surfpup Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 Pup, if you are going to be limiting your use mainly to opening up simple things like a pickup opening (esp. one that is mostly done less some larger sizing needed), you may want to just use a smaller trim/laminate router like the Bosch the BB Player mentioned I think it was. With a template I would rather use a smaller router and take less material off per pass. Rabs is sure right about going too slow or too fast. Outcome not great either way. Steady and right speed makes for a super clean cut with a really sharp cutter bit. Porter Cable makes a nice little trimmer too. I'd get either the Bosch or P.C. without hesitation. Aster So I did just that. I ordered the Bosch and a 1/2" cut titanium tipped ball bearing bit. It should arrive early this week as will the new pickguard. I went ahead and ordered a template too from StewMac rather than make my own. Oughta be able to dive right into this project now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted October 27, 2014 Author Share Posted October 27, 2014 Holy speedy shipping, Batman! The router I ordered yesterday is here today. How does Amazon do it? Now just waiting on the bit and the template. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 Holy speedy shipping, Batman! The router I ordered yesterday is here today. How does Amazon do it? Now just waiting on the bit and the template. So what is it you are actually building? (if im allowed to ask) Will we get build photos? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 So what is it you are actually building? (if im allowed to ask) Will we get build photos? :) Just putting a mini-humbucker in the neck position of my Tele. But, yeah, I'll post pics once I get started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Collins Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 This won't give me the instant gratification I had hoped for but it may have saved me from mangling the job. Could also save you from mangling your hands and/or face. I know a lot of folks use their drill press for things like drum sanders, side cutters, and the grossly mis-named "Safe-T-Planer", but drill presses are generally designed to direct force in one direction - down. Some drill presses may have locking collars (my old Dayton and Rockwell presses do), but the majority have their chicks fit simply with a tapered spindle. Put enough sideways force on these, and this can be a good recipe for knocking the spindle loose while the machine is running. Not a safe situation to put yourself in while you are inches away from a high speed cutting bit. Mills and routers incorporate compression chucks or threaded spindles for very good and intentional reasons - they are designed to handle the side load a router bit will see. Taper spindle drill chucks are not designed for this. Add to this stability (or lack thereof) of most press quills, and the fact that the highest speed on most drill presses is still much slower than most router bits are designed to cut at, and the drill press router fails in every way from accuracy to safety. Good choice to wait. Get a decent router, learn and constantly remind yourself of the precautions required for safety, and it will be the right to for the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I have a question for those of you with tool smarts... I don't have a router but I have a drill press. I'm wondering if I can use a router bit on it to rout a pickup hole in a guitar body. While, technically, it can be done.... I'd not recommend it. You would have to move the guitar body under the bit which might be a bit ungainly. It could also be hazardous for the operator as well if the guitar body slips and your body parts contact the unprotected router bit. Look for an inexpensive router, or even rent/borrow one. You will have to secure the guitar in a fixture that holds it absolutely still. Then the jig should have an over-the-body platform for the router to glide upon. There should be an opening in the platform for the router bit to extend through to contact and mill out the wood of the body (solid body right?) The best set-up will have a guide window, cut to the exact shape of the desired pickup hole, as the hole through the platform so that the bit's shank can follow the exact shape you want to be hogged out of the wood below. One could free hand it, but this requires skill and much practice to route a straight line. Router bits can have a mind of their own and like to wander suddenly if not constrained. The fixture with platform would need to be custom built by you to fit the guitar. If you aren't confident you can build the fixture,... you shouldn't be handling power tools of any sort. A frame to closely fit the body of the guitar, then the platform should be as thin as possible, but not so thin that it flexes under the weight of the router. Compare the cost of a cheap router or a rental with the cost and humiliation of a botched pick-up hole routing job. Do yourself a favor, before committing the router bit to the guitar body, practice on some scrap lumber of the same size as the guitar body. Another option, is to build a frame to hold the guitar firmly on the drill press platform, then use forstner bit(s) to hog out the wood, move the guitar frame after each plunge to rough out the shape of the pickup hole. Then clean up the scallop shaped edges of the hole with a sharp wood chisel. It is also good woodworking practice to apply masking tape, centered over the edge of the hole to be cut, to reduce splintering. Better yet, use painter's tape, less likely to pull up the finish. when you remove it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Could also save you from mangling your hands and/or face. I know a lot of folks use their drill press for things like drum sanders, side cutters, and the grossly mis-named "Safe-T-Planer", but drill presses are generally designed to direct force in one direction - down. Some drill presses may have locking collars (my old Dayton and Rockwell presses do), but the majority have their chicks fit simply with a tapered spindle. Put enough sideways force on these, and this can be a good recipe for knocking the spindle loose while the machine is running. Not a safe situation to put yourself in while you are inches away from a high speed cutting bit. Mills and routers incorporate compression chucks or threaded spindles for very good and intentional reasons - they are designed to handle the side load a router bit will see. Taper spindle drill chucks are not designed for this. Add to this stability (or lack thereof) of most press quills, and the fact that the highest speed on most drill presses is still much slower than most router bits are designed to cut at, and the drill press router fails in every way from accuracy to safety. Good choice to wait. Get a decent router, learn and constantly remind yourself of the precautions required for safety, and it will be the right to for the job. Glad ya got the Bosch trimmer Pup!!! You'll love it. TK, Great advice esp. for safety in all work. The big diff. in a mill & a drill press is also in the bearings. Drill presses, as TK just pointed out, are for vertical pressure force (as is drilling). The bearings are not made to allow for heavier lateral force as with a mill ( and also in turn a router). This allows for flex at the best, and trashes out bearings or allows for slop to arrive to the drill press. So then ya can't drill nice clean round holes anymore. The spindle wobbles more and makes a hole larger than the bit. All my drill presses have a "pressed in" spindle w/ no lock. Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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