Who here has made their own guitar from a body blank?

[line6man]

Short a CNC machine, the pattern follower chucked into a router or shaper is the way to go.

No, a bandsaw is the best way to go, depending on whether or not the OP can gain access to one.

Of course. I was assuming the basic shape was already cut. The follower bit is to finalize the shape after that, so he doesn't have to spend a week grinding/sanding on the thing. Then the spindle sander can be brought to bear for getting rid of tool marks.

So you think the OP should cut out the shape with a bandsaw, clean up the cuts with a pattern follower bit, and then clean up the pattern follower bit with a spindle sander??
That's adding extra steps! Draw your shape on the blank, cut it with a bandsaw just outside the line, and then sand down to the line with a spindle sander.
There is no need for any routing. It's a few minutes worth of work cutting the body with a bandsaw, and about 15 minutes of work on the spindle sander.

How exactly would you use a pattern follower bit on something that was cut with a bandsaw? Unless you have a template on hand, there is no clean edge for the bearing to roll against. And if you do have a template, why not cut the shape out with the pattern follower bit to begin with, to avoid having to try to find a bandsaw to use?

You can't just cut through 2'' of wood with a router. That's a disaster waiting to happen. It's in fact downright dangerous. It's exactly how I'd do it, in fact have done it last year: Bandsaw/jigsaw -> then router + template following bit (and a template of course) -> spindle sander. IMHO working with a template will get a more acurate result so I wouldn't omit that step either.

My project: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=12109.0

Not all at once, you cant. I would take it a 1/4" pass at a time.

 

[Cagey]

You're asking for trouble doing it that way, and the likelihood of needing to do some serious repair work is high.

This is why I said at the beginning of the thread that cutting out your own body is not a trivial task.

It's not particularly difficult, but it's not as easy as it looks and you do need to have the tools and take the steps. Otherwise, you're liable to wreck your workpiece, and you could get hurt as well. Routers are mean little bastards.

 

[line6man]

Routers are mean little bastards.

Which is why I suggested avoiding their use.
A bandsaw and a spindle sander is all you need. There is no reason to use the pattern follower bit, unless you are unable to find a bandsaw to use, and in which case, proceed with caution!

 

[Danuda]

I didn't do a build from a Warmoth blank.  The  one I am doing is from scratch, but I did it without a bandsaw.  I used a jig saw to cut a template from 3/4" plywood and then sanded it smooth for the final shape.  Then I took my hunk of body wood and traced the pattern and using a jigsaw cut the body about 1/4" bigger than the template.  Then I used adhesive spray to attach the template to the body and used a pattern bit to route out the template.  Just take a little off at a time and you will be fine.  If you have never used a router before though be careful.  Have someone show you how to use them as they can be dangerous.  Band saws are really expensive and if you are only doing one body don't bother.  If you have a buddy who can do it then fine otherwise use a router or have Warmoth cut it.

Here is a quick link to my build.  It isn't from the Warmoth blank, but the body part will be the same.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=16517.0

 

[Patriot54]

I didn't do a build from a Warmoth blank.  The  one I am doing is from scratch, but I did it without a bandsaw.  I used a jig saw to cut a template from 3/4" plywood and then sanded it smooth for the final shape.  Then I took my hunk of body wood and traced the pattern and using a jigsaw cut the body about 1/4" bigger than the template.  Then I used adhesive spray to attach the template to the body and used a pattern bit to route out the template.  Just take a little off at a time and you will be fine.  If you have never used a router before though be careful.  Have someone show you how to use them as they can be dangerous.  Band saws are really expensive and if you are only doing one body don't bother.  If you have a buddy who can do it then fine otherwise use a router or have Warmoth cut it.

Here is a quick link to my build.  It isn't from the Warmoth blank, but the body part will be the same.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=16517.0

I've been following your LP build and that is a fine piece of work. My DIY project will be much simpler than that - just a solid piece of swamp ash with an easy stain/oil finish. As you can see from the mockup I did, there's not even much of a curve next to the horns so I think I can pull it off with some basic tools and sandpaper. I'll buy the wood near the end of the summer and post my progress.

 

[pabloman]

Kinda on topic........If there is no spindle sander handy, how effective do you think it would be to chuck a sanding drum into a router? I have a router and a table and a speed control. Would that get me by? Obviously an oscillating spindle sander is the way to go but I'm thinkin maybe just maybe I could get by with this. Any thoughts?

