Photo Courtesy of StewMac
Making Guitar Linings
Source: Guitar Building Articles – The Guitar Sides
How to Make Guitar Linings:
Although you can purchase guitar lining rather inexpensively, I still prefer to make my own. That way I have complete and total control over the wood that is used, how it is cut and the final appearance after installation.
Tools and Materials Required:
Table Saw
Wood Slicer Blades
Band Saw
Stationary Belt Sander
Try Square
Router
Router Round Over Bit
Dremel Rotary Tool
Preparing Kerfed Lining:
Kerfed lining is perhaps the most involved of an of the linings from a milling standpoint.
Choose Your Wood:
First decide on the wood species. I usually choose a nice white basswood board and make sure it is at least 3/4″ thick. If I wish to wind up with a 3/4″ high x 5/16″ wide triangular lining, I will cut the board into strips about 7/16″ wide. The best place to do this is on your table saw. If you don’t have one, use a band saw.
After you cut all of your strips, take them to the Stationary Belt Sander or The Drum Sander and get them smooth and all the exact same size.
It is usually a good idea to have a “lining assembly line” set up so you can pump out enough for 3-6 guitars at one time. As long as you have your machinery set up anyway, you might just as well run the stock through a few more times and finish this time intensive task.
Cutting Triangular Linings
Source: Guitar Building Articles – The Guitar Sides
Now set up your band saw to cut diagonally across each strip. You will need to tilt the table and use the fence for this cut. I usually cut it as indicated in the diagram above. Keep in mind that I use a Wood Slicer Blades and it cuts an extremely narrow kerf of about 1/32″ so you will need to compensate if you use a different blade.
Cutting the Kerfs:
Setting up the bandsaw for cutting kerfs takes a bit of time. I love to see kerf cuts that are spaced out exactly. It is a pet pieve of mine to look inside an expensive guitar and see the kerfs unevenly spaced.
I actually put together a jig to help me cut the kerfs evenly and very quickly. If I get to it, I will document that and give it to you.
To cut the kerfs on the band saw you will need to take the fence of the band saw off completely. Next set up the miter gage with a sacrifice piece of plywood behind the binding.
Set The Depth of the Kerf Cut:
Next you will want to set up a stop block and clamp it to the bandsaw table. We want to stop the blade from cutting completely through the lining and leave about 1/32″ or less of wood behind the cut. Experiment with this a bit and see what works for you.
Take a scrap piece of lining and cut about a dozen kerfs in it. Take it over to the guitar and bend it around the waist curve. If you can bend it easily around this curve without it breaking, you have the correct setup.
Quick and Dirty:
A quick and dirty method of measuring your kerf cuts is to place a mark right on the band saw table. I would do this with a wide premant marker, which is about the same width as the kerf cut and a try square or a architects triangle. Now you can line up the already kerfed cut with the line to make your next cut.
Modified Rectangular Kerfed Lining:
This kerfed lining is processed in exactly the same manner as the triangular line with the exception that you do not cut the lining diagonally. The best way to do this is to first cut the radius on the board before you cut it into strips.
Take a router or a Dremel Rotary Tool and put a round-over router bit into the chuck. Make your cut down the board and then cut that strip off. Repeat as necessary for each additional lining.
Cutting this lining is exactly the same as the triangular kerfed lining so follow the directions above for that.
Separate Block Lining:
Follow the triangular lining directions above. The only difference is to cut through the block completely on the band saw.
Solid Lining:
For solid lining I like to cut the strips first, then round the edge with a small radius plane and then place about 6 or 8 of these all together on the Heated Side Bending Jig. Make sure you do not have any Spring Back and that they fit nicely. Touch them up on the Bending Iron if necessary.
Tags: guitar kerfed lining, guitar linings, how to make a guitar, installing guitar lining, making guitar linings, making guitar sides
