alexs Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 i've been reading alot of stuff about guitar making and it seems like this router is one of the most important tools... what is it used for? dont say "for routing" please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob7 Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 it cuts out areas in the middle of wood.....Like a pickup cavity, or a control cavity..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexs Posted June 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 it cuts out areas in the middle of wood.....Like a pickup cavity, or a control cavity..... damn...i thought so... but then it kind of looked like a drill, so i thought it was for something else... another question...can i do that without a router?? or is it just going to take much longer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaData Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 A Router is basically a Drill which is mounted to a mechanism that guages the depth and adds accuracy and precision to the depth and width of your cut. Find a woodshop or two and ask if they can give you a free lesson... on your project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKGBass Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 Power tools didnt always exist. You can sure as hell do it without a router, but it requires MUCH more patience, MUCH more time, and MUCH more care. Basically, get yer chisel out, and hack More realistically, (i havent tested this but it seems fairly logical) I would say you could try to drill a bunch of holes to the approximated depth of each cavity you need to cut (say 50 holes + for 1 pickup cavity) so you are removing most of the wood. Then get a chisel out and scrape the extra, a few multiple sized chisels might help. With this method I'd say you're probably looking at close to 3-4 hours per cavity, in which case, who the hell wants to do that? Go to Sears, or look up Harbor Freight online. They sell good/decent plunge routers in the range of $50-$70 that will do any job you need to do, and with far less effort. You'll also have to pick up a few bits (template cutting bit, flush trim bit, maybe even a straight cutter bit) which could cost you about $25 more. Even then you're lookin at less than $100. If you plan to do more than 1 guitar, don't kid yourself, go get a router. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexs Posted June 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 Power tools didnt always exist. You can sure as hell do it without a router, but it requires MUCH more patience, MUCH more time, and MUCH more care. Basically, get yer chisel out, and hack More realistically, (i havent tested this but it seems fairly logical) I would say you could try to drill a bunch of holes to the approximated depth of each cavity you need to cut (say 50 holes + for 1 pickup cavity) so you are removing most of the wood. Then get a chisel out and scrape the extra, a few multiple sized chisels might help. With this method I'd say you're probably looking at close to 3-4 hours per cavity, in which case, who the hell wants to do that? Go to Sears, or look up Harbor Freight online. They sell good/decent plunge routers in the range of $50-$70 that will do any job you need to do, and with far less effort. You'll also have to pick up a few bits (template cutting bit, flush trim bit, maybe even a straight cutter bit) which could cost you about $25 more. Even then you're lookin at less than $100. If you plan to do more than 1 guitar, don't kid yourself, go get a router. thank you for the help... i am learning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 A good router is the most essential tool for guitar building and in my opinion should be the first power tool you buy if you don't already have one. There are way too many uses not to get one. From cutting out truss rod slot to rounding over the edges of your guitar body, it's used throughout your guitar building process. A good router tutorial by Krazy Derek would be a great starting place to learning about routers and proper use of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 If you get good with a chisel and handplanes, rasps, files, scrapers, sandpaper, you can get by without a router. Actually using a router is cheating. To really call yourself a woodworker, you're supposed to be real good with a chisel. Plus, you can keep going when the power is knocked out by a storm (if it's daylight, or you have a whole lot of candels). I can't use a chisel worth a damn, so I'm stuck with the router, plus the handplanes I was supposed to inherit were all stolen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 hey MKG if you used a 3/4" flat wood bit it would only take about 10 drillings... this is whats commonly done if a router isnt being used! therefore a cavity would take 1hr id say, less if you can use the tools to an extent, perhaps 30mins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 To really call yourself a woodworker, you're supposed to be real good with a chisel. Do you really mean that or are you being facetious? I'm sure you are right about needing to be good with a chisel but do you also mean that you think that a good woodworker should use chisels instead of a router? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 When i started my apprenticeship, i had to use hand tools exclusively, for the first twelve months. I reckon i could still cut out a pickup cavity quicker with a chisel than most people could with a router If i ever employ anyone, they will have to prove themselves with hand tools before going on to pwer tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKGBass Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 hey MKG if you used a 3/4" flat wood bit it would only take about 10 drillings... this is whats commonly done if a router isnt being used! therefore a cavity would take 1hr id say, less if you can use the tools to an extent, perhaps 30mins. Mike, I was just tossing out numbers. Even if you drill 10 holes, if you want a good clean cavity, 30 minutes is ridiculous. (Unless of course you're godly like Perry or employed by him) I spend more time than that doing 2 cavities with my router. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexs Posted June 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 A good router is the most essential tool for guitar building and in my opinion should be the first power tool you buy if you don't already have one. There are way too many uses not to get one. From cutting out truss rod slot to rounding over the edges of your guitar body, it's used throughout your guitar building process. A good router tutorial by Krazy Derek would be a great starting place to learning about routers and proper use of them. thanks alot for the link! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 hey MKG if you used a 3/4" flat wood bit it would only take about 10 drillings... this is whats commonly done if a router isnt being used! therefore a cavity would take 1hr id say, less if you can use the tools to an extent, perhaps 30mins. Just to remind everybody, unless you're routing something really soft like basswood, and you have a drill press handy, it's always a good idea to pre drill your routs, the deeper the rout the more i would recommend this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 Being skilled with hand tools is obviously a great advantage over not being skilled with them. It just doesn't make sense to me that it would be considered cheating or that anyone would look down upon someone choosing a power tool that does the job quickly and accurately. This reminds me of the Japanese who don't consider people who use sandpaper to be true woodworkers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 Being skilled with hand tools is obviously a great advantage over not being skilled with them. It just doesn't make sense to me that it would be considered cheating or that anyone would look down upon someone choosing a power tool that does the job quickly and accurately. If a job can be done quicker, more accurately, and cheaper, then using hand tools, there is nothing wrong with that! If the person who made the original comments wants to get picky, i ask them... did they cut down every tree they used, milled their own timber, dried it, etc etc???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 thanks alot for the link! ditto that, I bookmarked that puppy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbarstrat Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 Being skilled with hand tools is obviously a great advantage over not being skilled with them. It just doesn't make sense to me that it would be considered cheating or that anyone would look down upon someone choosing a power tool that does the job quickly and accurately. If a job can be done quicker, more accurately, and cheaper, then using hand tools, there is nothing wrong with that! If the person who made the original comments wants to get picky, i ask them... did they cut down every tree they used, milled their own timber, dried it, etc etc???? I think that guy said he's not even good with a chisel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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