Thread: Plans for First (tele-based) build

looks to me like the guitar body you have is very similar to the guitar body shape you want ....looks like cutting off tht lower horn ...and rounding the end

so...i would question...if there is any need to get a separate body blank ...espc given the limited tools at yer disposal

now, you can modify the existing body to the shape you want (by cutting with handsaw and finishing off with some sort of drum sander attached to yer drill or by hand+sandpaper) and if you wish it to have a different colour then a stripping off of the old finish is typically in order

the different colour can be accomplished by spray cans ...automotive stuff

the different pickguard can be made from a separate sheet/pickguard blank and this can be cutted out using handsaw/fretsaw and finished off with your sandpaper

handsaws and the like can be gotten from local h/w store

Hey, thanks for the reply. I was thinking of using the body I already have, but it has a poly/nitro finish which I've heard are really difficult to remove in any conventional sense. So I figured I'd sell the body as it is on ebay and just try my own, since that way I would actually have built it myself (the body at least)

heh ...ok

well if you start off with a body blank ...you will need something to cut the shape ...typically this is a bandsaw...though i have seen ppl do it with a jigsaw and even a router

*you can do it by hand but the results might prove distressing both in outcome and in effort expended

after body shape is cut out ...you will then need to rout the holes for your pickups and control thingamajigs

this requires a router though some have performed this task with a chisel ...again see point *

then you will need to drill perpendicular holes for bolts and ferrules and so on

this usually requires a drill press ....howeva...once again ...can be done by hand but see point *

so all the way along the line ...hand tools can be used but the cost will be accuracy/look of the cut/additional work

however if you are at the point of embarkation upon a new hobby tht will sustain you for yrs ....then ...regrettably....you might have to consider some longterm planning and maybe buy them tools one step at a time

this is wht most insane hobbyists do btw

Hah yeh, so I've seen I wanted to try and do it on the cheap, with limited tools and hand tools, so I guess I'll need to take a trip to bunnings in the near future

well...i have built complete electric guitars using a workmate, router, hand drill and dremel

i had to bring to cabinet maker to do bandsaw cuts and perpendicular drilling

but i have purchased a bandsaw and drill press cos i am too lazy to make frequent trips out of me house

i would estimate the total cost of me machinery plus attachments to be no more than an above average computer system ~2-3k

which is prob the foundation of many a hobby for idle young lads these days

yeah for that price I could buy a nice Cole Clark Culprit hah, but you say you went to a cabinet maker to do cuts for you? did you need to pay them or did you know them ?

yup...i paid cabinetmaker 20 bux each time

i asked first if he could do it (no...i did not know cabinet maker at all...i just turned up to workshop and asked) ...and how much it might cost

he would check his schedule and do wht i wanted done...prob no more than 20 mins each time ...so i take it tht it is about a dolla a minute

things might be different where you are at ...but i cant see any harm in asking

Yeah thats a good idea, thanks for that I think the body cutout is the most difficult bit for what I have at the moment. I've seen routing done with forstner bits on drills and chisels so I'll have abit of work ahead, thanks again

ma pleasure

the frostner bits/spade bits on a drill to remove large chunks technique usually require a router phase after to make clean cuts at the edges btw

and also tht technique is usually done on a drill press....to maintain a somewht even depth of 'rout'

hmm really, so if done with a hand drill it would make a mess? Maybe I'm getting myself into more then a bargained for

the usual rule is

the less stable the mount of a machine the less accurate the machining

thus ...stability is key to accuracy w.r.t. machining


anything hand-held is subject to the non-machine/unstable nature of the human hand....

so if i built with what i have now do you think it would be an inferior guitar?

well...i would hesitate to predict anything....

but with a 'hand drill, soldering iron and sandpaper' the chances of the outcome being wht you desire might be quite small ...

which is not to say the guitar will be unusable ...but tht it might not be as initially desired...

well I would add drum sanding drill bits, hand saw and chisels to that list of tools, buying them cheaply at Bunnings