# Buddy's Pedalboard



## BuddytheReow (Oct 5, 2022)

Hey everyone,

I am starting on the journey to build my very first _actual_ pedalboard! What I currently have is a piece of MDF board that was taken from an old computer desk that my folks have in their attic. That's it, literally just a board. To counter my pedals from shifting around I installed cabinet bumpers on the bottom of them. For those that don't know, cabinet bumpers are pieces of rubber (about the size of a shirt button) that you will stick on the inside of a cabinet door or on the face frame to protect the two pieces when you close the door. These bumpers really aren't working on top of my Chinese power supply looking like an Octopus mess.

I've decided to document this project for others to enjoy or possibly be inspired. This is currently how my pedalboard flows and I think I'm going to keep this layout. Where I play, my amp is to the left of me. The green box is my power supply. As you can see this is kind of a mess to connect the bottom row to the top and I currently use a spare, coiled cable. This I want to incorporate into my new board.




I'll be building this out of some spare pine boards I have in my garage. The dimensions are going to be roughly 4" high, 20" wide end-to-end, and 14.5" depth. So now we have a rough shaped box to fill with my DIY creations. I want to give myself a new challenge so I am going to connect the board ends with a box joint using my table saw. Sure, I could just use a butt joint and throw some screws in there, but I want to try my skills at something new. Of course, I'll practice it using some scrap. The two rows for the pedals I'm going to throw some 5" wide boards in there and mount some velcro on. I'll probably just use pocket holes for that since I won't care what's underneath.

Now the electronics portion. I want to mount the power station underneath and will do that with some velcro. This board is just staying in my basement, so I'm not to worried about falling out while traveling. In from guitar and out to amp, I'm going to install some jacks on the sides to have a "plug and play" scenario. To connect the bottom row to the top, I'm going to install additional jacks and connect them with some shielded cable underneath. This way I can plug patch cables into the jacks to connect them.

Cable management: I've decided to use cable/wire clips that I will hammer on the underside. Cable ties may also be included here, but that's far down the line from now. I'll also have to drill out a hole for the power supply from the outlet.

If anyone's got any other ideas or what works/didn't work for you let me know. This will be my personal project over the next few weeks.

BuddytheReow


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## ITG6 (Oct 5, 2022)

I've made a few and I like adding a power switch and outlet to them.  This was a first attempt at a Schmidt style board mostly made out of an Ikea MDF table top.  Had a roll of walnut glue backed veneer and used that to try to hide some of the crappy MDF edges.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 5, 2022)

ITG6 said:


> I've made a few and I like adding a power switch and outlet to them.  This was a first attempt at a Schmidt style board mostly made out of an Ikea MDF table top.  Had a roll of walnut glue backed veneer and used that to try to hide some of the crappy MDF edges.
> View attachment 33431View attachment 33432
> View attachment 33433


How tall is your board? Considering doing the outlet switch, but I don't think I have enough room. Plus, this is my first one and I can always make another one sometime down the road.


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## ITG6 (Oct 5, 2022)

BuddytheReow said:


> How tall is your board? Considering doing the outlet switch, but I don't think I have enough room. Plus, this is my first one and I can always make another one sometime down the road.


That one is about 4.5 inches.  I did another one that is 2.5 inches thick and think that is about as thin as I would go.  This one I spliced the outlet/switch straight into a 3 outlet power strip.   I also cobbled together a box around the wires for safety.   Not the prettiest job but it works.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 7, 2022)

Sigh...like I mentioned, I wanted to try my hands at a box joint. This was my first attempt on some scrap not very promising. Out of frustration I broke one of the "fingers" off. I went relatively quickly on the table saw which is why it's not level. I will try again with some more patience.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 7, 2022)

Alright. I'm convinced that I can't do this with pine. It's just too soft with a straight blade and I don't want to pull the trigger on a dado stack just yet. I took my time cutting, but it basically collapsed when dry fitting. I'm going to try just a simpler joint. I want to steer away from screws for the outside, so maybe I'll just use dowels.


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## fig (Oct 7, 2022)

A few fess fingers might make them a bit stronger and less prone to snap off.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 7, 2022)

fig said:


> A few fess fingers might make them a bit stronger and less prone to snap off.


Agreed 1000%. I've tried making these in the past by hand and they snapped off from my chisel. I think pine is just too soft for me to do this. I think my _next one_, whenever that is, will use some hardwoods like poplar or oak. That should clear it up and maybe I'll have a dado stack by then to make the fingers wider.


