Mahogany guitar routing

drose21

Hi, im wonder what type of router bit i should use... I need to route out the cavity of into a mahogany, i dont want it to chip or blemish as little as possible, hopefully not at all, what kind of bit should i use? and what speed should i cut at? Thanks!

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Mike Wingate

I build a few guitars and basses each year. I make templates from 1/4" polycarbonate, for pickups, neck cavity, control cavities and other bits and pieces. I cut these with a 1/4" bit and a 3/8" template guide which gives me a perfect fit even allowing for the finish on the wood. I have developed these over the years. I now draw the jigs in CAD , print out onto paper which I stick to the polycarbonate. The waste is removed with drills, scroll saw, dremel and files. I did CAD CAM a handle template only for the machine to track back to the home position , mid route.

AlanZ

I don't understand what you're trying to do when you mention routing out the cavity.

Are you asking about the router setup to cut channels for edge binding and/or purfling?

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xplorx4

Greetings (your name here) and welcome to the forum, you Alan and Mike speak some strange language for sure but welcome anyway!!

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"How often we sacrifice the permanent plans of God on the altar of immediate solutions"

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Carl762

He's talking about routing cavities for pickups and sometimes bridges, the neck pocket, etc. Typically a bearing bit is used with a template. That's what I use.

westend

Mahogany should machine pretty good, especially if you have a species that is known for it's consistent grain. There is an article in the "wood species" section of the forum discussing the different species that make up the generic "Mahogany" name.
I'm thinking an upcut spiral bit, 1/4" sounds about right. Most of the cavities in an electric guitar are relatively small. Don't try to hog out all of the cut in one or just a couple of passes. Slow your speed down a bit and barely cut on the first pass. That will prevent the most chances of tear out. Good luck on the guitar. if you have some pics of the guitar, I'd sure be interested to see them.

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Eoin

Hi. When Westend says 'slow your speed down a bit', he means the speed at which you move the router, not the rotational speed of the bit. With a small diameter bit, keep that high. Absolutely right about taking it a little bit at a time depthwise, especially the first pass. Remember that when you're routing out a cavity, you need to move the router clockwise as you look down on the workpiece (or you'll be doing a 'climb cut'). Start with little clockwise spiral motions in the middle of the cavity until you get near to the template but make sure you don't rout up to the template until you're deep enough for the bearing to run on the template. I typically take three or four passes to reach the full cavity depth, using a bigger diameter bit to hog out most of the waste in the middle of the cavity first and leaving a sixteenth or so around the edge. First pass (at the edge), the bearing rides on the template, and then for successive passes, the bearing will ride on the wood itself. Use double faced carpet tape to adhere your template to the work piece, and use a bearing-guided straight cut pattern bit with the bearing at the shaft end of the bit, not the tip The cutting length of the bit need only be 3/8 or 1/2 inch. Better to use a half inch shank (if you have the collet capacity) straight cut 3/8 or 1/4 inch diameter pattern bit (depending on the cavity corner dimensions you need - I use 1/4) . Although the books will suggest using a spiral bit, I wouldn't bother - they're very expensive, don't last, are difficult to sharpen (you should really send them out) and I've never seen one with a bearing. As for routing beading/binding, well, that's a different matter entirely. You really should be using a Dremel or similar for that. Are you aware of the Musical Instrument Makers' Forum (MIMF)? It will change you life...
All the best,
Eoin

Mike Wingate

The MIMF site is really useful.

Check twice!

Maybe these photos may help you on your build. This was taken from our build.

Have a fine day, and hope these may be helpful.

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pinkwedd

this is great stuff!!! Liking it..