Had to hit pause for this comment: Bought an acrylic humbucker routing template, and having zero experience with a router, messed it up my first time using it. Was just opening up a strat style body for a neck humbucker, so it wasn't even a blank body! Learned my lesson, and will make copies of purchased templates from now on.
Love the comment about being able to use whatever material you like cause for an electric guitar it just doesn’t matter that much. I built an electric guitar last year (without any power tools) and used SPF wood, and it’s one of the best sounding guitars I’ve ever played (just made sure I put in a really nice pickup: TV Jones Supertron). I have a video on TH-cam about it if anyone’s interested. Thank you for the video cause I need tips on building my next guitar WITH power tools and these videos have been super helpful.
Been building and selling guitars for about a year. I wind my own pickups and it's now time to sculpt my own bodies. I certainly feel more confident having watched your informative and upbeat video. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve watched guitar build vids for months. Your’s is the most practical and least intimidating of any that I’ve seen! Great job! Will begin building now! Also, I was about to waste a ton of money on a CNC setup that I see I really don’t need since planning on-off designs. Thanks again!
Just found your channel whilst in the process of planning and building my first electric guitar. You have some great videos on here. So, thank you, is I guess what I'm trying to say!
Very cool video! As far as buying quality templates, I'm sure you've heard about Greg Porter at Skyscraper Guitars. Super accurate and comprehensive acrylic templates! And he's in Colorado as well. Really nice guy and always willing to offer help when needed. He has a series of videos using his templates to build a guitar from start to finish that is always available to go back to for reference. He makes tools too! Top notch tools and he and his wife run a top notch business!
Yes Sir. Greg is a friend of mine. I am a huge fan of the Skyscraper Guitars tools. I have quite a few of them myself. They have an awesome business. I haven't used his templates though but I have seen them in use.
Greeting from Arvada! When drilling the pathway for the wiring through the neck pocket with that long drill bit, a tip I saw from another TH-camr (maybe Jonathan Katz-Moses?) is to put a ring (washer, compression fitting, etc) on the shaft of the drill bit. If you angle up too much, the ring will start to travel forward on the shaft, of you drop too much it will start to travel aft. Good way to give you a visual that you're staying level.
Howdy from down the Interstate. I have seen that as well. Its a great visual. I think you would need to make sure your work surface is level for this as well. My table/floor isnt very level. Lol.
Did you ever finish this particular project? I’m actually going to try and use this video as a reference point when me and my dad build an electric guitar this summer. This kind of woodworking is right up his alley and I’ve been wanting to find some type of project that he and I could work on for a while now. It’s a really exciting idea and I’m so glad that there are really good instructional videos like this one. I’ll try to remember to update and let you know how it turns out. 👍
You mentioned that you are in CO. I am heading to Breckenridge in a week and will be visiting Mountain Heart Woods in Elizabeth, CO to purchase some reclaimed Beetle Kill Pine. How much wood is necessary to build 3 Tele bodies. I have the templates and plenty of woodworking tools to accomplish the task, just need to know how much to buy. Thanks.
If you plan on making a 2 piece body, You'd need enough length to make up for the length of 6 bodies. 2 pieces of each. Just measure your templates to get the length. I'd add about an inch or so to each one to make sure you have enough extra.
Great advice! Sub’d and liked. What was weird was I have been looking for router bits, you recommend Infinity... I check them out online and I swear they are based here in the UK not 100 yards from my front door! WeirD!!!!!!
Hi, my name is Michał and I'm from Poland. I have a few pine boards that are about 50 years old or more. It's hard to say. I wanted to build a telecaster like that, but only the body, because I already have the neck. I wanted to ask if the moisture content of the wood is also important? Should it be between 6 and 8%?
Just the video that I needed. How much does the final body weigh? I have a bunch of maple, but that stuff is HEAVY and I'm not attempting chambering on a first build.
I am very new to this, so please forgive my ignorance. But how do you match the hardware to the template? When you buy the template does it come with the matching hardware?
