Getting a template made

4114Effects

Any ideas where best to get a custom template made for a bass body? 

Got the crazy idea to make a Yamaha SBV 500, but templates not readily available anywhere, so need to have one custom made/laser cut out of acrylic or MDF 

Anyone on TFB offer that service?

Cheers!

Corvus

Can you find a PDF or DXF or similar? If not you may as well roll your own. Scaled up pics and such, grid paper maybe etc or use a vector package. If you farmed it out you'd be paying time to do that anyway, if there's no layouts out there, so may as well cut to the chase. As a bonus you could come up with a modded shape if you felt like it.

4114Effects

Corvus said:

Can you find a PDF or DXF or similar? If not you may as well roll your own. Scaled up pics and such, grid paper maybe etc or use a vector package. If you farmed it out you'd be paying time to do that anyway, if there's no layouts out there, so may as well cut to the chase. As a bonus you could come up with a modded shape if you felt like it.

I've already drawn up the plans to scale as a PDF - I just need to send that to someone/somewhere who can laser cut it

SteveRobinson

Why not do it the old fashioned way- print it, stick it to MDF, cut round and sand to the line?

FatPete

https://www.razorlab.online/ will laser cut in 3mm MDF and ply or 3mm and 5mm acrylic. It might be worth searching for makers groups near you, but they're probably not that likely to have a big enough cutter. Razorlab will want a .ai or .svg file.

That said, I'd do as @SteveRobinson suggests - I'm in the middle of procrastinating getting on with one right now. If you use 6mm MDF to make the original, it's quick and easy to cut and shape; you can then use that to make a working template in thicker MDF that will have perfectly parallel sides, so you can make multiple depth passes.

MLten80

+1 on Steve's suggestion 
 I've made countless like this & it's not as painful for your pocket if you batter it with the router & have to make another  

4114Effects

Nice one. 6mm MDF ordered, should give me something to do ... Cheers for the suggestions