Router bits for guitar stuff?

axisus · August 2013

My dad gave me a set of his old router bits, but they don't seem ideal for cutting channels in guitar bodies. I'd have thought that the most useful ones would have a bearing at the top of the shaft, before the blade section. Some have a bearing the other end - not sure of the use for that?

What sort of router bits do you lot use to rout pickup channels etc?

octatonic · August 2013

For pickup cavities- these:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for_Routing/Ball_Bearing_Router_Bits.html

http://www.stewmac.com/product_images/1lg/0565/Ball_Bearing_Router_Bits_sm.jpg

GuitarMonkey · August 2013

The one with the bearing at the bottom is a "laminate trimmer". I use it when the bit of wood is too deep for my top-bearing bits. I flip the work over and use the already routed wood as a guide for the bearing.

I also use a laminate trimmer for cutting tops to fit backs like in my 2013 challenge build. I sawed the top oversize, glued it in place, and used the router to trim it to size.

axisus · August 2013

Thanks. Don't particularly want to go to stewmac, are the cheapies on UK eBay useable? I don't need to do a lot with them, just a couple of bodies.

Sporky · August 2013

Cheap bits are usually awful.

Wealden make a huge range that are excellent quality and sensibly priced. Axminster's own are pretty decent too.

octatonic · August 2013

axisus said:

Thanks. Don't particularly want to go to stewmac, are the cheapies on UK eBay useable? I don't need to do a lot with them, just a couple of bodies.

Axminster then.

I was justing using Stewmac because their pics are quite good to give you an idea of what to look for.

Sporky said:

Cheap bits are usually awful.

Wealden make a huge range that are excellent quality and sensibly priced. Axminster's own are pretty decent too.

Wealden are what I use mostly.

Not cheap but they do pretty much everything and they seem to last.

WezV · August 2013

i prefer shorter router bits for most cavity work. I have ones similar to this but stacked up with 3 bearings

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-milling-cutter-with-top-bearing-prod856890/#bottomsection

GuitarMonkey · August 2013

When routing with templates, I find it helps if the bit is ground down at the top so that the bearing runs close to the cutting surfaces. If it's too far away it can be tricky to get the bearing running on the template and the cut above the surface of the wood.

I'm sure that the ones I used to get from Stewmac were ground so that the bearing sat low but now there's too large a gap as shown above.

GSPBASSES · August 2013

I do not use that many bearing cutter now as I fined its easy to use the Trend GB guide bushes system, the only bearing cutters I use now are for rout round the out side of guitars. Hear are some links showing the types of rout bits I use.

http://simnettguitars.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3376.msg21482#msg21482

http://simnettguitars.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3586.0 ;

axisus · September 2013

Thanks people. Ordered a couple now.

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Router bits for guitar stuff?

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