Question About Pickguards

[dr_zaius]

I recently bought some pickguard material from Stew-Mac. 3 ply (bwb) laminate. I'm wondering what kind of tools you guys use to cut and shape them. I've cut a few pickguards out of plexiglass on my bandsaw, they turned out okay but I've never dealt with this type of material before and I think the bandsaw would melt it rather than cut it. Also, I'm not that great with the bandsaw, to be fair the bandsaw itself is pretty flimsy. The blade never seems to stay on the line, even with little stuff.

Anyways, If anyone has any tips or tricks to working pickguard material, especially how to get that nice angle all the way around the edges, please feel free to share, or direct me to a thread that discusses this topic in detail, as I am sure there is one in this forum :)

[guitarbuilder]

I've used a chamfer bit on thicker template material. That way you can stick the pickguard material onto it and just knock a little 45 degree angle on it with the bearing riding on the rest of the template. The issue is that the pickguard is small and your hands are closer to the bit than I like on a router table.

[Jack Wells]

Here's a thread showing how to build a pickguard from scratch.

Making A Pickguard From Scratch

Here's a thread on copying a pickguard.

Copying A Pickguard - Making A Template

A scroll saw is great for rough cutting pickguards. Modern scroll saws with variable speed allow you to pick a speed that won't melt the plastic. I think scroll saws have been underrated in this forum. You could build a complete guitar with a scroll saw in lieu of a bandsaw. I've cut Telecaster bodies from hard maple with a scroll saw.

[dr_zaius]

Originally Posted by Jack Wells

Here's a thread showing how to build a pickguard from scratch.

Making A Pickguard From Scratch

Here's a thread on copying a pickguard.

Copying A Pickguard - Making A Template

A scroll saw is great for rough cutting pickguards. Modern scroll saws with variable speed allow you to pick a speed that won't melt the plastic. I think scroll saws have been underrated in this forum. You could build a complete guitar with a scroll saw in lieu of a bandsaw. I've cut Telecaster bodies from hard maple with a scroll saw.

As always, Jack Wells saves the day :) Thanks for the links. I've been kicking myself for a few months for opting to purchase a band saw instead of a scroll saw. They were roughly the same price at the time, and I am not happy with the results of the band saw.

[dr_zaius]

Originally Posted by guitarbuilder

I've used a chamfer bit on thicker template material. That way you can stick the pickguard material onto it and just knock a little 45 degree angle on it with the bearing riding on the rest of the template. The issue is that the pickguard is small and your hands are closer to the bit than I like on a router table.

Didn't see this post when I checked earlier. Thanks for the tip!

[mb571]

Does anyone have a pdf of a standard fender tele pickguard to share?

Here is a pdf of mine.
The ebay ad said "fits Fits 62 USA and Mexican TELECASTER Reissue models".

[ashaw161]

hi,mb571 many thanks for pdf of tele pickguard.
cheers
.Al

[moobox]

So, is it out of the question to cut by hand and then chamfer with a router? I dont really want to go and buy a scrollsaw at this stage of the game.

[TRexF16]

No, it is perfectly possible to do it all by hand, cut it out with a coping saw and bevel with a file. I did it on mine.
Rex

[moobox]

OK thanks. And sorry if this looks like a hi-jack but where would the best places be to order material from?

[gitlvr]

I used a jig saw and a router for my first and only pickguard. I built it for this year's Challenge. You can see how I did it in this thread.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/2012-tdpr...ld-thread.html