After all the videos I’ve watched of Home Built Workshop,I just realized he is in Colorado hahaha. Wonder if he is close to Texas Toast in Colorado? Which I thought was based out Texas,very confusing hahaha
This can be a personal preference. Typically a Fender style body is around 1 3/4" thick finished. I like to make mine about 1 1/2" thick. Lots of timber is available at 8/4 to start with and gives you plenty of room to adjust your thickness.
Hello, I wrote a comment a few months ago asking about how tou know the length and depth and meaduments of the guitar. You responded to me and sent me a link to some templates and prints that showed the measurements. I got a new phone and lost some stuff when they transferred it over. Can you send me the telecaster measurement again. Please and thank you
hello i am alex from Brazil I am making my first tele, let me know the measurement of the bit and were did you buy it....my router makita just accepts bit 1/4 and 6mm , so I never found out a good bit to make guitars ..so I requested to a guy to make one for me.. great video totally usefull
Sorry if this is a stupid question. How do you know how deep to router the holes. I am looking at some acrylic templates but I trying to figure out how I know this depth. Thank u
Not a stupid question at all. There are some "standard" measurements that will get you in the ballpark. For instance, a Fender style neck pocket is roughly 5/8" deep. Pickup cavity depths can vary, but 3/4" should be plenty if you're using trim rings on your pickups. If you plan to direct mount them they can be less depending on the height of your pickups. Its best to get your parts together then take some measurements and probably test the depths on a piece of scrap. Always start shallower then you think and work down to your depth. You can always take off more wood but its hard to put it back on. Lol. I hope that helps.
Yes, I've been there too. It hurts a little to spend the money for a quality bit, but when you use it, you wonder why you ever tried to save a buck on the others. (and I'm always the one trying to save money) Based on my experience, these bits are worth the $$.
It depends on the type you're using. I've found Poly takes a bit longer between coats than a lacquer. I'd see what the manufacturer recommends and try to stick with that. It usually works well.
Hi, awsome Clip!! But it would be good to know where to make the holes for the Bridge. I think thats an imortant point. What about a neck and headstock Clip? That would be great:-)
I measure from the nut to the sadfle to achieve the scale / string length you want. I use fix bridges because then I can mark the screw holes on ths body. I am new at this hobby
The templates I'm using here are made by myself, based off other purchased templates. I have bought other templates on Ebay and other sites. One I highly recommed is potvinguitars.com. He makes great templates. I am a dealer for Allparts so I tend to get a lot of hardware from them. I also order some stuff from Stewmac, Ebay, and really about anyone that happens to have what I'm looking for.
Hello Mr. Haley: Which bit do I use for making template copies? Great work on this body, all steps have been de- mystified.Thank you from Toronto Canada!
You can use almost any template bit for your router. It just needs to have a bearing on one side. I like the ones that have bearings on both ends. It gives you more options.
My control cavity is about 1.25", and the pickup cavities can vary depending on the pickup, but usually around 3/4". There are measurements that the big factories use, but I usually go off the size of the pickups.
There are several people that make them. One that I do like working with is Potvin Guitars. He's in Canada and has been really great to work with. It takes a bit coming from another country though. I have also had decent luck buying some from Ebay. I just check the ratings and reviews. There are several sellers on there. Just do your homework before buying.
Great video. I measured the neck pocket depth probably 5 times before routing and went down just a bit at a time. Ended up 3/32" too deep! Now what? Just glue in a 3/32" shim? Also, is the neck supposed to fit snugly side by side or a bit loose is ok? Mine is a bit loose. I'm using a template I purchased for a standard Telecaster.
There are a lot of sellers online. One I recommend is Potvin Guitars. #notsponsored but he makes great templates. I always try to purchase ones that are at least 1/2" thick. I do not like the 1/4" ones.
Not exactly. I went back and forth with the people at 3M but never figured out exactly what it is. Honestly, I think they got tired of me emailing them. Lol.