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## fig (Oct 7, 2022)

I've got a dovetail router jig but haven't had the time or space to put it to any use.


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## ITG6 (Oct 7, 2022)

I have seen a few Youtube videos on making a jig like in the link below.  Can be used to cut box joints without a  dado stack. 









						How to Cut a Box Joint Without a Dado Stack
					

How to Cut a Box Joint Without a Dado Stack: Box joints (also called finger joints and comb joints, depending on where in the world you live) are a great way of making strong corners for boxes, drawers and the like, but they usually require the use of a dado head on the tablesaw. Smaller saws …




					www.instructables.com


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## Feral Feline (Oct 7, 2022)

BuddytheReow said:


> Alright. I'm convinced that I can't do this with pine. It's just too soft with a straight blade and I don't want to pull the trigger on a dado stack just yet. I took my time cutting, but it basically collapsed when dry fitting. I'm going to try just a simpler joint. I want to steer away from screws for the outside, so maybe I'll just use dowels.
> View attachment 33504


Biting off more than you need to chew.

Make your three tines (& 2 spaces) into one tine. What are those, an 1/8"? I'm guessing based on your pics, but I'd go up to at least 1cm to 1.5cm (that's about 1/2" thick).

Draw out the tines on the board edge like it's a square wave. Drill a 1/2" hole every other square, jig-saw & file square the curved edges from drilling. 

Of course you'll have to work out ahead which boards get the outside tongues/tines... 

If Leo Fender's workers could do it with solid pine, dovetails be damned, so can you.


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## Harry Klippton (Oct 7, 2022)

I use a router and a dovetail jig. I've also found that a dado stack still doesn't work well with a budget table saw because the blade height adjustment doesn't lock and your slot depth drifts


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 7, 2022)

Harry Klippton said:


> I use a router and a dovetail jig. I've also found that a dado stack still doesn't work well with a budget table saw because the blade height adjustment doesn't lock and your slot depth drifts
> 
> 
> View attachment 33535


Do you have a router table? I have some bits to try out, but no jig or table


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## Harry Klippton (Oct 7, 2022)

BuddytheReow said:


> Do you have a router table? I have some bits to try out, but no big or table


I do have a table but the dovetail jig is a separate thing that clamps to a bench


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 9, 2022)

Sides and back are cut and ripped to size. Going to attempt a box joint using a router freehand


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## Bricksnbeatles (Oct 9, 2022)

BuddytheReow said:


> Alright. I'm convinced that I can't do this with pine. It's just too soft with a straight blade and I don't want to pull the trigger on a dado stack just yet. I took my time cutting, but it basically collapsed when dry fitting. I'm going to try just a simpler joint. I want to steer away from screws for the outside, so maybe I'll just use dowels.
> View attachment 33504


It collapsed while fitting it because you have the wrong grain orientation. You’d want to rotate each of the pieces 90° to cut the fingers so they follow the grain instead of going across it. It also looks like some of your fingers (specifically the top, broken off one, and the one 3 below it on the piece on the right) are a bit thicker than the slots, which will compound with each successive deviation and cause crowding— before fitting it together you’d probably want to check for alliggnent and carefully chisel or file away just a few thou off of the noticably too-thick fingers so they join with their respective slot more easily.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 9, 2022)

Screw it. I’m gonna go the pocket hole route. If you’re semi interested in making anything out of wood (shelves, cabinets) I would highly suggest picking up one of these bad boys. A simple pocket hole jig. Just clamp it on then drill.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 9, 2022)

Took some time this afternoon to put the main cavity together and drill out holes for the in and out jacks. I took a round over bit  for my router and did the rest with sandpaper. Make sure to sand both sides pretty well with a medium then fine grain even if you’re going to paint it or leave it bare. “Shelves” coming tomorrow morning


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## Feral Feline (Oct 10, 2022)

Lookin' good Buddy!

Love how you managed to centre a couple of knots, front and back, nice touch if you go with a semi-transparent finish.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 10, 2022)

Feral Feline said:


> Lookin' good Buddy!
> 
> Love how you managed to centre a couple of knots, front and back, nice touch if you go with a semi-transparent finish.


