making a cavity cover

[Armacielli]

I'm trying to mke a cover for the control cavity on the back of my current build. I have a hole with a 1/4" rabbet outed around the edge. the problem is that the hole didn't have especially smooth walls and in turn the rabbet doesn't either. now that I have this hole how do I shape a cover to fit into it nicely?

and in the future is there a better way to make a cavity with a good fit on the cover?

 

[mikeyswood]

For mine I have a mdf male and female templates that fit each body shape that I build.

I spend a lot of time perfecting the templates so I can spend minimal time when making wood or metal covers.

 

[mikeyswood]

Oops: for your current build take a a piece of paper and trace the cavity. tape that to your cover and cut outside the lines and then sand to fit.

 

[dave-chaulk]

I have a potentially stupid suggestion:
Make the cover, then trace it onto the body and rout accordingly.
know what I mean?

basically just do things inversely, to ensure a good fit.

 

[bassy7]

I have a potentially stupid suggestion:
Make the cover, then trace it onto the body and rout accordingly.
know what I mean?

basically just do things inversely, to ensure a good fit.

Perhaps I am misunderstanding you, but you certainly don't want to free-hand route a cavity.

Its much easier, and actually possible, to sand a cover/lid down to an exact size-- than it is to clean up a rough opening so the cover/lid will fit.

 

[mikeyswood]

^ What he said. It is always easier to make the male fit the female; in everything.

 

[Rickett Customs]

^ What he said. It is always easier to make the male fit the female; in everything.

A.C. makes an accurate statement, or at least I bet you Tiffani-Amber Thiessen could tell you too