Pick Guard Chamfer tool

[guitarmike2107]

Anybody got an idea how the pick guard chamfers are made, the one around the edge, I want to make a custom pick guard but would need to add the chamfer too.
It would neet to go into a tight corner

Thanks

Mike

[JHow]

I have used router bit with bearing on the bottom. The bearing diameter is the limiting factor on how tight a turn in can get into. I think mine is 1/2" bearing on a cutter with 1/4" shank. You also have to make a template out of plywood for a custom design.

Here is an example, but really, any bit like this will work. You can probably find something smaller diameter somewhere if you need it.


STEWMAC.COM : Pickguard Bevel Cutter


One last thought, sometimes you can hand cut a corner or angle with a scraper if the router doesn't get in there.

[guitarmike2107]

Thanks thats what I had been looking at, but with the 1/2" roller it wont get into the corners the way I need it too, I have another idea involving a engraving cutter and a template for the router to follow, just thought they may be a tool ready to go for this sort of thing.

[jrfrond]

What they don't tell you at pickguard school is that you must design a custom guard with contours that accomodate the tooling, i.e. the bearing on the router bit. The same goes for ANYTHING, including guitar bodies, etc. that require final shaping using piloted router bits. Of course, if you had a CNC machine.....

[52 Bill]

I used to use a wood rasp to set the bevel and then used a cabinet scraper to smooth out the edge. If you're only making one this will work well enough.

[Sweetfinger]

Every once-in a while I run into a problem where my angle bit won't match a contour, so I have to go in by hand and do some clean up. Before I had a table router I got used to making pickguards with just a Dremel and various hand files, so I'm pretty good at hand work like that.

[David Schwab]

What they don't tell you at pickguard school is that you must design a custom guard with contours that accomodate the tooling, i.e. the bearing on the router bit. The same goes for ANYTHING, including guitar bodies, etc. that require final shaping using piloted router bits. Of course, if you had a CNC machine.....

+1

I designed a headstock that had an area too small for a router with pattern bit to get into, so I had to build a pin router to cut that part out!

This is why Leo Fender was such a genius; he designed things to be machined easily.

I do pickguards by making a pattern in MDF or plywood. Then I rough cut the plastic plank and double stick it to the pattern. I then use a router with a pattern bit to cut it out. Then I use a chamfering bit to put in the bevel. Some of those bits are made for laminate countertops and have a solid bearing surface and can fit into tight corners.

[jrfrond]

This is why Leo Fender was such a genius; he designed things to be machined easily.

He was THE genius as far as I am concerned. If more manufacturers followed his lead, we'd be repairing more stuff instead of tossing in the garbage. His mantra was "Easy to build, easy to service". Anytime I wire an amp or guitar, that's always in the back of my mind. Everything Leo did had a purpose. The bolt-on neck was design to be removable for service so that you didn't need to ship the whole guitar.

The fact that his Fender and post-Fender designs still exist, thrive and are endlessly plagarized (including by yours truly!) is a testament to the man's genius.