Truth here. I had a new template and a new bit with a bearing and first cut the bearing spun off. I forgot to tighten it . Template and body damaged ,allen screw and bearing , MIA
THE TRUEST WORDS EVER SAID BY A LUTHIER- THE WOOD SPECIES DOES NOT MATTER...... Wood only makes the vibration of the strings last longer(harder wood) or easily die off(softer porous wood). The tone comes from YOUR fingers mostly and your amp and effects help a little. Wood does NOT make tone. Thanks for the video...
It is MDF (medium-density fiberboard) not "MBF" - to make the template out of. Never heard of MBF board. Looks like he is using a 1/2" shaft router bit.
Had to hit pause for this comment:
Bought an acrylic humbucker routing template, and having zero experience with a router, messed it up my first time using it. Was just opening up a strat style body for a neck humbucker, so it wasn't even a blank body!
Learned my lesson, and will make copies of purchased templates from now on.
Its a great practice to get in to. Never work off the original.
Love the comment about being able to use whatever material you like cause for an electric guitar it just doesn’t matter that much. I built an electric guitar last year (without any power tools) and used SPF wood, and it’s one of the best sounding guitars I’ve ever played (just made sure I put in a really nice pickup: TV Jones Supertron). I have a video on TH-cam about it if anyone’s interested. Thank you for the video cause I need tips on building my next guitar WITH power tools and these videos have been super helpful.
Been building and selling guitars for about a year. I wind my own pickups and it's now time to sculpt my own bodies. I certainly feel more confident having watched your informative and upbeat video.
Thanks for sharing.
Love your uber cautious approach to routing the body! I'll definitely be using this video as reference throughout my build. Cheers!
Thanks, I try to be a little cautious. I don't' want to somehow ruin a template, body blank, or a finger. Lol.
hello thanks for yours vidéo. can you tell.me where i can find your router bit ? thank you
I’ve watched guitar build vids for months. Your’s is the most practical and least intimidating of any that I’ve seen! Great job! Will begin building now! Also, I was about to waste a ton of money on a CNC setup that I see I really don’t need since planning on-off designs. Thanks again!
Just found your channel whilst in the process of planning and building my first electric guitar. You have some great videos on here. So, thank you, is I guess what I'm trying to say!
Awesome, thank you! Good luck with your build. You're going to enjoy it.
Thanks for the demonstration. I am in the process of purchasing some Templates and your advice will save me a lot of time and money.
Brad
I just used that Infinity bit to trim a Telecaster body. That bit is excellent.
It's a pretty sweet bit. 👍
This is a fantastic tutorial. I‘m starting a telecaster build tomorrow, appreciate all the insight you shared👍
Sweet, Have fun on your build. You'll love it. Playing the first chord on it after you get it done is an awesome feeling.
@@homebuiltshop thanks, looking forward to that feeling :)
@@homebuiltshop here I am, three weeks after finishing my first guitar build, a walnut telecaster. You were right, that first chord felt awesome :)
Very cool video! As far as buying quality templates, I'm sure you've heard about Greg Porter at Skyscraper Guitars. Super accurate and comprehensive acrylic templates! And he's in Colorado as well. Really nice guy and always willing to offer help when needed. He has a series of videos using his templates to build a guitar from start to finish that is always available to go back to for reference. He makes tools too! Top notch tools and he and his wife run a top notch business!
Yes Sir. Greg is a friend of mine. I am a huge fan of the Skyscraper Guitars tools. I have quite a few of them myself. They have an awesome business. I haven't used his templates though but I have seen them in use.
Greeting from Arvada! When drilling the pathway for the wiring through the neck pocket with that long drill bit, a tip I saw from another TH-camr (maybe Jonathan Katz-Moses?) is to put a ring (washer, compression fitting, etc) on the shaft of the drill bit. If you angle up too much, the ring will start to travel forward on the shaft, of you drop too much it will start to travel aft. Good way to give you a visual that you're staying level.
Howdy from down the Interstate. I have seen that as well. Its a great visual. I think you would need to make sure your work surface is level for this as well. My table/floor isnt very level. Lol.
This video is very realistic and provides very very useful information.
i really like this guys charisma
Can you share the depth you used for routing each of the pockets and for the neck?