 

[Cagey]

No way, no how. Seriously - DON'T DO IT! At its lowest speed a router spins much too fast. That sanding drum will come flying off that thing so fast it'll make your head spin, right after it knocks your jaw off or rips through your liver. I can't stress this strongly enough - DON'T DO IT!

 

[pabloman]

:toothy11: I know that. The speed control is the kind where you can turn it all the way down. The control plugs into the wall and the router plugs into the box. It will get the RPM's down to a safe level. I was just wondering about torsional stress placed on the router.

 

[line6man]

No way, no how. Seriously - DON'T DO IT! At its lowest speed a router spins much too fast. That sanding drum will come flying off that thing so fast it'll make your head spin, right after it knocks your jaw off or rips through your liver. I can't stress this strongly enough - DON'T DO IT!

I agree with this.

A router spins WAY too fast. Combine that with the HUGE size and weight of the spindle attachment, and it's a recipe for disaster.

You can put a spindle sander attachment on a drill press, but you need to be careful, because it's tough on the drill press.

The best thing to do is just break down and buy a spindle sander.
I bought one from Harbor Freight. I have absolutely no idea what other projects I could use it for, but now I'm set for building guitar bodies.

 

[Cagey]

:toothy11: I know that. The speed control is the kind where you can turn it all the way down. The control plugs into the wall and the router plugs into the box. It will get the RPM's down to a safe level. I was just wondering about torsional stress placed on the router.

Don't be fooled by cheap speed controls. There's variable speed, constant speed, and constant torque. Variable speed is easy, but it'll often wreck your motor. Constant speed is better, but more expensive, and constant torque is more expensive still. Speed controls of the latter two types will cost hundreds of dollars and are rarely seen in retail.

Why should you worry? Well, you don't want to burn up your motor, and you don't want to burn up your tool. Simple as that. Motor speed controls are most useful on fan and pump loads, where load increases with the square of speed. A small percentage reduction in speed can return big reductions in energy usage. With tools, that's not so much of an issue. They're usually of limited duty cycle, and their performance depends on rotational speeds and feed rates.

In the case we're discussing here, you'd want to take a motor that wants to go 36,000 rpm down to 360 rpm. That's not trivial; that's two orders of magnitude. Even Forstner bits don't want to go too much faster than that into hardwoods, and they're not only made out of tool steel, they're balanced. Chances are pretty good you'd stall that motor almost constantly (no torque left), and it's highly likely you'd burn it up due to slippage. So, again - don't do it. Beg, borrow or buy the right tool.

 

[Danuda]

If you are really patient you can also do it by hand. It takes a long while but if you have more time than money it is a good option.

 

[baskruit]

Short a CNC machine, the pattern follower chucked into a router or shaper is the way to go.

No, a bandsaw is the best way to go, depending on whether or not the OP can gain access to one.

Of course. I was assuming the basic shape was already cut. The follower bit is to finalize the shape after that, so he doesn't have to spend a week grinding/sanding on the thing. Then the spindle sander can be brought to bear for getting rid of tool marks.

So you think the OP should cut out the shape with a bandsaw, clean up the cuts with a pattern follower bit, and then clean up the pattern follower bit with a spindle sander??
That's adding extra steps! Draw your shape on the blank, cut it with a bandsaw just outside the line, and then sand down to the line with a spindle sander.
There is no need for any routing. It's a few minutes worth of work cutting the body with a bandsaw, and about 15 minutes of work on the spindle sander.

How exactly would you use a pattern follower bit on something that was cut with a bandsaw? Unless you have a template on hand, there is no clean edge for the bearing to roll against. And if you do have a template, why not cut the shape out with the pattern follower bit to begin with, to avoid having to try to find a bandsaw to use?

You can't just cut through 2'' of wood with a router. That's a disaster waiting to happen. It's in fact downright dangerous. It's exactly how I'd do it, in fact have done it last year: Bandsaw/jigsaw -> then router + template following bit (and a template of course) -> spindle sander. IMHO working with a template will get a more acurate result so I wouldn't omit that step either.

My project: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=12109.0

Not all at once, you cant. I would take it a 1/4" pass at a time.

Agreed. But then you'll win a lot of time by making the rough cut first. If the router only has to trim like 1/32'', you can probably rout it in one pass.

 

[line6man]

Short a CNC machine, the pattern follower chucked into a router or shaper is the way to go.

No, a bandsaw is the best way to go, depending on whether or not the OP can gain access to one.

