Laser Cut Acoustic Guitar

In this instructable I will show you how I made my own acoustic guitar from basic materials and some guitar parts. My makerspace project goal was to create something useful that I can proudly say I created myself.

1. Cardboard or Foamboard (For Testing)
2. Plywood (Strong, Around 1/4-1/2 In. Thick)
3. Laser Cutter (Glow Forge)
4. Guitar Neck and Bridge
5. Guitar Strings
6. Wood Glue
7. Clamps(Optional)

The first thing needed to do is to research guitar sizes and shapes to find the best size and shape for you. Once I found some I liked, I googled some images of the guitar bodies and converted them to SVG files. I imported them into Inkscape(digital design program) and sized them to my liking.

The next step was to test them with foam board which allowed me to find the right size for my guitar and learn how to use the Glow Forge Passthrough Slot as well. I had to test Glow Forge settings to find the best for cutting the foam board. My final decision was to create an auditorium shaped guitar and my results from the test came out well, I only had to slightly resize the guitar.

Now that the testing is done, the final design can be started. I went to Home Depot and bought two sheets of 2 ft x 4 ft x 1/4 in Birch Plywood. Unfortunately, one of the two sheets was hardwood and was too thick to laser cut so I only had one sheet to work with in the beginning. The first step for me was to take my designs from earlier and cut them out of the wood. Now that I had the top and bottom of the guitar, all I had to figure out was the sides.

I decided the best way to create the sides of the guitar was to design small shapes that form the sides and cut multiple layers that can be stacked. I created four separate pieces that would cut 12 times and stack for a total of 3 Inches thick. I glued them together with wood glue. My next step was to take an old guitar neck and bridge to attach to the body but I discovered the neck would not fit how I expected it to. I had to make some cuts into the pieces.

The neck has a metal bar running through it so i had to cut into the top and a small portion of the side pieces in the front. After this, the neck fit well and was easily secured with wood glue. The bridge can be glued on as well. With this complete, all that is needed is to add the strings. Now the guitar is complete! It may not be perfect but it is great it make something of your own and makes something great to even practice on.