Pickguard Cutting

Hippety Hop · Post by **Hippety Hop** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:57 pm

So far I've only used a coping saw, and robo sander. Did a reasonable job. Just wondered if there's a better way?

Once tried the scroll saw to cut a printed circuit blank, but it just burnt/melted the plastic and wore the teeth off the blade.

Hip.

Joe Sustaire · Post by **Joe Sustaire** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:05 pm

Hey Hip, if it's one of the peel and stick types, or around that thickness, I just use a large pair of sharp scissors. And I use sandpaper to smooth any bumps and then sandpaper to bevel the edges, which makes for a nice transition to the guitar top.

Joe

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 5:30 am

Plastic/multilayered pickguards I've just cut on the bandsaw, use a course blade to avoid the clogging/heat issue. I usually put a piece of MDF down to act as a zero throat to avoid the course blade ripping the back of the plastic out. Once it's cut, a little file and sanding action to tidy the edge up then I either leave it like that if it's thinner stuff or I have a bevel bit for the router to give the multilayered stuff a touch of professionalism.

vandenboom · Post by **vandenboom** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:59 pm

I have only made wood pickguards to date. I rough cut on band saw or coping saw and finish off with a drill press sander. But I notice your guard is plastic.This is probably a dumb question, but here goes anyway - can you route a plastic edge? If so, another option would be to make an mdf template, stick plastic to it with double sided tape, and go for it. I was thinking of trying that with the timber pickguards.
Frank

Peter Young · Post by **Peter Young** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:17 pm

G'day all!

I've been following the forum for quite a while and also had the good fortune to meet Bob, Kim, Micheal, Allen and Tim at Playmakers back in February this year at Albany. Here goes for my first post ...

Never let it be said there is such a thing as 'waste' when it comes to lutherie. A variation on plastic pick guards is to manufacture them using thin off-cuts of wood, as these pics of WA Sheoak might help to illustrate.

I start by drawing the outline of the shape then, using a routing guide, I cut a thin channel a few millimetres in from the intended edge:

Once the channel is cut then the plate can be sawn & sanded to shape:

This channel is then filled with BWB binding:

Then after final sanding and a couple of coats of Organoil, voila!:

A pic of son Drew with his new pride and joy:

And here's a finished scratch plate made from Tassie Bluegum:

One advantage of using wood instead of plastic is that, if scratches build up over time, they can be sanded out and the plate then gets another light coat of oil.

Cheers for now & thanks,

Pete

Hippety Hop · Post by **Hippety Hop** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:19 pm

I filed a bevel around it. Turned out OK.

Cheers Hip.

Joe Sustaire · Post by **Joe Sustaire** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:33 pm

Nice looking pick guards Pete! That is slick with the purfling in there.

Looks like you did a pretty good job on the guitar and son as well!

Joe

vandenboom · Post by **vandenboom** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:39 pm

Peter - what is the thickness of the guard once it's all finished. I imagine it would need to be on the thicker side to hold the purfling.
Also, do you adhere with double sided sheet or use some other method?
Frank

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 8:23 pm

Welcome to the forum Pete. And that a great first post. Gives me a few ideas about those scraps that I've been giving away to the intarsia folks a the Woodworkers Guild.

Bob Connor · Post by **Bob Connor** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 8:58 pm

G'day Peter

Nice to see you here. Very, very elegant pickguard solution there.

Hesh1956 · Post by **Hesh1956** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:03 am

vandenboom wrote:I have only made wood pickguards to date. I rough cut on band saw or coping saw and finish off with a drill press sander. But I notice your guard is plastic.This is probably a dumb question, but here goes anyway - can you route a plastic edge? If so, another option would be to make an mdf template, stick plastic to it with double sided tape, and go for it. I was thinking of trying that with the timber pickguards.
Frank

Frank buddy the answer is yes. Stew-Mac sells a router bit just for this purpose although I suspect that other bits may work too.

The bevel is important if you don't want the owners of your guitars to catch the polishing cloth on an edge every time they clean up the instrument.

Pete welcome to the forum!

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:37 am

Welcome to the forum Pete and as Allen stated...what a great first post! Nice elegant work on not only the pickguards but the guitar also.

Localele · Post by **Localele** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:57 am

G'Day Peter, good to see you chime in and what an great way to start . That pick guard looks bloody brilliant.I'll be stealing that idea straight off your first post , thanks mate.

Peter Young · Post by **Peter Young** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:36 am

Thanks for the welcome(s).
The idea came from Kinkead who suggested wood rather than plastic.
Thinkness is a debate on effect on tone ...... anything under 1 mm is what I have done. Stuck it on with double sided tape .... so far OK.

Cheers Pete

Gaby · Post by **Gaby** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:24 am

Love the look of the wooden scratch plate, but, does it affect the sound at all?

Peter Young · Post by **Peter Young** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:04 am

I guess this is the debate. Some makers, I have heard, don't install a pick guard at all ....
I don't think the tone has been affected any more than if I used a regular (plastic) plate. The true test may be to string up and play the guitar in .... and then attach the plate. Not sure my abused ears would be good enough to judge ...... will try it with the next one.

Pete

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Pickguard Cutting

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