Recommend a router bit for pickup cavities

[1stpitch]

I've got a plunge router, but all I've ever done is some edge trimming, so cutting a pickup cavity is breaking new ground for me. I do plan to rough out the cavity with a Forstner bit in the drill press before routing. What kind of bits should I be looking for?

TIA.

 

[Freeman Keller]

Check your pickup templates to see what radius the corners are - most are 1/4 (radius, not diameter). A 1/2 diameter bit with a corresponding follower bearing works for that. If you need a tighter radius the 3/8 but works well. These are long enough but you will have to make several passes - start with the bearing riding on the template, if you need to go deeper it can move to the wall of the cavity

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-too...s-and-bits/bits/ball-bearing-router-bits.html

ps - I don't use plunge for routing cavities. Set the bit so the bearing will ride against the template, drill out most of the waste with your Forstner bit then remove the rest with the router. The trick they show at the SM site using a piece of 1/4 inch plastic tubing to move the bit in the collet helps.

 

[Steve Holt]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087FDW27W/?tag=tdpri-20

You're looking for flush trim router bits that have the bearing on the shank side. That link is just an example. Not all router bits are created equally. There are good brands (Whiteside, Amana) and then junk China stuff galore. I've had good luck with the junk China stuff (link) but I haven't had perfect luck. It's important to test it out before cutting into a neck pocket. Sometimes the bearings can be just a hair off from the blades and you can ruin a template edge.

Anymore I just go to a hardware store and they usually have something I need that's in between the top brands and the China junk price wise.

You can do pretty much every guitar route with a 1/2" diameter bit. You'll need a few different cutting lengths to easily get the desired depths. Think short medium and long.

 

[guitarbuilder]

I'd suggest the stewmac bit or comparable one by whiteside. A shorter bit means a shorter first bite and the use of thinner templates if you want.

Whiteside Router Bits 3001 Template Bit with Ball Bearing - Top Bearing Flush Trim Router Bits - Amazon.com


The stewmac bit will go as low as a tele control cavity. Other bits may be shorter. It also lets you attach a second bearing in case your first one self destructs. This happened to me once, ruining the rout and the template.


Ball Bearing Router Bits | stewmac.com


Both of these bits stay sharp longer. You get what you pay for with router bits and lots of other things in this hobby. .


If you get into this further, you may want a second router with a 1" long template bit. That way you don't have to keep changing bits. After a while you may have lots of routers....



if you end up going with a 1" long template bit, prepare for a big bite unless you have a 3/4" thick template.
I have mostly fixed base routers. I do have a couple plunge routers but never use them. You don't need a plunge router if you ask me.

Other good brands of bits are Freud, CMT, and Amana. If you are only going to do something once, then you may get away with cheaper bits, but be aware that some of them are duller when new than a used bit by these other guys. The carbide used and grinding is the key to longevity. I've used a couple Bosch bits and were not impressed for the home center price of them.


If your template has a really tight radius, then you can use a forstner bit to pre drill holes there and then run a larger bit in the template.

 

[Mojotron]

For years I just picked up a Bosch 1/2 flush trim bit (and a 1/4 bit) when I started a new project - and for the most part they would last 2-3 guitar projects. And, I used them for everything. Then, I got them sharpened and they were even better until I needed to find a slightly smaller bearing and that worked... That class of bit is certainly good enough and super easy to plunge and do most pickup cavity work.

But, I've found that I can get Whiteside bits for roughly the same price and they last a lot longer and they have a lot of great bits: Now I use a 1" flush trim Whiteside bit, an extra long 1/4" bit and things like 5/8" trim bits as well as smaller ones for cavities that will not get covered up. It really depends on what the template calls for, but if it gets covered up then I always use a 1/2" flush trim bit.

 

[kifla]

I use this one:

https://tinyurl.com/azz2fr2b

This could be a good alternative:

(link removed)

 

[1stpitch]

Just the kind of info I was looking for. Thanks guys.

