You can buy a wood carving set off Ebay for $10.00 and all I can add is look at videos and work slow . 
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Can i carve pickup cavities without a router?
- Thread starter JJ08
- Start date
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
Keep the tools sharp, and never aim the sharp parts toward the fleshy bits, and your success will hinge on your ability to read the woodgrain.You can buy a wood carving set off Ebay for $10.00 and all I can add is look at videos and work slow .
For all of you who're telling the OP to run out and buy a power router for this one-off job, and predicting all kinds of terrible results from trying to use hand tools - do you think someone you assume is not dextrous enough to use an OWT or chisel to make a cavity in a piece of wood, is dextrous enough to use a dangerous power tool for the first time and avoid mistakes - keeping in mind that mistakes with a router spinning at high speed can be REALLY disastrous?
Heck, I've been using power tools for nigh on to 50 years now, and they still scare the bejeezus out of me.
Heck, I've been using power tools for nigh on to 50 years now, and they still scare the bejeezus out of me.
Unless you use a good dust extraction system! You wouldn't want to lose your fingers AND have to repaint the walls.One bad move with a router and you spray your fingers on the wall.
I've done pickup cavities (and the rest of the instrument too) both with a handheld drill and chiesels and with a drill press and router. I love hand tools and have a decent ammount of practice with them, but the ones made with a router look tidier.
Of course, the craftsmen who built those incredible furniture pieces of yore would have used a router in a heartbeat if they had access to them, just as medieval furniture builders would have used good steel chisels and planes if they had them. There is no inherent “virtue” in the use of hand tools that makes them superior to powered ones, but they are quieter. That can can be a goal in itself, but it’s not a measure of superiority. Take a close look at those old classic furniture pieces and you’ll see a lot of tiny errors and “close enough” tolerances. Modern pickups are made to a high degree of dimensional uniformity that’s a lot easier to cut recesses for with a router than by hand. Use what you have to the best of your ability, as every generation of craftsmen has.
I’ve done most of my guitar building in my garden. As I live in Scotland, I should probably cite that as the reason my builds take me so long!
I don’t know how your neighbours are to interact with, but most people will be okay with a bit of power tool noise during the daytime. Your router won’t make any more noise than a lawnmower and probably a good deal less than a hedge trimmer. Just keep other people in mind by stopping by a reasonable hour, avoiding days when your neighbour is due to go on night shift and that sort of thing.
P.S. I would definitely echo the points about having a healthy respect for the ability of power tools to do damage to you and/or your surroundings. Diligence and care are very important!
I don’t know how your neighbours are to interact with, but most people will be okay with a bit of power tool noise during the daytime. Your router won’t make any more noise than a lawnmower and probably a good deal less than a hedge trimmer. Just keep other people in mind by stopping by a reasonable hour, avoiding days when your neighbour is due to go on night shift and that sort of thing.
P.S. I would definitely echo the points about having a healthy respect for the ability of power tools to do damage to you and/or your surroundings. Diligence and care are very important!
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Drill, chisel, hardwood block, sandpaper, making tool/pencil, mask and a spare hour (more if you are less savy).
Take it to the line as close as you dare with the drill (mark the bit with tape for consistency of depth), same for the chisel.
Finish with the sandpaper wrapped around a properly sized block, coarse then fine.
I am not a pro, but carving a pickup cavity by hand is not difficult.
Take it to the line as close as you dare with the drill (mark the bit with tape for consistency of depth), same for the chisel.
Finish with the sandpaper wrapped around a properly sized block, coarse then fine.
I am not a pro, but carving a pickup cavity by hand is not difficult.
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