Pine has flaws in it and I tend to embrace those flaws. I was thinking of painting it, but I’ve got so much extra stain lying around so I’ll do that instead plus a few coats of polyurethane


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 10, 2022)

Pocket holes plugged. They make plugs specifically for these and can pick ‘em up at your local home center. Time to workout and give the glue a chance to dry before sanding flush


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 10, 2022)

Boards attached and sanded. Going to be staining everything shortly


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 10, 2022)

Stained. The can says “Special Walnut”. I think it’s special to me cuz it’s my build. Going to put poly on later today.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 11, 2022)

After stain and 3 coats of poly I think I can consider this done from a woodworking perspective. Now for the hardware and Velcro


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## steviejr92 (Oct 11, 2022)

BuddytheReow said:


> After stain and 3 coats of poly I think I can consider this done from a woodworking perspective. Now for the hardware and Velcro


Looks great!


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 11, 2022)

steviejr92 said:


> Looks great!


Thanks! I may have made this a bit too big, but we'll see once I populate my pedals


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## steviejr92 (Oct 11, 2022)

BuddytheReow said:


> Thanks! I may have made this a bit too big, but we'll see once I populate my pedals


Not at all i dont really have anything to judge the size off of but it looks like the perfect size. You want enough space to fit all those pedals plus accounting for the space needed for wiring etc. I think its perfect!


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 11, 2022)

Jacks soldered and shielded wire tacked down with cable clips


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## fig (Oct 11, 2022)

BuddytheReow said:


> Thanks! I may have made this a bit too big, but we'll see once I populate my pedals


Room for expansion? 

It looks great!


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## swyse (Oct 11, 2022)

This is coming along nicely, makes me want to redo mine. Do you know how many pedals you're going to be able to get on there yet?


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## Feral Feline (Oct 11, 2022)

It's always one less than needed. Which is why I'm a firm believer in going modular — multiple boards for everyone!


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 11, 2022)

swyse said:


> This is coming along nicely, makes me want to redo mine. Do you know how many pedals you're going to be able to get on there yet?


Well, my cheap power supply can do 8, so 8 pedals. It may be 7 or 6 if i've got my 1590x or a few 1590bb


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 12, 2022)

Almost done. The bitch was putting Velcro on the bottom of my pedals. To protect them from damage (I clear coated them with rattle can) I put some electrical tape on it first. Now I’m wondering how I can manage the power cables everywhere. I’ll figure it out


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## GizzWizzKing (Oct 12, 2022)

Cable management is so tedious. Rewarding when you get it all done and do the obligatory stomp on each one to see them all shine. Time for you to add a 2nd power supply! That's when it gets fun..


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## SillyOctpuss (Oct 13, 2022)

GizzWizzKing said:


> Cable management is so tedious. Rewarding when you get it all done and do the obligatory stomp on each one to see them all shine. Time for you to add a 2nd power supply! That's when it gets fun..



Is it weird that I quite enjoy cable management? I find it quite therapeutic tbh.


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## GizzWizzKing (Oct 13, 2022)

SillyOctpuss said:


> Is it weird that I quite enjoy cable management? I find it quite therapeutic tbh.


I would say yes.... But I find it to be the worst part. I just want to set the pedals on my board and get the order established then have them magically work... Routing midi, power, expression jacks, and anything that I want to run in stereo is something I'd let someone else do if they found it enjoyable. I just want to play it once I see them all on my board.


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## Big Monk (Oct 13, 2022)

Cable management, i.e. zip ties and zip tie mounts is the BEST part of pedalboard setup.

Nothing looks better than a properly organized pedalboard.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 22, 2022)

On a whim, the wife wanted to hit up the Habitat for Humanity Restore just to check it out and see what’s there. It didn’t occur to me until I walked in that I still wanted some handles on my pedalboard. I found these for $1 apiece. I picked them cuz they’re different: not too vintage-y, not too generic. Going to throw them on and se what happens.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 22, 2022)

And…..voilà! I think she’s done.


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## swyse (Oct 22, 2022)

Your pedal board makes me want to redo mine, so that must be a good thing. I find my back row on my flat/slanted board to be a bit tricky to hit and I think the shelf height difference would help with that a lot.


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 22, 2022)

swyse said:


> Your pedal board makes me want to redo mine, so that must be a good thing. I find my back row on my flat/slanted board to be a bit tricky to hit and I think the shelf height difference would help with that a lot.


So far my board works for me in terms of what I want it to do. I hope you remake yours soon. Let us know how your build is going.


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