Did you ever finish this particular project? I’m actually going to try and use this video as a reference point when me and my dad build an electric guitar this summer. This kind of woodworking is right up his alley and I’ve been wanting to find some type of project that he and I could work on for a while now. It’s a really exciting idea and I’m so glad that there are really good instructional videos like this one. I’ll try to remember to update and let you know how it turns out. 👍
Do you have any videos on how you wire your electric guitars? That would be a great resource since your explanations are so clear!
I don't have a specific video on wiring, but I'll keep that in mind for future videos.
I really like this video..Nicely done.
Thank you very much!
Thanks mate. Very helpful.
yeahhhhhhh....KK is here bro!!!
Right on man!
You mentioned that you are in CO. I am heading to Breckenridge in a week and will be visiting Mountain Heart Woods in Elizabeth, CO to purchase some reclaimed Beetle Kill Pine. How much wood is necessary to build 3 Tele bodies. I have the templates and plenty of woodworking tools to accomplish the task, just need to know how much to buy. Thanks.
If you plan on making a 2 piece body, You'd need enough length to make up for the length of 6 bodies. 2 pieces of each. Just measure your templates to get the length. I'd add about an inch or so to each one to make sure you have enough extra.
A jolly good, instructional video.
beautiful work Jeff, shared with pride, you owe me a whole tub of ice cream 💯👍👏👏👏👏👏❤️🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Grazie! 🍨🍨🍨🍨🍨🍨🍨🍨
Awesome work. I’m wondering how deep is cavity for the pick ups and switch?
the pickup cavity is around 3/4" and the control cavity is just over 1". These can change depending on the hardware you use.
Just got a 500 year old slab of mahogany im gonna make a body out of🔥 appreciate your videos
Great advice! Sub’d and liked.
What was weird was I have been looking for router bits, you recommend Infinity... I check them out online and I swear they are based here in the UK not 100 yards from my front door! WeirD!!!!!!
That wood is really cool. I'd love to see the end result!
"Beetlecaster"...great video!..
Love it! Beetlecaster.
Some great and practical tips. Thank you!
can you use the tele template measurements on a different shaped guitar?
Hi, my name is Michał and I'm from Poland. I have a few pine boards that are about 50 years old or more. It's hard to say. I wanted to build a telecaster like that, but only the body, because I already have the neck. I wanted to ask if the moisture content of the wood is also important? Should it be between 6 and 8%?
great vid, nice and clear how to do what's needed
Thank You!
Your videos are so helpful !! Can you tell me where you get your templates? Thanks
Just the video that I needed. How much does the final body weigh? I have a bunch of maple, but that stuff is HEAVY and I'm not attempting chambering on a first build.
It would be a type of flooring tape, like the type used for sticking down floating floors and linoleum.
I had one question
How do you get the measurement for the neck pocket hole?
Or if you wanted to put on a genuine fender fretboard
do you have to use a template or is there a certain length you can use for the neck, and cavities?
How do you know the depth you need to cut the pickup channels to.
How to know the measurements for everything. Like the neck and pickups channel.
I am very new to this, so please forgive my ignorance. But how do you match the hardware to the template? When you buy the template does it come with the matching hardware?
You say get it to the depth I need. What depth?
Really want to do this one day.... itching to make a custom strat.
Do it Dude! Its awesome to play on a guitar you made from scratch.
Nice video... I cant wait to try it.
Surely I can do this...
I know you can do it.
After all the videos I’ve watched of Home Built Workshop,I just realized he is in Colorado hahaha.
Wonder if he is close to Texas Toast in Colorado? Which I thought was based out Texas,very confusing hahaha
Texas Toast is about an hour or so from me. I haven't been to their shop though.
hi, great video! Where did you get your template? I have a nice piece of oak and really want to build a honey colored tele. Thx!!!
Damn I was watchin to see if u showed what bit u used and how u set the depth to route the neck cavity.
Hello Do you have the Next épisode about this video ? really nice job !
How thick of stock do you start with? Looks like 6/4 or 8/4? What is the target thickness for a body?
