My New Guitar

[shiftbmw]

Any sort of inlays in the neck or around the body? I think a creme pickguard would compliment the black finish. Kind of like a Gibson blueshawk.

What kind of hardware are you going to run?

No plans for inlays at all. The body won't have anything and the neck would have black phenolic dots if my fretboard is maple and no dots if it's ebony.

As for the pickguard, likely black. I don't really want any white on this guitar. Hardware will be silver. Some minor cosmetic things like knobs, etc are TBD.

Funny you should mention a blueshawk. I play a nighthawk(the solid body version of the blueshawk) as my primary guitar. I absolutely love it...it feels like gibson's version of a strat.

[Holland]

I just showed my friend this, he has been bitching about how expensive guitars are.

[BobombETA]

Any sort of inlays in the neck or around the body? I think a creme pickguard would compliment the black finish. Kind of like a Gibson blueshawk.

What kind of hardware are you going to run?

[shiftbmw]

Yes, I definately plan on experimenting with scraps first. The hardest part will be keeping the finish even.

[BobombETA]

Not sure how I'll accomplish it yet, but the body will likely be semi-transparent black...shooting for a burst maybe..."ebony burst" with gray in the middle and black at the outer edge.

Wow that will look great then. Maybe practice that effect on a couple pieces of scrap first?

[shiftbmw]

It's looking really nice man. Have you decided on what kind of stain, if any, you're applying to the wood?

My main guitar is a semi transparent dark red on a mahogany called "see-thru black cherry". It is beautiful.

Not sure how I'll accomplish it yet, but the body will likely be semi-transparent black...shooting for a burst maybe..."ebony burst" with gray in the middle and black at the outer edge.

[BobombETA]

It's looking really nice man. Have you decided on what kind of stain, if any, you're applying to the wood?

My main guitar is a semi transparent dark red on a mahogany called "see-thru black cherry". It is beautiful.

[devonjordan]

This is pretty SWEET, cant wait to see the finished product.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Something unexpected on r3v, but awesome. I like the learning going on from lookin at them pikturz.

[bejbis]

I dont play anything, but i love to see craftsmanship and things built instead of bought. good luck, its looking great.

[shiftbmw]

The next trick is to unstick the templates from each other. Since I wanted these to stick together damn well, it's going to be tough to get them apart. Have to be careful not to damage the MDF, since in 1/4" form it's not overly strong.

I found that my pocketknife was the best way to separate the templates and remove the tape.




Once they are separated and clean, template is ready to go.

[shiftbmw]

This is turning into half tutorial, half build thread. Either way, I'm rolling with it.

[shiftbmw]

Now it's almost cutting time.

Before thinking about cutting, think about safety. Respiratory and eye protection are always a must.



A nice clear place to work with minimal distraction is a good idea. The last thing you should do before turning your router on is plug it in. The router should not be plugged in unless it is in use. Unplug it if you are going to mess with the bit, remove it from the table, change bits, etc. Same goes for all power tools. Do not walk away and leave your router live. You may forget and make a mistake when you come back.

Now its time to cut. Take your time, go slow. There is no rush. Just like cutting aluminum or steel, take many small passes(in the picture if looks like I took one big one but I assure you it was the product of maybe 5 or 6 passes). If you get tired, fatigued, or just want to take a brake, DO IT. No reason to get sloppy.

Just follow the template with the guide bearing, take your time, and it's a breeze.




Once you get all the way around, you're done!



Rinse and repeat for the 3/4" MDF templates.

[shiftbmw]

Now that the first template is cut and the router table made, I'm ready to make the other 3 templates. One will 1/4" MDF and the other two will be 3/4" MDF.

Why? The two 1/4" will be the master templates. One will accomplish the outline of the guitar and the other will accomplish things like pickup cavities, neck pocket, control cavity, etc. The 3/4" MDF will be your working templates. If you screw these up during cutting, you use your master to cut a new working template. The only time you should use the master template is to cut out a working template.

First, trace the existing master template onto the 1/4 MDF with a pencil. Now remove the master template(don't want to cut it with a saw by mistake) and rough cut the shape of the body with a coping saw(you may prefer a jigsaw if you have one). Cut it as close as your comfortable. The goal is to have the router do as little work as possible. You want to do most of the material removal with a saw and just clean up the edges with the router.




Next it's time to stick the master template to the soon-to-be new template. When doing this you want to accomplish two things:

1)You want your template to stick and stay! If it slips, so could your hand, which is not a good thing near a moving router bit.

2)You want to be able to remove your template once your done cutting.

For this task, I prefer to use the double sided tape stick things you can get to hang pictures or clothing hooks to your wall. Be cautioned that these things REALLY stick though. They will rip chunks out of drywall to give you an idea(ask me how I know). I found 3 to be more than sufficient. Whatever you choose to use, TEST IT FIRST before finding out the hard way that it didn't work.

[shiftbmw]

After I finished my first template, it was time to build a router table. A few things that should be noted at this point.

1)This job cannot be freehanded...period. A template is a must. If you're planning on building a guitar, make a template. Even if you're designing your own shape, make a template.

2)A router table is not optional. Not only does it make the job easier, but it's also a matter of safety. If you aren't paying attention, a router can catch on the wood. If your router is freehand, your router can go flying across the room. A router will cut you 100 times before you can even react, and another 100 before you pull your hand or whatever else away. With a router table, worst that can happen is wood can go flying...you can make the call...


For the router table itself, pretty simple. A piece of particle board and some 2x4's. Then drill holes for the router bit and mounting holes to attach the router to the bottom. Sink the screws beneath the wood surface on the top plane otherwise the templates will catch.

For the router itself, I used a little 5.6 amp Porter Cable laminate trimmer. It has been sufficient thusfar.










A drill makes building a table much easier. Just picked this baby up...on sale.