86barettaguy Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 does anyone here have tips on copying an existing body? with a soloist-style guitar I suppose it's not that hard since the edges have a pretty small radius allowing you to trace most of the shape with a normal pencil. but how do you go about copying a strat body? I suppose you'd need something to have the pencil follow the edge of the body? notice: I do not intend to copy a standard strat body and I don't have a pin router. all I have is the body I want to duplicate and some basic tools Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 6, 2003 Report Share Posted March 6, 2003 Actually you don't need to have a pin router to make a template. What you do need is a straight flush router bit which has a bearing on the end of it. That way you can just attach a piece of fiber board/Thin Plywood/Acrylic or what ever on one side of the body, adjust the depth of the bit so that the bearing is touching the body on the widest point and zip around it with any router. Of course this method WILL leave marks around the edge of your exsisting body but they should be thin enough that you can lightly sand them out. Otherwise go with the pencil and trace method and attach that to your template material then saw it out carefully with either a table top jig saw or even a regular jig saw. Either one will work but your probably going to need to sand the edge's smooth after doing it with one of these type of saw's............. Anybody else have a way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86barettaguy Posted March 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 I actually thought about that router option. couldn't figure out how to avoid fouling up around the comfort contours... wouldn't using masking tape help prevent the marks? I'd really hate to ruin the finish of a perfectly good body (well, I could use a scrap body I have, but I'd prefer the one of my #1). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 7, 2003 Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 If I were going to try that I would use a few layers for sure and hope for the best that the bit wouldn't grab them, perhaps even something as thick as duct tape, then again cleaning the adhesive off the finish afterwards could be a pain.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86barettaguy Posted March 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 maybe I should just do it the scribbly way at least for the template. what should I use to attach the template material to the body? double-sided tape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 7, 2003 Report Share Posted March 7, 2003 Yes thats probably going to be the best way to avoid any problems associated with a high speed router bit. Just lay your template material on the floor and the body on top and carefully trace around it. I use my knee to pin it down personally and always look twice for problems before lifting the body back up. Same method as used when making a cut out for the Poor Boy Burst template. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86barettaguy Posted March 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2003 the template is done. almost. I have the basic body-shape at least. one problem though: seems like we cut it a little too close at the heel. I'm sure I can live with it by moving the neck just that small fraction of an inch, but still... how do I proceed now? do I buy the wood and rout the shape and then send it off to have a pro do the neck-pocket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert M Posted March 20, 2003 Report Share Posted March 20, 2003 You shoudn't have to send it to anyone. As long as you have established a center line on the template, the rest should be easy. Most of the templates I have seen on this site or others have a center line on them. Just line that up with the one on the body and it should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vh-guitarstore.com Posted March 20, 2003 Report Share Posted March 20, 2003 what will help is to attach a tracing pencil to a small engineers square so that your pencil never wanders as you follow the body also, if you go the router meathod, put protective tape aroound the body where the pin or the bearing touch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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