wood control plate - how thick?

[mike_odonovan]

i have a nice bit of bubinga and i was thinking of making a control plate out of it. how thick should it be?

[wilser]

it can be as thick as practically possible (meaning that it should not go deeper than what the control layout would allow. But I generally make mine between 3/32 and 1/8 (inches).

[mike_odonovan]

sorry didn't explain properly
i am making a tele style top mounted control plate
wood instead of a chrome one.

[PaulSimonon]

I'd still go and get a 1/8" strip of contrasting wood. I don't know what kind of woodworking stores you have in the UK, but I know of several local stores around me that have good peices that would work of most common exotic/rare woods.

(Yeah, a common rare wood is an oxymoron. I mean woods like spalted maple, which isn't really an exotic wood, but it's not a standard like maple, oak, walnut, mahogany, etc., but is still readily available at most quality shops.)

[Keith Guitars]

Hi Y'all...

Just my two cents, but here goes:

-First off, I would strongly recommend finishing both sides
of the piece. Next best would be to not finish it at all...but only finishing one side of a piece of thin stock is a recipie for warpage (Please don't ask how I learned that one! )

-Alternately, you could saturate the piece (probably after most shaping/sanding) with water-thin CA glue...kind of a low-budget 'stabilization' alternative. This would help with the stability.

-Finally, the thickness might be determined by the pots/switch that you intend to mount on the piece...check them first, so you don't end up with a too-thick control cover.

Peace,
Martin

[pilotjones]

- You could also saturate with Minwax wood hardener, as an alternative to CA glue

- If you like the look, you could do what someone here did for a rear control cover- make it out of thin brass, then laminate on some wood, as thin as you like. Brass will act as structure, prevent warpage, and carry the shielding. And you can lightly polish the exposed edge before clear finishing the whole front & sides, to keep it looking nice. The reveal might look nice, especially if you have gold hardware.

[Fredhendrix]

If you need Wood control plates or pickguards for your project check this out
I bought a Rosewood/ash Bass body and quality was very good. then a rosewood jazz pickguard

Spaltking.com

http://www.ebay.com/sch/spaltkinguit..._from=&_ipg=25