This can be a personal preference. Typically a Fender style body is around 1 3/4" thick finished. I like to make mine about 1 1/2" thick. Lots of timber is available at 8/4 to start with and gives you plenty of room to adjust your thickness.
Hello, I wrote a comment a few months ago asking about how tou know the length and depth and meaduments of the guitar. You responded to me and sent me a link to some templates and prints that showed the measurements. I got a new phone and lost some stuff when they transferred it over. Can you send me the telecaster measurement again. Please and thank you
hello i am alex from Brazil I am making my first tele, let me know the measurement of the bit and were did you buy it....my router makita just accepts bit 1/4 and 6mm , so I never found out a good bit to make guitars ..so I requested to a guy to make one for me..
great video totally usefull
Thanks for sharing that, well said!
My pleasure!
Sorry if this is a stupid question. How do you know how deep to router the holes. I am looking at some acrylic templates but I trying to figure out how I know this depth. Thank u
Not a stupid question at all. There are some "standard" measurements that will get you in the ballpark. For instance, a Fender style neck pocket is roughly 5/8" deep. Pickup cavity depths can vary, but 3/4" should be plenty if you're using trim rings on your pickups. If you plan to direct mount them they can be less depending on the height of your pickups. Its best to get your parts together then take some measurements and probably test the depths on a piece of scrap. Always start shallower then you think and work down to your depth. You can always take off more wood but its hard to put it back on. Lol. I hope that helps.
That spiral bit was impressive. What brand is it?
I bought a cheap flush cut but off eBay and I have a lot of problems with it grabbing on to corners and ruining my projects. Lesson learned
Yes, I've been there too. It hurts a little to spend the money for a quality bit, but when you use it, you wonder why you ever tried to save a buck on the others. (and I'm always the one trying to save money) Based on my experience, these bits are worth the $$.
Awesome video. Have some beautiful rose would I wanted to make a guitar out of first time how do I get a template with corresponding pickups
Thank you for that info about the wood.
3m 9415pc I think for your double sided tape
Thank you, I'll check that out.
When applying polyurethane how long should I wait in-between each coat??
It depends on the type you're using. I've found Poly takes a bit longer between coats than a lacquer. I'd see what the manufacturer recommends and try to stick with that. It usually works well.
Two years
Hi, awsome Clip!! But it would be good to know where to make the holes for the Bridge. I think thats an imortant point. What about a neck and headstock Clip? That would be great:-)
I measure from the nut to the sadfle to achieve the scale / string length you want. I use fix bridges because then I can mark the screw holes on ths body. I am new at this hobby
@@dappawap me too:-)))
Suppose you F up the Master Template while making the copy?
Thats definitely a possibility. I just work very carefully and so far I haven't ruined a master template yet.
How have I never seen a cordless router before now? All of a sudden, I must have one!
Where do you get the flush router bit? Infinity?
Yes, I ordered them from Infinity Cutting Tools.
@@homebuiltshop What size is best?
Hi
What router bit do you use for the neck cavity?
Here are some of my most used bits. th-cam.com/video/X0hYp_rH3F8/w-d-xo.html
You can use just about any smaller diameter bit though.
do you have a follow up video with this telly body
I have a bunch of other guitar vids, but not on this one specifically.
How deep is your pickup cavity?
Where do you get your templates and guitar hardware from if you don't mind sharing?
The templates I'm using here are made by myself, based off other purchased templates. I have bought other templates on Ebay and other sites. One I highly recommed is potvinguitars.com. He makes great templates. I am a dealer for Allparts so I tend to get a lot of hardware from them. I also order some stuff from Stewmac, Ebay, and really about anyone that happens to have what I'm looking for.
Cool, thanks for the info! Love the channel!
That is gonna be a sweet guitar when done. As for a name.. how about The Butcher Shop?
I like it! Or even just The Butcher.
What size drill bit do you use for drilling the wiring holes? 1/2”?
I use 1/4" or smaller depending on how many wires I need to run through the hole.
Great video!
What router bits did you use for the build.
