Good Bit To Use To Rout Body To Template After Rough Cut?

[jessejames]

After I get the body shape rough cut on my bandsaw, what is a good router bit to use to cut the rest of the body with my router and template afterwards?

[Narcissism]

A template bit

[jessejames]

A template bit

You got a recommendation of where to get one?

[avengers63]

hardware store

[jessejames]

hardware store

Ah....good ole smartasses. Dime a dozen.

Anyone have an informative reply?

[kpcrash]

Ha

Seriously, give a good 1/4" flush bit a try. One with a bearing is optimal so you can "trace" your template.

[Metalhead28]

hardware store

Ah....good ole smartasses. Dime a dozen.

Anyone have an informative reply?

What is smartass about telling you to go to a hardware store when a hardware store is in fact a very common place to buy a router bit?

[avengers63]

How do I route to the template?

with a template bit

Where do I get one?

hardware store

smartass

We both gave you simple, straight-forward answers to your questions. There's nothing magical about it. If you don't want or appreciate the effort, then don't ask, but don't insult us for telling you EXACTLY what you wanted to know.

[verhoevenc]

I use the top bearing 2" depth of cut, 3/4" diameter sheer cut router bit from www.routerbits.com . I can do the whole body in one pass (cut close to the template [ie: 1/16" or less]), but this is NOT a beginner bit, it is HUGE.

Also, if you want to see how I did it when I first started building, message me your email and I'll send you a copy of my ebook on building with minimal tools in college lol

Chris

[jessejames]

I use the top bearing 2" depth of cut, 3/4" diameter sheer cut router bit from www.routerbits.com . I can do the whole body in one pass (cut close to the template [ie: 1/16" or less]), but this is NOT a beginner bit, it is HUGE.

Also, if you want to see how I did it when I first started building, message me your email and I'll send you a copy of my ebook on building with minimal tools in college lol

Chris

Don´t pass up this offer. It´s a great read, and Chris´s tutorials are really good. There is nothing like actually seeing how it´s done.

I tried to PM you, but it wouldn't let me.

I have seen your tutorials on youtube though and actually they are what gave me the confidence to even try.

[jessejames]

How do I route to the template?

with a template bit

Where do I get one?

hardware store

smartass

We both gave you simple, straight-forward answers to your questions. There's nothing magical about it. If you don't want or appreciate the effort, then don't ask, but don't insult us for telling you EXACTLY what you wanted to know.

Dude, I'm not going to get into it with you. You know what you were doing, I know what you were doing. Thankfully someone else gave me a proper answer.

[Narcissism]

lol, sorry, I had to

I got my 1/4" double fluted template bit at Home Depot (my workplace). It was $16.

If you need a definition on what a template bit is, Its a straight cutting bit with 1 or 2 flutes, and it features a barring on the top of the bit. There's also bits that have the barring on the bottom. I haven't found a good application for those yet though.

We also sell a bit that I just found that has a barring on the top and bottom of the bit. Its a 1/2" flush cut bit, and it has a 1/2" shaft as opposed to a standard 1/4"

But yeah, you can normally find template bits at your local hardware store. Do some measurements on the curves on your guitar, and you can determine the largest bit you can use to get the job done the quickest and most efficiently.

[avengers63]

You know what you were doing, I know what you were doing. Thankfully someone else gave me a proper answer.

incorrect, and get off your high-horse

where do I get it - a hardware store

Lowes

Home Deopt

You asked a simple question and I gave you a simple answer. There's the links to the proof. If I'm a smartass for giving you the RIGHT ANSWER in it's SIMPLEST POSSIBLE FORM, then I guess I'm a smartass.

And Mex is spot-on - Chris's tutorials are really helpful. Watch them a few times and soak it all in before you try anything.

Edited June 23, 2010 by avengers63

[low end fuzz]

+1

no ones gonna write you a novel for an easy direct question;

you'll find life really hard here if you assume straight answers are some sort of backhanded comments.

welcome to the forum; and before anyone else says it; (since i assume your getting started on the best hobby of life!) make friends with the search feature in conjuction with google.

[jessejames]

You know what you were doing, I know what you were doing. Thankfully someone else gave me a proper answer.

incorrect, and get off your high-horse

where do I get it - a hardware store

Lowes

Home Deopt

You asked a simple question and I gave you a simple answer. There's the links to the proof. If I'm a smartass for giving you the RIGHT ANSWER in it's SIMPLEST POSSIBLE FORM, then I guess I'm a smartass.