Of course. I was assuming the basic shape was already cut. The follower bit is to finalize the shape after that, so he doesn't have to spend a week grinding/sanding on the thing. Then the spindle sander can be brought to bear for getting rid of tool marks.

So you think the OP should cut out the shape with a bandsaw, clean up the cuts with a pattern follower bit, and then clean up the pattern follower bit with a spindle sander??
That's adding extra steps! Draw your shape on the blank, cut it with a bandsaw just outside the line, and then sand down to the line with a spindle sander.
There is no need for any routing. It's a few minutes worth of work cutting the body with a bandsaw, and about 15 minutes of work on the spindle sander.

How exactly would you use a pattern follower bit on something that was cut with a bandsaw? Unless you have a template on hand, there is no clean edge for the bearing to roll against. And if you do have a template, why not cut the shape out with the pattern follower bit to begin with, to avoid having to try to find a bandsaw to use?

You can't just cut through 2'' of wood with a router. That's a disaster waiting to happen. It's in fact downright dangerous. It's exactly how I'd do it, in fact have done it last year: Bandsaw/jigsaw -> then router + template following bit (and a template of course) -> spindle sander. IMHO working with a template will get a more acurate result so I wouldn't omit that step either.

My project: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=12109.0

Not all at once, you cant. I would take it a 1/4" pass at a time.

Agreed. But then you'll win a lot of time by making the rough cut first. If the router only has to trim like 1/32'', you can probably rout it in one pass.

I would not feel comfortable taking a 2" (Or 1.75" or whatever) deep pass, regardless of how much material is being removed.

 

[baskruit]

Short a CNC machine, the pattern follower chucked into a router or shaper is the way to go.

No, a bandsaw is the best way to go, depending on whether or not the OP can gain access to one.

Of course. I was assuming the basic shape was already cut. The follower bit is to finalize the shape after that, so he doesn't have to spend a week grinding/sanding on the thing. Then the spindle sander can be brought to bear for getting rid of tool marks.

So you think the OP should cut out the shape with a bandsaw, clean up the cuts with a pattern follower bit, and then clean up the pattern follower bit with a spindle sander??
That's adding extra steps! Draw your shape on the blank, cut it with a bandsaw just outside the line, and then sand down to the line with a spindle sander.
There is no need for any routing. It's a few minutes worth of work cutting the body with a bandsaw, and about 15 minutes of work on the spindle sander.

How exactly would you use a pattern follower bit on something that was cut with a bandsaw? Unless you have a template on hand, there is no clean edge for the bearing to roll against. And if you do have a template, why not cut the shape out with the pattern follower bit to begin with, to avoid having to try to find a bandsaw to use?

You can't just cut through 2'' of wood with a router. That's a disaster waiting to happen. It's in fact downright dangerous. It's exactly how I'd do it, in fact have done it last year: Bandsaw/jigsaw -> then router + template following bit (and a template of course) -> spindle sander. IMHO working with a template will get a more acurate result so I wouldn't omit that step either.

My project: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=12109.0

Not all at once, you cant. I would take it a 1/4" pass at a time.

Agreed. But then you'll win a lot of time by making the rough cut first. If the router only has to trim like 1/32'', you can probably rout it in one pass.

I would not feel comfortable taking a 2" (Or 1.75" or whatever) deep pass, regardless of how much material is being removed.

I would, but I can understand that some wouldn't. Routers are mean SOBs. I would mount the router upside down as a table router by the way. I definitely wouldn't do it by hand.

 

[line6man]

Short a CNC machine, the pattern follower chucked into a router or shaper is the way to go.

No, a bandsaw is the best way to go, depending on whether or not the OP can gain access to one.

Of course. I was assuming the basic shape was already cut. The follower bit is to finalize the shape after that, so he doesn't have to spend a week grinding/sanding on the thing. Then the spindle sander can be brought to bear for getting rid of tool marks.

So you think the OP should cut out the shape with a bandsaw, clean up the cuts with a pattern follower bit, and then clean up the pattern follower bit with a spindle sander??
That's adding extra steps! Draw your shape on the blank, cut it with a bandsaw just outside the line, and then sand down to the line with a spindle sander.
There is no need for any routing. It's a few minutes worth of work cutting the body with a bandsaw, and about 15 minutes of work on the spindle sander.

