I wish I saw this post before buying some 3mm MDF to make new templates with! Thanks for linking to the guide, it's very helpful. I didn't even think about repairing it to be honest. Luckily I peeled off the paper templates very carefully and I managed to reuse them again on the 3mm sheet, and this time I cut a lot closer to the line with the jigsaw so I had a lot less to sand off. I found that working with the 3mm sheet was a lot easier and I found it strangely therapeutic as I was out in the garden, the sun was shining but it wasn't too hot (I hate summer!), and had my headphones in.
The good news is that the initial templates are near enough done, I just need to cut out the trem cavity, but my drill press is only small so the drill bit wouldn't reach, so I need to get the normal drill out and drill a couple of holes. It's likely I won't be able to do it until Tuesday or Wednesday next week though.
I'm a bit worried about my template router bit. It's got the bearing at the top, but the cutting bit it 1" long, and I'm wondering if it's too long to do the body with? I'm borrowing my dads router that uses 1/2 shank, but I'm struggling to find bits that are shorter, however, I'm finding bits that are shorter with a 1/4" shank, but that would mean buying a new router. Any insight on that would be a great help.
Yesterday, I went shopping with a friend and he has recently gone from playing guitar to playing bass, and wanted another bass guitar (this is the friend mentioned in the first post who gave me a great deal on his Jim Root Tele, I'm planning on trying a bass build for him in the future.). I took this time in the shops to check out the Strats to help give me an idea of what to do, good job I left my credit card at home as I would have walked out with a gorgeous sea foam green Strat that played just as good as it looks! Back on topic, after we got back to his house, I checked out his bandsaw for when I cut the body. I need to get a new blade for it, and when looking at the specs of blade, I'm guessing TPI is teeth per inch. What would be a good amount for a rough body cutout on 44-45mm ash body blank?
If things go well, I'm hoping to maybe start cutting the body out next weekend, at the latest, by Monday or Tuesday. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm very worried about messing it up, hence the reason I'm taking my time with this build and doing as much research as I can (this forum is a goldmine!). As I've never used a router before, I'm going to get some cheap wood (I'm going to try for some scraps, if not I'll probably go for Pine as it's cheap) so I can do some practice with the router before attacking the body blank.
Onto the progress pics!
Cutting the body out, I used relief cuts for the inside of the body which helped massively.
Using the drill press to do the pilot holes for the jigsaw in the cavities. The drill press is only a small hobby one for when I drill the enclosures of my own effect pedals. Sorry about the mess, now it's warmer the garage is going to have a big clear out. You can also see the laser cutter (cheap Chinese one that I massively upgraded) and the ovens that I use for powder coating my effect pedals.
The pilot holes all drilled.
Templates more of less done (apart from the trem cavity).
The glue has arrived!
The router bit I mentioned above.