3/4" plywood for routing templates?

[P Thought]

I know MDF is preferable, but no one around here will sell a quarter sheet, and I don't want 3/4 of a sheet left over. I have a scrap of 3/4" ply lying around. Any reason not to make routing templates out of that? Will my router have any trouble shaping it off my master templates? They're made of 1/4" pressboard. Thanks.

[guitarbuilder]

Do it. All my templates from yesteryear are 1/4" plywood. Any voids, if you run into any, can be filled and sanded with plastic wood. Cut as close to the line as you can and let the bit just clean it up.

[nosmo]

I think it will be a lot more work to make a template out of plywood. It does not sand as easily as MDF. The edges will need to be filled since there can be voids in plywood. It would be more durable though.

Home Depot sells 2'x4'x3/4" MDF for about 12 bucks.

You will wish you bought a full sheet once you decide to make a body template, neck template, neck pocket template, variations on the body like rear routing, different PU configurations, a bass, a bass neck, etc.

[P Thought]

Originally Posted by nosmo

I think it will be a lot more work to make a template out of plywood. It does not sand as easily as MDF. The edges will need to be filled since there can be voids in plywood. It would be more durable though.

Home Depot sells 2'x4'x3/4" MDF for about 12 bucks.

You will wish you bought a full sheet once you decide to make a body template, neck template, neck pocket template, variations on the body like rear routing, different PU configurations, a bass, a bass neck, etc.

The nearest Home Depot is in Roseburg, a 1-1/2 hour drive, and I figured the other 3/4 sheet of MDF would be two inches thick by the time I got around to using it; I don't have a good dry place to store it. I have a routing template for a P-90 style pickup, which I'm going to sub in on my next build, a one-piece "esquire" redwood body with a wide, fat Warmoth maple neck.



These came out pretty good, I think. I'll do a little filling and sanding. I wrote "This Side Up" on them because last time out, in the process of ruining my other templates, and my router bit too, I found out what happens when you rout body cavities with your template on backward.

[Nick JD]

"Marine" plywood is the stuff to use for plywood templates.

[mgdesigns]

I visited the Nashville Fender (Gretsch) Custom Shop a few years ago, and all of their templates were 3/4" Baltic Birch Plywood. The were also making the Benodetto customs from templates there too.

[nosmo]

Your templates look pretty good. I think you have it under control.

[P Thought]

Thanks, nosmo. I cut close to the lines, then went really slowly with the router. No more hogging for me; I've learned my lesson. I'm getting kind of excited about this guitar, imagine that!