Hello ralphtown,
The best way to copy an existing pickguard to a blank one is, IMHO, to use a table-mounted router with a small diameter (9.5mm) ball-bearing copy bit like this one :
This solution is the best to "carbon-copy" the pickguard contour and the pickup holes... assuming you have an original pickguard to copy !
You can do it this way :
1. Drill the 11 screw holes on your blank through your original, by simple superposition (use a drill press for it)
2. Using the drill press, make a regular bevel for each screw hole of your blank
3. In each of the screw holes of your blank, thread a little flat-head, 1-inch-long bolt from the front side to the rear side of the future pickguard, so that the head of the bolt is entirely in the screw bevel and don't exceed the front pickguard plan
3. On the other side of the blank pickguard, block each bolt by firmly screwing 3 (or 4) nuts one after the other, that will act as spacers between your two pickguards
4. Thread the bolts through the screw holes of your original, front side first, and screw new nuts on its rear side to block it in this position
5. Your two pickguards are now firmly superposed, and enough spaced to permit the router bit job
6. On the router table, place the blank pickguard front-side down
7. Set the routing depth so that the ball bearing part of the bit, at the top, can rely on the edge of the original, while the cutting part, at the bottom, can just "attack" the edge of the blank without touching the original pickguard
8. Let's go !
Surprising, the most difficult part of the job can be the switch slot, which is difficult to make clean and regular. For this, I use my Dremel with his router guide kit, an aluminium rule, and the only 1.6mm-diameter Dremel bit that I know, the "Grout Removal Bit" (Dremel ref. 569). The first result is generally quite nasty, but with a fine file and some patience you can refine the slot and make it very clean.
Good luck !
