What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

[67Mopar]

I'm thinking about building guitars. What do I need? I'm thinking table saw, router, belt sander... What else? For my first build, I want to duplicate the '58 Korina Flying V.

[St_Genesius]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

Router is the most important, I'd say. Especially if you're working from templates. I'd probably go with a band saw over a table saw for the rough cuts, but anything COULD work. Just need to get it to a point that the router can take over.

[akio]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

Add a solid drill press that won't let the bit wander off target. Thickness planer would be nice, too.

[67Mopar]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

I've got a drill press. I'll check-out some YT videos as well. Does anyone know how Gibson achieves the concave (dish) on the LP body? I've always wanted a LP will a lower arch, less neck pitch. Question: If I copy the LP body cut, but make the body smaller, and slightly thinner, is that considered a trademark violation?

[Demanic]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

A cheap 3d printer?

[Chistopher]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

I've got a drill press. I'll check-out some YT videos as well. Does anyone know how Gibson achieves the concave (dish) on the LP body? I've always wanted a LP will a lower arch, less neck pitch. Question: If I copy the LP body cut, but make the body smaller, and slightly thinner, is that considered a trademark violation?

Are you planning to sell them on a considerable scale?

[AlexR]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

The carve top is done on a duplicarver. A pin traces the shape of the template top profile while next to it a router does that same motion to a real maple top.
Most tools are easy to get at hardware shops, but tools for fretboard related tasks are quite specific and usually costly.

I would say you'd need about half a dozen builds under your belt before you go for a V. A real clone is harder than a carve top Les Paul.
Start on a few Fenders. At least then you don't have to scrap the whole thing if the fretting/neck side goes pear shaped.

[orpheo]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

My list?

Essentials
Drill press. Even a little one is 100000x better than a hand drill.
A powerdrill, cordless.
A random orbital sander. I use a small Bosch every now and then but the majority of the work is being done by my Festool Rotex 150. That machine is a BEAST. Great to polish lacquer, too.
A router. I have one huge one, a Festool 2200, with every spanner size I could find so I never have to work with conversion bushings. I'd like a second one, a tiny 1010 though.
A good dust extractor.
A disk sander and a spindle sander (for headstocks, to size backplates, get rid of bulk material the bandsaw couldn't get away).
a bandsaw

But you need so, so, so much more.

An oscillating drum sander
a table saw
a table router
a buffing machine with several wheels (for lacquer, for fretwork)

A carved top can be done with a Galahad cutter on an angle grinder quite well. Same for necks. I start with those tools first and then move to finer grit on the Rotex, then hand shaping with files to dial in the final shapes and then, hand sanding. If I did it correctly, didn't forget a step, I can have a neck plus headstock done under 2 hours.

[ehdwuld]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

CNC router would make almost all the contours and holes

[Mincer]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

Also, how is your hand tool collection? There are a lot of specialized tools that are used outside of power tools.

[67Mopar]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

Are you planning to sell them on a considerable scale?

I wasn't thinking about that. I'd just like to be able to build the guitars that I want. Building a Les Paul style guitar would be cool, of course. I'd actually like build something that looks more like the Appleton APP.

[kramersteen]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

You don't need to go waste money on big heavy machinery at first. Why not just join your local wood working guild and start there that way you can work out exactly what you want to spend your money on. Some of those machines aren't cheap.

[kramersteen]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

Suprised no one mentioned a router table and a oscillating spindle sander.

[67Mopar]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

Also, how is your hand tool collection? There are a lot of specialized tools that are used outside of power tools.

I've got a great eye for detail, and I'm a freak about perfection. I use to hang-out in Michael Tobias' shop back in the late 70's. I was always amazed by the guitars and bass instruments that he and Doug Montgomery built.

[Downrazor11]

Re: What wood-working machines do I need to build electric guitars?

Man, are there any drill presses that go out further than 8" under $100? I have an 8" press (provides 4" of reach before hitting the support pole) and it leaves me high and dry when doing the inner holes on a body..