making another guitar, so making a template, to me, would be kinda pointless. Doesn't matter, if your making a one off you would want to build a guitar which was much better than you could buy off the shelf. Means no shortcuts. Plus, you will be addicted anyway after your first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 (edited) And do not use a jig saw, they wander and can create a big headache I disagree, I've used a jig saw with no problems at all. However, the band saw is a better option, since it's much simpler and quicker. Yeah, see, I don't think I'm gonna end up making another guitar, so making a template, to me, would be kinda pointless. also, I know it's too late, but you should have left the horns uncut until you routed out the neck cavity (I'm assuming a bolt-on neck). Gives you more meat for the base of the router. If you still have the parts you cut away, save them and put them back in place when you go to rout. If you do that, don't sand down the body yet as it will tip the router slightly and your pocket won't have a flat seat and you'll have a hell of a time trying to right it. Also, it doesn't look like you left enough meat for the neck. You may have to seat that neck deep into the body. ^someone from UG. the bolded part is my biggest concern. Will that be a problem? i figure I could always make the neck pocket and then find where I should be placing my bridge. Yeah, i'm a noob guitar maker. Yeah, you'll be alright. Just make the neck (and neck pocket) and then figure out bridge placement. CMA Edited February 28, 2008 by CrazyManAndy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Yeah, see, I don't think I'm gonna end up making another guitar, so making a template, to me, would be kinda pointless. whenever I`m making a one off guitar I saw very close the line on the band saw, and then finish shaping with the robosander (with the advantage of avoiding tearouts). As a matter of fact, I just realized that I haven`t used my router for shaping bodies in a long time. lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. pierce Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Honestly, MDF is dirt cheap, your template can double as a clamping caul or whatever during the build, and a body-sized piece is large enough you can use it for something else later. Even if you're only making one guitar, I can make a template and then use that to route the body in less time than it would to make an acceptable body without a template. A routed body edge following a template will just need a bit of finish sanding - trying to clean up after a saw, unless you bandsaw it perfectly, is going to take a heck of a long time. Longer than cleaning up the edges of a template. You can do it both ways. Heck, I've cut bodies out with a coping saw, by hand. But it's more work than you need to do. I thought I'd save time going template-less on my first build. The second time round, I went with a template, and boy was I amazed at the amount of work I saved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guerrilla Radio Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 Yeah, see, I don't think I'm gonna end up making another guitar, so making a template, to me, would be kinda pointless. Doesn't matter, if your making a one off you would want to build a guitar which was much better than you could buy off the shelf. Means no shortcuts. Plus, you will be addicted anyway after your first. Haha, yeaaah, I barely have enough money to make this guitar as it is. so we'll see about making another one. Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 I've never made two of the same guitar, but I always, always make templates. It's faster, more accurate, and if you mess it up - cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 You should be much much closer than that line after it comes off the bandsaw. I get it within a few mm of final than either spindal sand the rest or route with a template like suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 You should be much much closer than that line after it comes off the bandsaw. I get it within a few mm of final than either spindal sand the rest or route with a template like suggested. +1 In my own VERY limited experience, I agree completely. If you are spindle sanding, you need the absolute minimum of excess wood, otherwise it's just much more work. If you are going to route to a template, the less excess you have, the less likely you are to get tearout. Go on, ask me how I know? Denis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshvegas Posted February 29, 2008 Report Share Posted February 29, 2008 (edited) I have a bandsaw which is next to useless and i used a spokeshave to get from a similar point to a finished outline it was actually quite good fun for a one off guitar build I'd think it's probably quite a good way to go. thats what people were using way before electrickery after all! Edited February 29, 2008 by joshvegas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.