It hit me like a thunder bolt. Once the idea of building a guitar crossed my mind as something I was capable of doing, I dove right in.
Rather than spending money on cheap blanks, I made one out of 2x6s that I had used for scaffold planking when I re-roofed the gazebo. They were probably out in the weather for close to a month so they were well cured. I ran them through the planer to flatten them then ripped them to 2" width, the thickness of the body blank. Then glued them up.
Once the glue had set, I brought the blank to the workbench and scraped the glue from the squeeze out and took it to the drum sander until it was just a tad over 1-3/4" thick. And then sanded it with 120 on a 6" sander.
From there I took my son's Telecaster and traced the body on to the blank. Then it was over to the bandsaw to cut shy of the marks. I had just received delivery of a couple Auriou rasps (dark handles) and was anxious to see what all the hype was about. I wasn't disappointed.
After taking the cabinetmaker's and modeler's rasps to the bandsaw marks, I placed a foam pad on a 5" detail sander and smoothed out the rasp marks. If I ever got serious about this, I'll need some leather pads on the inside of the tail vise!
Once I was satisfied the edges were smooth (hand sanding was necessary too), I used a 1/2" roundover bit on the router table and cut all but the top of where the neck will attach. I know Teles don't have a 1/2" roundover but I like the feel and the look.
I also realize Tele bodies don't have the arm cut away, that, like the roundover, are Strat features. But I like the Strat better because it brings back memories of playing in a garage band back when Jack Benny was 39.
I saw a few videos on guitar making before I made this venture. It seemed a grinder fitted with a course sanding disc was the preferred tool for making the arm and hip cutaways. All I could think was how these guys were going to have serious health problems long before they reach my age. One guy was so covered with dust, the color of his shirt (and face) had changed. And then there's the dust working its way through the house. The only way I could do this was if I had really great dust pickup at the source, and I still have to wear a respirator. Say what you will about Festool prices, but these sanders have enabled me to stay in woodworking. The Rotex made this cut in about 5 minutes with no dust cloud.
This was the first run on the arm cutaway. I later went back and cut it to the line I had previously marked above. To get the roundover to flow with the rest of the edges, I started with the rasps and then finished with sandpaper.
The hip cutaway
After I had made the final cuts, I placed the body in the waste wood to show how much was cut from the original thickness. Arm cutaway:
Hip cutaway:
This was far easier than I expected. But I didn't make any of the cutouts for the electronics, bridge, neck, etc. I managed to get a hold of some full sized plans but I also found a guy who the Fender buffs say has very accurate templates. They are $65@ and he includes a detailed booklet with it to get you through the build. But he does not do necks! The templates will get everything in the right place on the body, which is kind of critical. I can make the neck template from the full size plans. No template will help you build the rest of the neck.
We're heading to the hardwood store today. Since my son is wanting a figured maple body on his Telecaster (he wants it blue, "like the ocean" ), I'll find something for his guitar. But I'm also going to buy some wood for the neck of the Strat I want to build. From what I've read, maple neck and maple fretboard are the bomb, but rosewood was the original. Don't remember ever seeing rosewood at the hardwood store...
"We're putting the band back together."
"Forget it. No way."
"We're on a mission from God."