How to Build a Telecaster guitar with a CNC Milling Machine

This guitar was imagined and designed by Hussein of Barada Guitars, with the help of his friend Austin, who lent his expertise to the design of the CAD files.

This is a relatively complex project. We recommend you to tackle this one after you've gained some decent experience with CNC milling. You can follow the step-by-step making of in the 3 videos on Barada Guitars YouTube channel.

Here are the files needed for this project.

• Telecaster project - Download folder

This guitar was made with the Mekanika EVO-M with High Z and fitted with a Spindle AMB 1400 DI, but any other machine can do it as long as it is long enough for the parts.

The tools needed to build are:

• 6mm Flat End Bit (303.060.6D)
• 6mm Ball Nose Bit (313.060.6D)
• 35mm Flattening Bit (P409.350.8D)
• 90 degree Multifunction V_Grooving Bit (P415.230.8D)
• 0.56mm Tungsten Microbit (317.005.3D)
• 5mm Ball Nose bit, but any Ball nose bit less than 5mm will do the job

The milling cutters used are from Fraiser Bits, which we recommend for their robustness and precision. 

In this first video, you can follow the step-by-step process for machining the body, the neck and the fretboard of your open source guitar using a CNC machine.

Tips:

BODY

Let's start with the body of your guitar, use a 6mm flat end bit (303.060.6D) to mill the Pickups & Neck Pocketing, to machine Bridge Marking Holes and to trace the Body Contouring.

NECK FRONT

Let's continue with the Neck Front. Truss Rod Channel with the 5mm flat end bit. Then, all in one file and with a 6mm flat bit to mill 1/3 of the contour, the head blank and the fine shaping.

NECK BACK

Make the full contouring with raw profiling the Neck. And with a 6mm Ball Nose Bit fine the neck profile. Finish the neck, by flattening the back of the headstock and the bottom.

FRETBOARD

Milling the full contouring, then radiusing the fretboard with a 6mm Flat end bit. At the end fret slotting with 0,56mm Tungsten Microbit.

In this second video, we continue our open source Tele build project with every step of your finishing guitar. Sanding, painting... Get your tools!

Let's put the body, neck and fretboard all together and listen to the sound of your open source guitar.