Router?

[Ben]

Hi all, hope all is well.

I am looking at buying a router to use to cut out an electric bass body, neck etc. Combined with the right router bits will this be enough to cut out the body or would I still need to get a bandsaw? I have some acrylic templates which i purchased online which would make it easier with the router but I have seen people use a bandsaw first and then the router after to clean up the edges.

Any advice would be great!

Cheers

Ben

[kiwigeo]

Use a bandsaw to rough cut first and then a router to do final shaping. If you can't afford a bandsaw a jigsaw will do the job.

[Ben]

Thanks Martin.

[Steve.Toscano]

If you cant justify the expense of a bandsaw, find someone locally who has one and offer them $5 to use it. This is what i do.

[charangohabsburg]

If you cant justify the expense of a bandsaw, find someone locally who has one and offer them $5 to use it. This is what i do.

Or get a bow saw or two for doing the rough cut.

Some time ago I got two used bow saws for 1$ and refitted them with a narrow normal blade (10$) and a wide japanese blade (35$). They work like a charm. When I recently messed up a bandsaw blade by trying to shove a trunk of yew through the bandsaw (due to the small trunk diameter I did not want to use the chainsaw which eats up a considerable amount of width), after having cut only 10cm I finished the job with my two bow saws (the narrow bladed one to correct the direction when it started to get out of alignment). I was surprised that it took me only about one hour of rather effortless sawing to finish the 1 m long and 15 cm wide cut:

[Nick]

I used to use a bandsaw (I still would if I had to make an electric) and get close to the line then just clean up the cut with files and sandpaper. I actually did my first one using a jigsaw, was ok but I'd cut well outside the line if I had to use this method again as the end of the blade flexes and moves anywhere up to 3-4mm "offline" in such a thick amount of material combined with the radius's you are wanting to cut.
If it's only a one off or you don't plan on making too many, a friendly chat to your local joinery shop and an offer to fill the social club's coffers with a donation should see somebody run it through the bandsaw for you in under five minutes. I used to get my blanks thicknessed this way before buying a thicknessor and I used to go to the factory door rather than the front office (they'll want to 'do it proper' and submit it as a legit job), I suspect my donation (about ten dollars if I remember rightly) went straight into the joiner's pocket (and ultimately digestive system ) but I'd got what I wanted so all was good .

[Ben]

Thanks for the advice guys ill prolly go with the bandsaw as ill use it for other woodwork projects.

Cheers

Ben

[rocket]

Get a big one

[Ben]

This is the one I was going to get.. It's in my budget. Will this be big enough?
http://www.carbatec.com.au/carba-tec-14 ... 50b_c21215

[kiwigeo]

I wouldn't go smaller than a 14" for basic work. If you plan on doing any re-sawing then go bigger.

I've been running with a Carbatec 14" bandie for some years now and it's done good service. The Carbatec fence that came with the machine was a bit average and I upgrade this to a Kreg fence.

[liam_fnq]

Isn't it your birthday soon ben?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mcmillan-Ban ... 500wt_1217

[liam_fnq]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Woodman-BA21 ... 500wt_1217

[rocket]

I got a 14", it's pretty good but i should have got the 17", might upgrade to the 17 one day.
Rod.

[Dave Stewart]

Good recent discussion of which to get here.
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/view ... 8e1b7dd9c1

[Clancy]

Carbatec's 14-inch Bandsaws have always confused me.
The more expensive CTJ-3501 is classed as the "Heavy Duty" unit.
But the BAS-350B has cast iron wheels and a stronger motor.
What makes the expensive one heavy duty???

[colburge]

You can always make a 16", I had no problem at all making one with my limited woodwork ability. I have a 3/4 HP motor on mine which is a little underpowered when re-sawing large pieces, it really needs a 1HP at least I reckon, and I think it cost me about $350 to make all up. I am sure most of you are familiar with Mathias Wandel's website, link below if you aren't.

http://woodgears.ca/bandsaw/plans/index.html

Cheers

Col

[kiwigeo]

I was surprised that it took me only about one hour of rather effortless sawing to finish the 1 m long and 15 cm wide cut:

Which hospital did they take you to for treatment for advanced dehydration and exhaustion? I guess fraternising with Mrs Palmer will be out of the question for the next few weeks due to the mountain sized blisters on your hands

[rocket]

Effortless handsawing? been a chippy all my working life and my recollection of handsaws is that effort is required, the only type of effortless handsawing i've heard of in the past is is when i was watching some other dude raising a sweat,
Rod.

[charangohabsburg]

Effortless handsawing means to not want your handsaw work faster than it does want to - and of course the use of a sharp blade. Those Japanese blades help a lot, of course. Let the blade do its work and take your time, that's all. With those pictures of parting a trunk of one of the hardest "softwoods" on earth I only wanted to illustrate how easy it must be to cut the outlines of a solidbody guitar. Not sure if a jigsaw would be faster than a bowsaw, but certainly noisier. Of course it is nice to have some powertools (I really like my bandsaw and small drillpress and would not want to be without them), but it is good to know that things can be done without them much easier than sometimes we believe it would be.

P.S.
No blisters and no sweat involved with parting the pictured trunk.

[Kim]

What makes the expensive one heavy duty???

The extra cost Craig