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I know the Band saw is best, I am new At this,what would be the down side in using the jij saw,any tips on other saws I can use?

I would doubt that the jigsaw blade would be capable of cutting a body thick enough for your purposes. Also, I wonder if the up-and-down of the blade would cause the wood to tear.

How long is the blade on your jigsaw?

I don't know is ,what is a good size for blade and do you know other tool I can use ?

A jig saw is definitely not ideal but I know it has been done... I would think it would work for sawing out the body but would mean leaving a lot more line and LOTS more clean up by hand, drum sander or whatever you use to be accurate... In my experience jig saws are really hard to make cut square especially on thick stuff and going around corners. If you do use it I would recommend using a sharp blade and going really slow.
Try it on some scrap and see how it goes?

Jebarri

Many people have used this with good results, myself included, as long as it is for roughing out the shape and then routing using the template to get it perfect. Good luck and like the others said, sharp blade and go slow.

On my second electric I 'kerfed' the rough stock outside the pattern with a hand saw and then whacked it with a hammer to knock the little bits all off. After that you can route with a template to clean up the end result. It would have been a lot faster to do it that way with a jig saw, and if you kerf instead of trying to turn the blade in the wood you can get closer to the final pattern.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

You routed in a dorm?

i used jigsaw for first 4 solid bodies. works fine, just a little slow.

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

I used a jig saw until I bought a band saw. You just need a 3" or so blade and give yourself some more slop for the router to clean up. You just have to be careful because the more you leave for the router to clean up, the more likely you are to get some tear out especially on the end grain.

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John Thiessen
http://www.iszacguitars.com

I built 8 guitars or so before purchasing a bandsaw. In fact, I don't think I've actually completed any guitars since I've had the bandsaw (um, 7 are in various states of almost-done-but-not-quite-there-yet).

So yes, as long as you have a router, a jigsaw will work just fine. Go slow, go steady, leave a margin.

If you also have a drill, you can drill holes along the outside of the pattern around the entire outline...sort of like perforated paper. Then the jig saw will have far less work to do and be much easier to control. Then smooth it out with a router, sanding drum or spindle sander.

Peace,
Mark