Hello Mr. Haley:
Which bit do I use for making template copies? Great work on this body, all steps have been de- mystified.Thank you from Toronto Canada!
You can use almost any template bit for your router. It just needs to have a bearing on one side. I like the ones that have bearings on both ends. It gives you more options.
@@homebuiltshop Thanks.
Your long drill bit, what diameter do you use?
You can't glue 2 planks of wood on top of each other to get the desired thickness?
Yes, you can glue for thickness.
How deep did you route all of the cavities?
My control cavity is about 1.25", and the pickup cavities can vary depending on the pickup, but usually around 3/4". There are measurements that the big factories use, but I usually go off the size of the pickups.
I made also a t style electric guitar using scrap woods
Awesome!
Hi Jeff, can you recommend some templates online? Thanks :)
There are several people that make them. One that I do like working with is Potvin Guitars. He's in Canada and has been really great to work with. It takes a bit coming from another country though. I have also had decent luck buying some from Ebay. I just check the ratings and reviews. There are several sellers on there. Just do your homework before buying.
@@homebuiltshop Thanks, Jeff!
Nice!
Great video. I measured the neck pocket depth probably 5 times before routing and went down just a bit at a time. Ended up 3/32" too deep! Now what? Just glue in a 3/32" shim? Also, is the neck supposed to fit snugly side by side or a bit loose is ok? Mine is a bit loose. I'm using a template I purchased for a standard Telecaster.
How thick is the body?
Where is a good place to get guitar templates?
There are a lot of sellers online. One I recommend is Potvin Guitars. #notsponsored but he makes great templates. I always try to purchase ones that are at least 1/2" thick. I do not like the 1/4" ones.
The tape is probably 3M Banner Hemming Tape 9080
thank you
Oh, I wish I knew this was coming up, I could have sent you a template!
Well dang. Is there one you want me to use? Shoot me a DM on IG. Lol. That's a lot of abbreviations. Sounds like we have a secret code. Lol. 👍
@@homebuiltshop Sorry, I posted before I saw you were making a Hayley Tele.
Lol. You jumped the gun. It's all good. I do that a lot.
Call it the butcher! (As in butcher block) even though that’s not how butcher block is actually done. Too many butchers… Cool video!
Sprinkle salt in your glueups to prevent slippage
I think the late Eddie Van Halen would've called it Frankenpine.
I like it!
Did you ever figure out what kind of tape that was?
Not exactly. I went back and forth with the people at 3M but never figured out exactly what it is. Honestly, I think they got tired of me emailing them. Lol.
1/2" is twice as good🤪😜.....so with a shot of bombay, we can have a Gin and Tonic😉👍🏼🇺🇸😎
Its definitely twice as good as as 1/4" lol.
@@homebuiltshop also that was supposed to be Gin and Tonic😜
I figured as much. Lol.
Truth here. I had a new template and a new bit with a bearing and first cut the bearing spun off. I forgot to tighten it . Template and body damaged ,allen screw and bearing , MIA
That's a drag. I have ruined some myself.
❤
When you say 1/2 inch is a little better, would you say it 25% better.
Lol, at least 50% better.
build an explorer guitar please...
🎉😊
THE TRUEST WORDS EVER SAID BY A LUTHIER- THE WOOD SPECIES DOES NOT MATTER...... Wood only makes the vibration of the strings last longer(harder wood) or easily die off(softer porous wood). The tone comes from YOUR fingers mostly and your amp and effects help a little. Wood does NOT make tone. Thanks for the video...
Thank You!
@@homebuiltshop your welcome.
Why does nobody ever talk about the depth they rout the neck pocket and pickup cavities to
It’s 3M 665 double sided tape
Where's your eye protection sir
PINECASTER!
i think that is 3M 444 tape
Could have been really unique and made a live edge guitar.
I've made one like that before.
It is MDF (medium-density fiberboard) not "MBF" - to make the template out of. Never heard of MBF board. Looks like he is using a 1/2" shaft router bit.
Before you start, route an exact copy of both your hands out of luncheon meat, because you never know what's gonna happen with that router.