Norbertocaster, part 2: shaping the body
norbertocaster (build 1)
Started: July 15, 2025 • Ended: September 13, 2025
Body shaping
Once I had my first two tools — the japanese saw and the shinto rasp — it was finally time to start working on the body. Thankfully, I have a printer at home that can handle A3 format, which turned out to be really handy.
I found a Telecaster template on Electric Herald, printed it out, glued it directly onto the wood, and got to work.
The first step was cutting off the excess wood around the outline with the Japanese saw. It felt a bit like cutting a giant puzzle piece — rough at first, but slowly taking shape. After that, the shinto rasp came into play, helping me smooth out the edges and bring the body closer to its final curves.
ImportantWhenever you’re working on a guitar, always keep the center line in mind — as you can see in the photo, I glued the template exactly along the center line of the wood.
As you can see in one of the photos, some parts of the body can also be removed using a hand drill with spade bits. That helps speed things up before switching to rasps or sandpaper.
ImportantEspecially at the beginning of your guitar-building journey, never cut right up to the shape lines. You’re probably not experienced enough yet to make perfectly straight cuts (I definitely wasn’t). It’s always safer to leave a 3–5 mm buffer and then remove the rest with the shinto rasp. That way you won’t ruin the outline of the guitar before it even takes shape.