Recommended Power Tools for Guitar Making
Some power tools are a must for guitar making. A minimum requirement would be a laminate trimming router, a 1 1/2HP router that accepts both1/4"and 1/2"collets, a 3/8" drill, and a random orbit sander. The laminate trimmer is used for trimming thin material such as the top and back, cutting the channels for the bindings and purflings, inlaying the rosette, to name a few. The 1 1/2HP router is used for trimming thicker stock such as the guitar neck where the stock is about 7/8". The larger 1 1/2 HP router may be mounted underneath a router table for trimming stock which may be more comfortable to use and a bit safer. This arrangement is also used in the construction of the bridge and fingerboard.
Router Accessories
There are two router accessories that I would consider necessary to make a guitar: one to inlay the rosette, the other to cut the binding/purfling channels. The attachment used to inlay the rosette is a circle cutting device which is also used to cut out the sound hole and make the dough nut shaped patch under the rosette. There are a few attachments available commercially for this purpose. J. S. Bogdanovich Guitars offers a clear acrylic rosette cutting router attachment that will mount on any laminate trimming router. The fact that the attachment is clear allows you to see what is going on as you cut. The device is adjustable and will cut a diameter from about 3/4" to 7", large enough for any type of rosette.
The binding cutter router attachment is an adjustable two point fence which is also mounted to the base of the router. The attachment used in the book and dvd is made of mahogany but any stable hard wood will do. The adjustment range required on this device is fairly small since it is only used to cut the channel for the bindings and the purflings. This is a two part attachment consisting of one part that mounts to the router, and the other a platen which rides on the guitar. The two parts are aligned with a 3/8"wide piece of UHMW plastic material which acts as a runner. The piece that rides on the guitar is domed and sloped slightly so that it touches the surface of the instrument only at the bit, the other point of contact is the handle. This edge of the handle is rounded so that the high point is in the middle. This edge rides along the side of the instrument keeping it perpendicular to the top and back. The results with this machine are worth the effort it takes to make it. Although I use a universal binding machine now, over 60 instruments were built with this router attachment. Blueprints to make this attachment are available on the site as printed or downloadable plans.
For the very ambitious there is a universal binding machine. Both the machine itself and the plans to build it are available at some of the luthier supply companies listed in the resources section of this site.
