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Great Tool for Shaping Bodies


mdw3332

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Yes, I've used those before, but where I got mine it was called drum sanders.

Frenzy - take another look - they have a guide on the bottom like a router bearing. They are different from a normal drum sander due to this. The danger in using normal drums is that they can dig into the wood if you are not very careful. Having that guide would prevent that (assuming you run it against a template).

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couldn't you just mount some kind of pin/dowel on the drill press table?? granted you can't move the table, but for people that already have a couple of drums, it's a quick solution maybe? so in essence creating a pin sander? instead of a template sander

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I guess you could rig something but I don't lay my wood directly on the drill press table for drum sanding. I make a piece that has a cutout in it for the drum to extend below the wood to be sanded. I always tend to spend the money on the tools rather than spend the time rigging something up. It's that issue of the wife and kids wanting me to spend time with them again.

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That's true Lex, but people should know how to use a router to keep that from happening. Don't try to plunge down half the guitar body and expect it to not mess something up, unless you have a real good quality bit. Just take your time and route out a little at a time and keep plunging till you have it all done. The thing I like about templates and plunge routers is your left with hardly any sanding.

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That's true Lex, but people should know how to use a router to keep that from happening. Don't try to plunge down half the guitar body and expect it to not mess something up, unless you have a real good quality bit. Just take your time and route out a little at a time and keep plunging till you have it all done. The thing I like about templates and plunge routers is your left with hardly any sanding.

yeah maybe...but i think one good tearout in the right spot that ruins the work will make you cautious...

one thing i learned from working iron all these years is that all it takes is a split second of inattention,and BAM! it happens...

it doesn't matter who you are....in my line of work that could mean death...but tearout aint no laughing matter either.

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yeah maybe...but i think one good tearout in the right spot that ruins the work will make you cautious...

Exactly!! Why take a chance with a router if you don't have to. Most of the time, I do use a router but if I had a special piece that I really didn't want to screw up, I would much rather sand it than route it. If I were doing a figured maple top (or body like the one Scott did a while ago), I'd much rather sand it.

Yes, I've used those before, but where I got mine it was called drum sanders.

You did notice that it has a guide at the bottom, right (not a normal drum sander like you mentioned)?

I think it's a great tool. WoodCraft has some great stuff.

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  • 3 weeks later...

A guitar body in my opinion is too big to be cutting with a scroll saw. I'd highly recommend you using a bandsaw if you have one or someone will let you use their bandsaw. You could use a good jigsaw if you have no access to a bandsaw. Just make sure you draw out the guitar body from a good template, then cut at least 1/4" away if you using a bandsaw, and maybe 1/2" away with jigsaw(simply because the jigsaw won't cut straight down at all times, so it will give you some play). Then with double stick tape put the template back on the body blank so that it lines up with the lines you traced around. And either use a plunge router with flush trim bit or some people prefer the roto sanders with the bearing guide, to go around it to get the sides done right.

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1/2" away with jigsaw(simply because the jigsaw won't cut straight down at all times

this is true!! i cut my body out with a jigsaw, and it wasnt straight. its the internal curves that kill them. the blade binds on an internal curve, and heats up causing friction, then the blade becomes more susceptible to bending forces, and it tends to spiral inward. it didnt matter with my body, as there was sufficient wood to shape this out, it actually followed the shaping i wanted pretty well! use a coarser blade also, these cause less spiriling, since they can cut the wood easier. easier cutting means less friction = less heat = less spiriling.

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1/2" away with jigsaw(simply because the jigsaw won't cut straight down at all times

this is true!! i cut my body out with a jigsaw, and it wasnt straight. its the internal curves that kill them. the blade binds on an internal curve, and heats up causing friction, then the blade becomes more susceptible to bending forces, and it tends to spiral inward. it didnt matter with my body, as there was sufficient wood to shape this out, it actually followed the shaping i wanted pretty well! use a coarser blade also, these cause less spiriling, since they can cut the wood easier. easier cutting means less friction = less heat = less spiriling.

D'oh... I wish I had read this the day before I cut my bodies yesterday. I used a jigsaw and I kept somewhat distance to the drawn body lines on the wood. But still, I noticed afterwards that several lines had been cut uneven - certainly not straight - and in some places I am not sure how to recover it. :D

Learning it the hard way I suppose B)

Do you guys think I can fix some of this up with woodfiller?

I'll keep at least 1/2" distance next time I jigsaw a body..

Eskil

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FYI....The RoboSander was invented by Ken Picou(sp?) to speed up his production of template based products...mirrors,etc....and avoid tearout and burn with highly figured woods such as Koa and Curly Maple. I got mine directly from him about 8 or 9 years ago and it still works great.

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1/2" away with jigsaw(simply because the jigsaw won't cut straight down at all times

this is true!! i cut my body out with a jigsaw, and it wasnt straight. its the internal curves that kill them. the blade binds on an internal curve, and heats up causing friction, then the blade becomes more susceptible to bending forces, and it tends to spiral inward. it didnt matter with my body, as there was sufficient wood to shape this out, it actually followed the shaping i wanted pretty well! use a coarser blade also, these cause less spiriling, since they can cut the wood easier. easier cutting means less friction = less heat = less spiriling.

D'oh... I wish I had read this the day before I cut my bodies yesterday. I used a jigsaw and I kept somewhat distance to the drawn body lines on the wood. But still, I noticed afterwards that several lines had been cut uneven - certainly not straight - and in some places I am not sure how to recover it. :D

Learning it the hard way I suppose B)

Do you guys think I can fix some of this up with woodfiller?

I'll keep at least 1/2" distance next time I jigsaw a body..

Eskil

I haven't had any problems with using a jigsaw. You just have to get enough relief cuts in for the curves, really important around the horns.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have 1 and they are nice for sanding off paint (saves a lot of time) and smoothing the edge but they loosen up and become unstable if you dont tighten them up after awhile and if you tighten them to much then you get this () sorta of a drum

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