Doing Things Wrong

Reverse Routing Plate

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The plate is an old piece of phenolic I had lying around - very stiff stuff. The 'legs' are pine scrap, in whatever width works.​

The Reverse Routing Jig holds a router above the workpiece, which is secured to a flat smooth surface below. I use an old piece of countertop, not a carpet, as in the picture. By sliding the router over the workpiece, you can mill the face of the piece. Height is adjustable by changing the legs. This jig is very useful for milling Fender-style headstocks. It is also possible to cut angled headstocks by blocking-up the workpiece and using the longer legs. This jig is basically an upside-down router table, with one great advantage - you can see what you are doing.

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This is such a versatile jig that StewMac actually copied it. I had my original version posted online well over a year before they came out with theirs. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.


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The key is the shallow angle between the saddle and the string. A proper guitar bridge has a sharp break between the saddle and the string. This shallow angle causes the classic sitar buzz. This is a very easy part to make from any decently hard wood. A scrap of fretboard blank is ideal. A little experimenting, and you will get it. Then you can convert any guitar into a "sitar".