 

[Ronkirn]

First. Make ¾" thick MDF working templates from you Masters... NEVER use the Masters for anything other than making working templates... because sooner or later the router is gonna surprise ya, take a jump and hack the cack out of whatever you're using.

IF its the Master Templates, You're skrued... If its a working template, you're inconvenienced... Those are the two choices.. totally dished.. or simply inconvenienced

Now when ya make the template make it wide enough to cover across the width of the body by, wide enough to support the base of the router....

Just about everyone simply rocks the router into the center of the pickup cutout area and when the router is sitting on the template, ya just run the booger around the perimeter, and plow out the center sections.. Oh. ya only cut about ½ of the depth, then reset the router and do the rest....


Getcha a section of 2 x 6 from your local lumber yard and practice on that a few times...

OH yeah the bit... I have two routers setup one with a ¾ inch x ½ inch diameter pattern tracing.. and the other with the same bit, but that one is 1 Inch deep..

 

[EsquireOK]

Top-bearing flush trim bits are what you want. Pick the one with the dimensions that suit your uses best.

I like 1/2" to 1" clear acrylic ("Plexiglas") for my templates. It's an expensive material, but it is often quite nice to be able to see through a template...and it won't flex...and it lets you start with a slightly shallower cut than a 1/4" template will allow...and lets you rout to shallower depths that would require shims with a 1/4" template.

 

[1stpitch]

Crap, Ron, I just bought a big sheet of 1/2" MDF for templates. But if 3/4" is better, I'll get some of that and use the 1/2" for practice making templates. My master is clear acrylic. And I have lots of scrap to practice on.

 

[trev333]

I use one of these types and put 2 bearings on the shafts. A few different lengths are handy, the 3/4" one gets the most use.

I find the trimmer easier to handle than a bigger router.

 

[1stpitch]

@trev333 So you just put an extra bearing on the shaft?

 

[trev333]

Yeah, they just slip over the shaft with a collar/small grub screw to tighten them together, once you collect a few bits, the bearings are all 1/4 insidex1/2 outside for trimmer bits. just adds more stability on the pattern edges..

 

[1stpitch]

Thanks. I like the looks of that.

 

[trev333]

It's just a generic 50 buck trimmer, I put a bigger base on it for stability as well. It's been going strong for 10 yrs or so...

 

[ReubenPrichard]

I've got a plunge router, but all I've ever done is some edge trimming, so cutting a pickup cavity is breaking new ground for me. I do plan to rough out the cavity with a Forstner bit in the drill press before routing. What kind of bits should I be looking for?

TIA.

Not clear if you are using a template or cutting "freehand???" however when ever you are milling pockets especially if you are anally retentive like me you don't want any "tear out" along the parameter/edges. Since I mill all my bodies with a CNC router I don't need a template and I don't have to "rough out any" cuts, in most cases, before finishing.

I use Onsrud Carbide Router bits in 1/4" (57-280) & 1/8" (57-244) from http://ballewsaw.com (BEST PRICES I've been able to find).. If the radius of a pocket in the corners is small, I'll use the 1/4" to rough out the pocket, then finish with the 1/8".. If the radius is >=1/4", I'll use use the 57-280 but tell my router to make the last pass with a very small amount to cut ...like 1/10" or less. The software I use, automatically makes all the adjustments.

Onsrud has a FB group that you can go to and ask for a recommendation for your application. I've talked to the Onsrud distributor in my area and he has made several recommendations for other milling plastics, fiberglass, etc...Nothing like the right tool for the right job!

 

[rojo412]

MLCS makes outstanding bits and they are very reasonably priced.
Their K Premium 1/2” flush trim bit is something I’ve been using for a lot of cavity work for years. It’s $19 shipped and is fantastic.
(link removed)

 

[bullfrogblues]

I just ordered and received this one the other day, and it works very well for pickup cavities.
www.mlcswoodworking.com