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Hi everyone, I'm just about ready to start constructing a Mosrite clone, but before I do, I'm interested in hearing how all of you approach the German carve of the body. In his photo essay posting, EFElliott carves the bodies by first routing the edge with what appears to be a 3/8" or 1/2" radius cove bit, followed by further shaping the edge with a sanding disc that's mounted on a drill. I like this approach as it seems very straightforward, and I think we can all agree that it yields excellent results, as EFElliott's guitars are gorgeous. I can imagine that sanding with the drill may take some getting used to, but nothing that a little time and patience can't handle. An angle grinder seems like the next logical tool for carving, I personally feel that I would have more control with the grinder, as there's a multitude of carving/sanding accessories available for them, it's just a matter of finding what you're comfortable with, and being careful to not be overly aggressive with the tool. I think I'm going to use the router/angle grinder method, followed by Stanley's Surform Shaver and Surform Pocket Plane, and finish up with a Ryobi detail sander and hand sanding with Lee Valley's convex sanding grips.

So I ask all of you, does my approach sound like a good idea or bad idea? Anyone have any tricks or pointers acquired through your own experiences with carving the body? I appreciate all suggestions, thanks very much.

I have never built a guitar in my life but if I did start on a project, and having total lack of experience, I'd do some practice work first, on a spare/scrap piece of wood lying around. The guys and gals with experience are bound to chime in, good luck with your project

What ever method works best for you. There's no set way to do it.

Your planned approach makes a lot of sense and if you feel most comfortable with the grinder, then you will probably get the best results. Back in college I worked in a small wood shop and this is pretty much the same method we used to carve large furniture pieces.

Routing the edge will set the basic shape in place. The grinder will remove a lot of material very quickly, so it will make the round over work go very fast. The problem is it will leave the surface very rough and torn. Using the Surform will do a great job of smoothing the rough surface and will reduce the amount of final sanding that you'll need to do.

Keep us informed as to the progress.

Hi everyone thank you for your responses, I feel more confident now knowing that this method was used for furniture making, I'll definitely post some pictures with the results.

the carve on the top horn is far deeper then it is on the rest of the body. when i worked it i started with a smaller bit and worked my was the a larger one. i also think its important to draw a line on the guitar body so when you are doing the cutting you have a visual guide. its easy to lose it while the sawdust is flying. hope this helps.