DIY Guitar Messing About (4 Viewers)

[ann post]

https://www.aldi.ie/ferrex-600w-palm-router/p/819362700612500

Thanks for flagging this. I might shut up about one if i buy it

 

[GO]

https://www.aldi.ie/ferrex-600w-palm-router/p/819362700612500

Japers I could use one of those for a little job I have next week

 

[magicbastarder]

i suspect the weak point could be the bits; i bought lidl or aldi forstner bits about five years ago and they blunted almost instantly.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

i suspect the weak point could be the bits; i bought lidl or aldi forstner bits about five years ago and they blunted almost instantly.

Does it take standard bits?
When is it in?

 

[magicbastarder]

sun 12th march, says it's 'drill capacity' is 1/4" so i suspect that's referring to the shank size for the bits.

 

[ann post]

I just watched a youtube on it there.

Not the youtubers observations but I see no attachment for a hoover - if you have 1 metre of routing to do now and then this isn't a real issue, if you have many metres to do on a regular basis this something that will send it to the back of the tool shelf and eventually the bin. Router dust is fucking horrible.

My second criticism is the foot is plastic - not a worry for 1 metre a month routing but again a dealbreaker if you have to do anything thats not tip toeing around it.

I might buy it though, I already have a grown up one.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

While it’s beyond awkward to do this without a proper vice, and heaven forbid a bandsaw - I think I’ve actually mastered a method of doing the neck scarf joints and headstock cheek cut with the tools at my disposal. Rasp-San as ever was useful for the final bits.

 

[magicbastarder]

thinking of building a proper acoustic instrument next.
from scratch
am I mad?

one of the lads in our woodturning chapter is making one; i didn't get any time to ask him abuot it though.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

one of the lads in our woodturning chapter is making one; i didn't get any time to ask him abuot it though.

Yeah - what I’m working on atm will probably take me a month or so - I might give it a go after that

 

[JohnnyRaz]

@magicbastarder what sort of bit did you use for the sides of the bass? Thinking of picking up the Aldi router, but also looking at getting a few other bits

 

[magicbastarder]

I used a straight cut bit with a bearing; the bearing mounted up at the router. I got the shape I wanted around the top surface of the guitar first and transferred it down the side with the bit.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

I used a straight cut bit with a bearing; the bearing mounted up at the router. I got the shape I wanted around the top surface of the guitar first and transferred it down the side with the bit.

That’s what I was thinking- how big was the cutting length of the bit?

 

[magicbastarder]

You could borrow my bits rather than buying a set? The bits will probably cost as much as that router.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

You could borrow my bits rather than buying a set? The bits will probably cost as much as that router.

Thanks - I might take you up on that. I’ll probably pick up a small set of the more generic ones - but might borrow the edging one

 

[JohnnyRaz]

You really can’t get enough clamps?

 

[magicbastarder]

@magicbastarder what sort of bit did you use for the sides of the bass? Thinking of picking up the Aldi router, but also looking at getting a few other bits

the one on the left is the style that's easy to get (and came in a 12 piece kit i bought); the one on the right is seemingly rarer, and is the one i needed when finishing the sides of the body.
as mentioned, i got the outer line around the top of the body (where the binding would have been, if i had opted for binding) and used the bit on the right to finish the side in line with that imaginary binding. which meant obviously that when rasping, i was deliberately flaring the body slightly so there was more meat towards the back of the body, for that bit to remove.

the cutting surface on the green bit is not long enough to do the entire body with one pass; you can do one pass, extend the bit further out, and use the freshly trimmed surface as a register for a second pass; or flip the body over, and use the blue bit to register on the cut surface and trim the excess, which is now above the bearing.
i also have roundover bits (two, maybe three of differing radii) for rounding the body over.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

Had a bit of a play with it this evening - bearing in mind that this is my first experience with a router of any description. And I’ll certainly need to figure out best use of this..

Seems solid enough - the bottom part that sets the depth is a bit fiddly.

Guide (like most guides for anything other than circular saws) only does part of the job for you..

Certainly well able to cut channels with the bit supplied, hard to control and visibility isn’t great.

One weird thing for me is it has a power switch rather than a tigger - so you could drop it and it would keep going. Not sure if this is normal.

Edging and working with a template or a jig it would be fine id say - will have to play round with it some more

 

[magicbastarder]

pay attention to which way the bit spins, they're easier to control if you're pushing or pulling 'into' the cut.
e.g. on mine, as you look down on the router from above, the bit spins clockwise; so if you're cutting on the right hand side of a board (i.e. pushing the router left into the cut) you're better off pushing the router away from you. it scoops the cut wood outwards; if you were to pull it towards you in the same orientation, it's pushing the waste wood into the cut.

 

[ann post]

One weird thing for me is it has a power switch rather than a tigger - so you could drop it and it would keep going. Not sure if this is normal.

No its kinda mad considering the RPM.

I use a calipers to set depths and mostly use it with a parallel clamped in place for channels and stuff. I assume the foot has a round profile?

 

[JohnnyRaz]

No its kinda mad considering the RPM.

I use a calipers to set depths and mostly use it with a parallel clamped in place for channels and stuff. I assume the foot has a round profile?

Square - so easy to set up guides.