Cigar Box Guitar Instructions

Step 1: What You'll Need

Supplies:

Cigar box - $1
I got this one at a garage sale. If you make friends with a cigar smoker or tobacconists you can
probably get this for free.
1" x 2" x 3" poplar board - $3
keep in mind that these are actually 3/4" x 1 1/2"

~Guitar tuning pegs (3) - $4

These usually come six to a pack for about $8, so you can make another guitar with the other
three!
Guitar strings (3) - Free!
I had some old nylon strings lying around, so I used the low E, A, and D strings. You can also use
fishing line, steel wire, or plastic string
Copper sheet metal - Free!
This is used to make the tailpiece, the part that holds the strings on the bottom. I found some
while dumpster diving at a construction site. You could cut apart a tin can if you can't find
copper
Wood glue - $3
Wood stain (optional) - $4
You can use any color; I choose a reddish brown. A little can will do you!
Spray varnish (optional) - $5
I used semi-gloss.
Piezo buzzer and guitar plug (optional) - $4
This gives you an electric cigar box

Tools:
Hand saw
Coping saw or jig saw
Drill with bits
Rough file or rasp
Sandpaper in various grits
I used between 60 and 400 grit, although 100 and 200 would work fine
Clamps (or heavy things)
Various hardware (screws, small finishing nails, etc.)
Soldering iron (for connecting the piezo buzzer)

Step 2: Cut the Cigar Box

You will need to make several cuts in your cigar box. First you will need to make a hole for the
neck to pass through the box on one end. My cigar box had a square end (where the hinges are)
and a rounded end (where the clasp is), so I put the neck coming out of the square end. There

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are several different kinds of cigar boxes, so you can figure out what geometry works best for
you.

Once you have picked a side to cut, measure and mark the center of that side lengthwise. Make
marks 3/4" on either side of this mark. Measure and mark 3/4" from the top of the box (or the
bottom; whichever side you want to be the front of your finished guitar). Connect these marks
with a ruler to make a 1 1/2" by 3/4" rectangle, in the center of one side and right against the
top of the box. Cut out this rectangle and test fit the neck. The hole should fit horizontally but
be too small vertically by about 1/8", or the thickness of the top of the box.. We will account for
this in the next step by cutting a notch in the neck.

Now it is time to cut sound holes in the top of the box. You can simply drill some holes with a
hole saw, but I wanted some stylish f-holes, like a violin. First I printed off a picture of a violin
and taped it to the top of the box, being careful to center it as well as I could. Then I drilled out
the top and bottom of each opening, and connected them using the coping saw. A thin blade
and a lot of patience helps here. You can finish off any rough edges with a file or sandpaper.

Step 3: Notch the Neck

You will need to make a notch on one side of the neck so that the fretboard is level with the top
of the box. Measure the thickness of the box top and mark this depth on the top of the neck.
Measure the inside length of the box (i.e., the length of the box minus the thickness of one side)
and mark this on the neck. Then use a saw to make cuts of the right depth along the neck, and
knock out the sections between with a chisel. Test -fit the neck into the box and use a file or
sandpaper to take away material until the fretboard and the top of the box fit flush.

Optional step: I added a heel where the neck meets the body, made from scrap pieces. This is
even with where the cutout begins, but on the opposite side of the neck. I glued the blocks of
wood to the neck and roughed out the shape with a saw and file after the glue dried.

You will also want to round out the back of the neck, to make it easier to slide your hand up and
down. This can be done with a rough file or low-grit sandpaper. It doesn't have to be perfectly
rounded, just smooth enough to be comfortable.

Now start sanding! Especially on the back side of the neck, you want the wood to be very
smooth. I also wanted to make a nice and shiny guitar, so I went all the way up to 400 grit.
Unless you have a power sander this will probably take a long time.

Step 4: Carve the Tuning Head

First you will need to lay out where you want the strings, frets, nut, bridge, and tuning pegs on
the neck. I used another guitar to measure where I wanted the frets, but this fretboard
template (part 1 and part 2, tape the two together) would work if you do not have another
guitar or if you want a shorter fretboard.

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For spacing the strings, measure and mark every 7.6 mm across the neck. You can calculate this
with the following equation: string spacing = width of fretboard / (number of strings + 2). Now
you can start to lay out the shape of the head and the position of the tuning pegs. If you have
individual tuning pegs, you can make whatever shape of head you want. With the three-in-line
tuning pegs I have, I decided to do an angled head so that each tuning peg lines up with its
respective string. You could also use a violin-style tuning pocket. See the picture below for a
general view of the head layout I used. Drill holes all the way through the head for the tuning
pegs, being careful not to knock any chips out the back. Do not be too worried though; the
tuning pegs will cover up a lot of imperfections.

Now it's time to cut out the head. I used an electric jigsaw, but you could use almost any kind of
saw that is capable of making small-radius cuts. Be sure to keep everything square and level.
Step 5: Stain and Finish
Stain or varnish are not strictly necessary, but again I wanted a little bit nicer looking guitar.

After sanding you will need to wash off any sawdust before applying the stain. Wet the wood
with the stain thoroughly and wipe off any excess before letting it dry.

My guitar is fretless, but I used a Sharpie to add fret markers to the neck. This was not the best
choice, since the clear coat caused the lines to run a bit. You could use some acrylic paint
instead, or some countersunk nails to mark the frets. There are many other ways of making frets
if you want them; I have seen cigar box guitars with nails and wooden matches for frets.

Spraying on the clear-coat is best done in a well-ventilated area, and a face mask does not hurt
either. Hang up all the pieces with wire or string and add thin layers slowly to prevent runs.
When the first layer is dry you can wet sand with a high-grit sandpaper, then spray a second
coat.

Step 6: Tailpiece
The tailpiece is the part on the very back of the guitar which holds the strings. I made mine out
of some copper sheet, but almost any kind of metal, or even a door hinge, would work.

I used the same string spacing as on the neck and tuning head to space the three holes at the
top of the tailpiece. Then I scribed a symmetrical triangle with a pocketknife and marked
another hole at the point. After cutting out the triangle I rounded off the corners with tin snips
and a file. Then I punched out the holes with a nail.

Bend the tailpiece so that does not quite touch the top of the box, and be sure to de-burr the
holes since sharp edges will lead to broken strings.
After test-fitting everything, glue the neck to the inside of the box. Clamp it in at least two
places with cardboard shims to prevent marks on the wood. Drill a hole through the box and
into the tail end of the neck. Screw the tailpiece, the box, and the neck together. Let the glue
dry overnight.

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Before closing the box, attach a piezo pickup if you are using one. This is just a piezo buzzer from
Radio Shack soldered to an output jack. I am not sure what the best method of attaching the
piezo is, so I just nailed it in there with a couple small tacks. You will need to drill and
countersink a hole in the box somewhere for the jack to pass through. I keep the box closed
with a few staples opposite the hinges so that I can open it back up easily, but you can also
simply glue or nail it closed.

Screw on the tuning pegs and tie on the strings. After you get some tension in them you can add
the nut (at the top) and the bridge (at the bottom), and they will stay put without any glue.
Drive three small nails into the head right above the nut and hook the strings under the nail
heads to provide downward tension on the nut. I used a small nail for the nut and part of a
bamboo chopstick for the bridge.

The tuning I prefer is D-A-D, or the bottom three strings of drop-D tuning. Feel free to
experiment with tuning, since there is no "standard" tuning for three-string guitars.