[truman]

get rid of that ugly pick gaurd and you might have something there

[turmite]

this is wonderful info, thank you. I have a small problem- I don't have any CNC experience, G-code or otherwise. Who can reccomend me a good book or software package to learn more of this? I will hopefully be able to catch up, then offer some suggestions myself............Erose

Erose my deepest apologies to you. I was so caught up in trying to determine the best way to finish the neck I, and it seems everyone else, fogot to address your question. Let's start with, "do you have a cnc machine yet?"

If not you can download Mach3, which is a controller software program in windows. With Mach3 you can simulate gcode being run without having to have a cnc machine. You can download all the docs along with the list of g and m codes Mach3 uses as well as what those codes do. I would start there unless you already have something. There is a Mach software forum here as well as http://www.machsupport.com/ where you can get all sorts of links for help.

Mike

ps if you don't have a cad package let us know as there are some of those available as well.

[darde]

http://www.novedge.com/Rhinoceros_Rhino.asp?Tab=3

[ger21]

I love the thought of MadCam. Problem is that plsu Rhino runs 1200 PLus! I can't afford that at the moment.

Sorry for straying off topic, but Ed, take a look at MeshCAM, www.meshcam.com It should be more than sufficient for carving necks and bodies. You'd also want to use something like SheetCAM for doing the pockets.

[Ed_R]

I like MEshcam, it's on the list. Meshcam can't do pockets? Bette look at Sheetcam, thanks.

[anoel]

Sorry for straying off topic, but Ed, take a look at MeshCAM, www.meshcam.com It should be more than sufficient for carving necks and bodies. You'd also want to use something like SheetCAM for doing the pockets.

Guitar building with CNC (Efficient building that is...) should not be done as a true 3D Machining of a solid model... The efficient way to build say a "Strat" body is to start with a dimensioned blank of the right thickness. Rig up a way to index the blank for top and bottom operations... Use a pocketing routine to route the Neck pocket, pickup routes, control cavity, jack cavity and tremolo hole. Use a drill routine to either drill or spot bridge posts or screw locations and Neck mounting holes, Then follow that with a Contouring operation to route the profile of the body to an acceptable depth or all of the way out if your indexing is within the confines of the body itself. Then follow that with a 3D routine that machines the forearm contour ONLY based on a surface... Flip over then another 2.5D pocket for the Temolo Spring cavity and maybe completing the tremolo through hole... Then another 3D pass to machine the belly bevel again based from surface geometry.

Then remove the whole thing and round the edges with either a router table or hand held router... (unless you've got a 5 axis machine or a flat top guitar so that you can run round over bit around the peremiter. ) A full 3D Machining operation from an STL file would be enormous and take forever to run and still require a lot of cleanup sanding.

Warmoth Guitar Products is a very efficient company when it comes to cranking out guitar bodies and necks. Take a look at their factory tour on their web site. http://www.warmoth.com you'll be suprised at how many of the operations are either done by hand or by specialized machine. CNC helps them out a great deal but it's not the most efficient way to get a lot of jobs done. And the ones that they do on manual machinery are the ones that CNC is not really practical for.

[Ed_R]

YOu didn't read the rest of this thread did you? WE've been all through that.

[anoel]

ED... I was replying to GER21...

[ger21]

ED... I was replying to GER21...

And I was just trying to give a cheap alternative to MadCAM.

I've built a few guitars by hand, in the old days. Thanks for the good explanation, though. Much more thorough than I'd have been.

[gregmary]

I did a little machining this weekend, focusing on the neck. I cut the blank on the table saw, cut the top side, flipped it over and cut the back. I also cut the truss rod slot. I have not decided if I want to drill it through to the top of the headstock. If I do I will throw together a drilling jig. I would be able to install a home made truss rod--I just thread the both ends of a piece of rod, slip it inside some soda straws and viloa... I have the .5" walnut dowel for the skunk stripe. Got to figure an easy way to make it into a .25 wide strip. Need a flatness sander.

I scraped and sanded the fret board, it is real straight and nice, I've got a 10 inch radius on it.

Cheers

[Ed_R]

Very nice. One of these days I'll be able to actually convert a file to gcode I can use.

[JRoque]

Hey Greg. This is moving so fast I'm getting whiplash. Congrats!

What tool did you use to cut the neck on the CNC machine? I assume a ball nose, what diameter? What speed and feed rate? How deep were your cuts, generally speaking?

JR

[gregmary]

I used three tools, a .25" to cut the truss rod slot, a .75 flat end mill to rough out the part, using a .25" step down and about a 40% tool overlap. Finally I used a .75" ball nose to finish. I left about .125" of material on for the ball nose to work off and used a .125 overlap.

[Ed_R]

A .75 or a .25 ball nose as the last bit?

[gregmary]

.75" ball nose with a .125" overlap

[gregmary]

Here I cut the fret locations. I use a tiny bit to mark the locations on the cnc. I then use a fret saw to cut the slot the correct width and depth. I feel I have better contol with a fret saw on this delicate operation.

[turmite]

Greg I'm probably gonna show my ignorance here, but is that the same spindle you use the big bits in? Second question, is that a wooden machine?

I am amazed at the accuracy some of those machines can produce and the work they can do.

What dimensions does the neck blank need to be? It may have been posted here already and if it has just tell me. I only have a few minutes on the pc at a time and then back to the shop.

Mike

[Ed_R]

You guys are jus tsing regular router bits, right??

[turmite]

Ed I use a variety of bits. Depending on the material I cut and the type of work I'm doing. I use carbide tipped router bits, endmills both left and right hand spiral and I use small solid carbide engraving bits. Can't speak for everyone else but that will give you an idea anyway.

Mike

[Ed_R]

I'm hoping a two-flute up-spiral will work for me. For today, anyway, when I plan on doing my first cutting.