How exactly would you use a pattern follower bit on something that was cut with a bandsaw? Unless you have a template on hand, there is no clean edge for the bearing to roll against. And if you do have a template, why not cut the shape out with the pattern follower bit to begin with, to avoid having to try to find a bandsaw to use?

You can't just cut through 2'' of wood with a router. That's a disaster waiting to happen. It's in fact downright dangerous. It's exactly how I'd do it, in fact have done it last year: Bandsaw/jigsaw -> then router + template following bit (and a template of course) -> spindle sander. IMHO working with a template will get a more acurate result so I wouldn't omit that step either.

My project: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=12109.0

Not all at once, you cant. I would take it a 1/4" pass at a time.

Agreed. But then you'll win a lot of time by making the rough cut first. If the router only has to trim like 1/32'', you can probably rout it in one pass.

I would not feel comfortable taking a 2" (Or 1.75" or whatever) deep pass, regardless of how much material is being removed.

I would, but I can understand that some wouldn't. Routers are mean SOBs. I would mount the router upside down as a table router by the way. I definitely wouldn't do it by hand.

Why would you want to do it in one pass? What would be the motivation take a risk like that to save a few minutes of work?
Like I said, all it takes is a tiny bit of tearout, and you've ruined your body, unless you cover the wood filler with a solid finish or sunburst.

 

[baskruit]

Why would you want to do it in one pass? What would be the motivation take a risk like that to save a few minutes of work?
Like I said, all it takes is a tiny bit of tearout, and you've ruined your body, unless you cover the wood filler with a solid finish or sunburst.

More passes = more chances of errors and to me it would be more than a few minutes of extra work. And I've had tearouts when routing 1/4'' deep so doing several shallow passes it isn't a guarantee that it won't happen. Oh well, let's agree to disagree.
Or better yet: Let's just say that both methods work. Whichever route (no pun intended) works best is personal: Each to its own.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Aussie Pete already linked to the RD-ish build I did last year - there's also my current thinline Firebird build up in the Work In Progress field.  Sadly, I have an update w/pics for that (will get them up tonight) which underscores the difficulty of using a router - project's not ruined, but I did make a huge mistake.

I'd say that you'd definitely be better off using a bandsaw, but a jigsaw works just as well - IF - you're: A) prepared to deal with the saw-rash on the sides (a spindle sander or sanding drum in a power drill or drill press works for that) and B) you change the blades/start with a new blade.  A friend pointed out to me that even on a flat work surface with a flat piece of wood, the up & down action of the saw can cause the blade to bow to one side or the other (as opposed to the one direction of the bandsaw).  If you cut the whole body with one blade, it's possible that you won't end up with a perpendicular cut.  I found out both of the above the hard way, but only to a small extent - sandpaper cures a number of ills.  :laughing7:

BUT!  - Patriot54: YOU HAZ TEH SKILLZ 4 THIS!  Seriously, you can do it - it's not impossible or difficult by any stretch. Do it, and even if it's less than perfect, we won't know, and we'll still respect you forever for the Tat-Strat. :icon_thumright:

 

[SkuttleFunk]

for bodies I do by hand, I currently router my final pass the full 1-3/4" depth of the body. I'm using a template securely attached to the body, and it trims away the excess wood remaining after I've carefully cut out the shape at a bandsaw (note: if I used a jig saw I would need to leave more material to ensure that the blade didn't bend or drift inside the body thickness)

I also use one of these specialy 1/2" shank 2" long flush trim bits in a router with enough horsepower to support the cut without bogging down

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2081629/Freud-Downshear-Flush-Trim-Bits.aspx

the slight spiral shape to the cutting edge produces paper thin whisps of the waste wood while also eliminating chatter. I definitely wouldn't recommend this bit for a novice router user. Based on personal experience with what can instantly go wrong using such a large bit on a router table, I'd recommend this be used in a hand-held router base when working the cleanup on a body - there's just too many places where bad things can go into overdrive unless you're really achieved in your ability to transition between regular and climb style cuts

all the best,

R

 

[line6man]

I definitely wouldn't recommend this bit for a novice router user.

+1.

 

[Cagey]

I also use one of these specialy 1/2" shank 2" long flush trim bits in a router with enough horsepower to support the cut without bogging down

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2081629/Freud-Downshear-Flush-Trim-Bits.aspx

Also worthy of note is that bit has a 1/2" shank on it, which keeps the thing true and reduces the possibility of tearout even further. It's also less likely to snap. If a router has a 1/2" collet, buy 1/2" shank bits whenever possible.