First Build - Tele edge roundover

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After much deliberating and realising that I'm going to struggle getting one more guitar in under the radar, I'm embarking on my first build/ assembly project. Smuggling the guitar in piece by piece will be a lot less painful on the ears than an all in one arrival!

Getting the body prepped, sanded and sprayed is to me the most difficult part, and the bit that will really distinguish between it being a homemade guitar, and a shop bought one.

I really like the look of the sharper body edges of the 50's instruments which I believe were 1/8 inch roundover. Does anyone know where I can get a 1/8 roundover bit suitable for a dremel router attachment? or as an alternative a 1/8th to 1/4 inch shank adapter chuck? I know there is such a thing in America land, but a UK supplier would be less messy. The alternative is for me to round over the edge with sandpaper, which would involve an element of inconsistency! Any top tips from you lovely people?
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Comments

  • BillDLBillDL Frets: 7039
    edited May 2022
    I'm sure I still have the "L" shaped sanding block with a radiused inside corner that I used many years ago to round over the corners of a slab body with surprising consistency.  It was just a block of wood about 2 inches x 2 inches and about 4 inches long through which a friend with a pillar drill bored a hole of a specific diameter lengthwise that would give me the correct radius of internal corner when I sawed it into the right-angle L shape.  It was like internally radiused "Scotia Moulding" (do a Google image search) but with longer sides.  It was just a case of using double-sided tape to stick the sandpaper along the inside corner of the block and I sanded away until the wooden edges sat level with the top and side of the guitar, much like a roller bearing guide would do on a roundover bit.  I just finished off with a flat rubber sanding block and fine paper.

    I realise that you can buy "chamfer planes" and hard rubber convex sanding tools, but using a plane around the horns and end grain is dodgy and the sanding tools to stick your own paper to are quite short and really intended for sanding around the spindles at the back of wooden chairs and such like.  That's really why I made my own sanding block that gave me a longer stroke.
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  • barnsleyboybarnsleyboy Frets: 39
    edited May 2022
    Now then - that sounds like a plan to me! Nice one Bill.
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  • BillDLBillDL Frets: 7039
    By the way, I practiced on a spare piece of the same wood to get the feel of things before setting about the real thing.
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  • SteveRobinsonSteveRobinson Frets: 6914
    tFB Trader
  • barnsleyboybarnsleyboy Frets: 39
    I've seen those, the 615 is a 9.5mm radius. I'm erring towards the L shaped sanding block - considerably cheaper!!
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  • SteveRobinsonSteveRobinson Frets: 6914
    tFB Trader
    Ah, I assumed 3.2mm Piloted Corner Round was the radius of the cut, all the others are the size of the bit. The Dremel website calls it a "1/8" Corner Rounding Router"

    Are you sure that 9.5mm isn't the overall width (3x3.2mm?)
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27576
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • barnsleyboybarnsleyboy Frets: 39
    Ouch! the price is going up!!

    Ah, I assumed 3.2mm Piloted Corner Round was the radius of the cut, all the others are the size of the bit. The Dremel website calls it a "1/8" Corner Rounding Router"

    Are you sure that 9.5mm isn't the overall width (3x3.2mm?)

    ... maybe, but I've already started my search for a suitable piece of wood to modify =)
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27576
    edited May 2022
    Ouch! the price is going up!!

    The Wealden ones are excellent and less money than the Axminster. 

    https://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Arris_Rounding_964.html
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • SteveRobinsonSteveRobinson Frets: 6914
    tFB Trader
    They still don't fit in a Dremel though
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  • BillDLBillDL Frets: 7039
    @barnsleyboy  ; I just remembered something that could be important IF you decided to try the hack of making a sanding block with a radiused internal corner.  I've searched all my boxes of tools and parts and can't find the one I made, but while looking for it I remembered one important thing that I discovered while doing some practice runs.

    I didn't stick the sandpaper to the entire inner angle of the L shaped block because that would have sanded down some of the top and side of the body when it made contact and would have left a lip.  I cut a strip and stuck it into the internally rounded corner with double sided tape.  I then cut strips of cardboard approximately the same thickness as the sandpaper and stuck them to the flat internal edges of the block so that when they contacted the top and side of the body it wouldn't allow me to sand too far.
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  • barnsleyboybarnsleyboy Frets: 39
    edited May 2022
    Thanks @BillDL, yep good point about the sandpaper thickness.

    @SteveRobinson I think you are correct about the 1/8th inch bit, the 9.5mm seems to be the measurement of the whole diameter. I've procured the proper Dremel router bits in a nice little wooden box, and will be practicing on some old bits of scrap wood to hone my technique before I butcher carefully round over the edges on the body.

    Thanks for your assistance (I'll still make myself up am L-shaped sanding block to do the final finishing!)

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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27576
    They still don't fit in a Dremel though
    Ah - I missed that. Not sure a Dremel is the right tool for the job. 
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • SteveRobinsonSteveRobinson Frets: 6914
    tFB Trader
    It should be powerful enough to take off that tiny round over. 

    Need to use the router base obviously and it might be good idea to make a wider base extension from a sheet of perspex so it's easier to keep it flat on the surface of the body.
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