Template - The Body

Fortunately, many classic guitar body designs have been around for decades, and plans exist for download or purchase.  Fender plans were especially easy to find online.  My first concern was whether I could print to 1:1 size and trust the measurements.  A quick test print revealed that the output of my pdf plans already printed 1:1 with no changes to printer settings.  Yah! Twelve pages later I had all the 8.5x11 sheets necessary to construct my paper template.  These pages were taped together and then cut to a more manageable size, followed by careful measurement of each element to verify the scale.



MDF or plywood.  I used plywood, so do not know if MDF would have been better.  I scored a scrap piece of 1/2" plywood for free when I purchased the Ash plank, so free is good.

I first transferred the paper outline to the plywood and had a go at it with the jigsaw.  You can get pretty close to the line when just cutting plywood, saving some sanding time later.  But mistakes on your template transfer directly to you final project body.  Do not underestimate this potential - get your template right.
sanding rig

sanding rig

Since I had not purchased a belt sander, I rigged up my own using a drum sanding bit on my electric drill.  I strapped the drill upside down on a block of wood and strapped it to the side of a plastic toolbox such that the sanding drum stuck up above the flat top of the box.  I could then use the top of the box as a platform to support the template, while pressing it against the sanding drum with some degree of precision and take a lot of effort out of smoothing all the edges.  Since I was planning on modifications to the body I was also not that concerned by 1mm of variance here and there, but did adhere as closely as possible to the plan.

template before cavities cut out


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Process - Dying & Lacquer

Image
The cautions expressed in countless YouTube videos are well founded here.   Careful prep and wearing gloves are certainly ‘musts’. You might also wonder, if you reviewed the post chronology, why so much time had passed between this and the previous blog post.  Mostly this was in order to allow the lacquer (clear coat) ample drying time - 2 weeks seemed like the expected duration, and I essentially adhered to this.  It was also given that I had little experience using dyes and preparing a surface for lacquer and polish.
Read more

Process - Electronics

Image
Soldering the pups was actually one of the most relatively easy aspects to this entire build.  There are good wiring diagrams online, but I really relied on my intuition and a good multimeter.  The switch was the hardest part, only in that there are 8 terminals coming from it while there are only three leads connected to it!  And I wanted to ensure that the forward position went to the neck pup and the rearward position went to the bridge pup.  I easily isolated which terminal did what.  After realizing that each pup connected to two terminals, it was easy to work out which ones would have the right pup active in what position - including both at the middle switch position.
Read more

Lessons Learned

Image
Ok, so every project ends with lessons learned.  If it doesn't, you aren't working hard enough or you have been doing it too long and need to move on to something else.  Me, on the other hand, I end most projects with plenty of lessons; though I try not to, I make mistakes!  And while not always sure that I will try again and benefit from the experience, there is no point in repeating what is avoidable.  I often try new things and move on to the next project, so mistakes are common along the way.  Here's how you can benefit from mine.
Read more