And Mex is spot-on - Chris's tutorials are really helpful. Watch them a few times and soak it all in before you try anything.

Like I said, I'm not going to get into the obvious with you. Thanks for the links.

[customguitar]

There's also bits that have the barring on the bottom. I haven't found a good application for those yet though.

I think the bearing on the bottom of the shaft is for use with a router table, but then again if it's on the top you could still use it... So I'm not actually sure anymore, haha

Edited June 23, 2010 by customguitar

[Woodenspoke]

You know what you were doing, I know what you were doing. Thankfully someone else gave me a proper answer.

incorrect, and get off your high-horse

where do I get it - a hardware store

Lowes

Home Deopt

You asked a simple question and I gave you a simple answer. There's the links to the proof. If I'm a smartass for giving you the RIGHT ANSWER in it's SIMPLEST POSSIBLE FORM, then I guess I'm a smartass.

And Mex is spot-on - Chris's tutorials are really helpful. Watch them a few times and soak it all in before you try anything.

Like I said, I'm not going to get into the obvious with you. Thanks for the links.

How about posting your location in your information so we can better help you as this is an international site. Yes most of these jokers use dremels and they call them routers so they would not know what a pattern bit is other than the name. Or they are so cheap the bit has been used well past its life span and the burning makes it that much more interesting to make garbage from a block of wood.

Your type of router limits your options. I have gone out of my way in several posts to provide detailed information about the type of bits that are available and what works on a guitar. It comes back to how small or big your router is and how comfortable you are with large bits as verhoevenc said .

Tools today is a good site http://www.toolstoday.com/ or even woodcraft. Home crappo and Lowes sell garbage bits you might as well buy Chinese at a discount from http://www.eagleamerica.com/. Good router bits can be sharpen end by a local shop so dont cheap out because you get what you pay for.

I suggest you do a search for pattern bit on this site and see what you find. I personally think the search function is a waste of time since I cant even find my own posts that way.. Good luck Dont let the rabble dissuade you they are harmless except to themselves and wood .

[verhoevenc]

Well then post your email here in the thread (be sure to WRITE things like "at" and "dot" so spam bots don't kill you).

I'm glad the videos have given you the confidence! It's great to have people join the craft. Keep an eye out, those videos are only sections of a full start-to-finish video I plan on releasing for free 'when it's done.'

Chris

[Drak]

I would follow 'Spoke's suggestions, they are spot-on correct.

John, you -were- being very flip with your reply and you know it, it was instantly obvious to me when I read it.

The difference between a cheap-ass router bit and a world-class router bit makes ALL the difference in the WORLD, and the Home Depot bits are cheesy and cheap.

If you just want to do one guitar, a cheesy bit will work, but router bits are the very BACKBONE of the majority of my work, and I use world-class bits that last for YEARS through the hardest, toughest woods I can throw at them and they just keep going, and going, and going, and going.

I have a large (I think it's a 1/2" non-bearing) bit that I always use for my initial wood hogging/chambering, which takes abuse like you wouldn't believe, that single bit has chambered probably 20 guitars, boring huge amounts of sometimes extremely tough wood out, and that thing just won't give up the ghost, where the Home Depot bits are thrown away after 1/2 dozen uses, they are dull and chatter like crazy, leaving ripple marks in the wood that have to be sanded out, and they're much harder to use as well.

Total garbage quality.

So that's my take on the 'hardware store' bits as 'Spoke already pointed out.

Get really good bits, that is money very well spent.

[avengers63]

No, I wasn't. It might have seemed so when paired with Narc's emoticon, but I wasn't being flip at all. Why do you think my hackles are raised like this? If I'm being a d1ck and someone calls me on it, I can take it like a man. I told him EXACTLY what he asked, and I'm insulted for it. Where do you buy a router bit? At the hardware store. Please tell me EXACTLY why that's instigative. That's the same as being called a smarta$$ for saying the sky is blue.

I have some Freud & Diablo bits that I got from H.D. that are terrific bits. I also have some Bosch from Lowes that have done well enough, but burned up when they faced some super-hard woods. I also have some Grizzly bits - which aren't very expensive at all - that are at LEAST as good as the Freud.

What gets me is the forstner bits. I've dropped some hefty money into expensive forstners and none of them last.

[Narcissism]

spoke, respect gets respect. You deserve respect for your knowledge and skillset, but you are losing my respect by putting me in a category of "jokers" just because of where I buy my router bits.

[jessejames]

Thanks vero! My e-mail is cuylercarrington@hotmail.com if you still want to send that e-book.