What first

[GREGMW]

Hi

What do you guys usually do first -- Do all your routing before cutting out the body or cut out the body then do the routing?

Regards

Greg

[Phil Mailloux]

Depends on the people. I cut my body out first and did the routing after. I cut out the neck pocket first then attached my neck and bridge to calculate where the pickup routs should be.

I don't think many people do it this way though.

[litchfield]

Like Phil said, but use a centerline. thats how I do it.

[themikestro]

I don't use/haven't used templates so I route before cutting so that I can used the routers edge guides to keep things straight.

Almsot certainly not the best way, but it is my way.

[Simo]

I don't use/haven't used templates so I route before cutting so that I can used the routers edge guides to keep things straight.

Almsot certainly not the best way, but it is my way.

That's what I've been doing, I sand the edges of the body blank on my bench sander first to get them nice and straight and smooth for the router guide to move against.

[jay5]

There seem to be two schools of thought on this subject. One being that routing before cutting gives the router a more stable base to travel on. This way you dont have to worry about the thing rocking and digging into the wood. Those who cut first and rout second usually just dont think it is a big deal. I myself have done it both ways and while having a nice large base for the router is nice making good sized templates usually is all that is needed. I think that if I had a body blank and I was starting from scratch I would rout first. That way you can always tweak where you body lines fall in case you misalign your template. I have a tele body that I routed after it was cut out. My template shifted just slightly and now the neck has about a mm of gap on the base side when it is lined up with the bridge. Not a big deal but if I had routed first this would have been avoided. Either way you do it take your time and measure several times before you start hacking