Custom CNC build finished!
- Thread starter aguyinaustintx
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aguyinaustintx
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The CNC work and rough sanding is complete. Holes for the Electrosocket output jack and preamp on/off switch will be drilled next. The battery box opening was cut via CNC. It backs into the upper chamber, as there wasn't enough room for it in the control cavity.
aguyinaustintx
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Thanks. Not sure why manufacturers don't make more use of the back edge of a guitar. It doesn't distract from the esthetics, isn't felt against the body or hands, and is easy to access.
aguyinaustintx
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Rgand said:
Maybe because it increases the build cost. :dontknow:
stratamania
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Some good progress.
One example of the back edge being taken advantage of is the Ibanez Jem, where the jack is in a recess. Very handy position. I think the Charvel Guthrie Govan has a jack in a similar position but it uses a strat jack plate.
One example of the back edge being taken advantage of is the Ibanez Jem, where the jack is in a recess. Very handy position. I think the Charvel Guthrie Govan has a jack in a similar position but it uses a strat jack plate.
BigSteve22
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That's coming along very nicely! Eagerly anticipating seeing the final result. :icon_thumright:
DangerousR6
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Very cool, looks like you're using Fusion 360.. :dontknow:
aguyinaustintx
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DangerousR6 said:Very cool, looks like you're using Fusion 360.. :dontknow:
Thanks! Yes, that's Fusion 360. I like it because of its 3D capabilities and integrated CAM. My workflow is to work out the visual design in Photoshop before moving on to 3D modeling in Fusion. The visual design phase took 4 months, morphing through 22 iterations before settling on the final look. I couldn't find a good way to transfer bézier curves from Photoshop to Fusion, even using AI and CorelDraw as intermediaries. The shape was recreated in Fusion, using an image from Photoshop as a guide.
The only thing I did outside of Fusion 360 was angling the neck and pickup pockets, and drilling the channel for the bridge ground wire. The neck angle was added using a jig to tilt the work piece accordingly.
aguyinaustintx
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Finishing with Tru-Oil is underway. Here's what it looks like after the initial slurry/sand coat. I'm thinking of adding a few coats of AquaCoat to complete the grain filling, and then continuing with the usual coats of Tru-Oil. This is being tested on a scrap piece of walnut.
DangerousR6
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I don't use photoshop, I have photo impact and from photo impact I can just copy the bezier curves and paste them into Corel Draw and export as a DXF. Then you can open the DXF in Fusion 360. But I found that I didn't like the fact that to use 360 you have to be connected to the internet. I moved on to BobCad V31.aguyinaustintx said:DangerousR6 said:Very cool, looks like you're using Fusion 360.. :dontknow:
Thanks! Yes, Fusion 360 was used. I like it because of its 3D capabilities and integrated CAM. My workflow is to perform visual design in Photoshop before moving on to 3D modeling in Fusion. The visual design phase took 4 months, morphing through 22 iterations before settling on the final look. I couldn't find a good way to transfer bézier curves from Photoshop to Fusion, even using AI and CorelDraw as intermediaries. The shape was recreated in Fusion, using an image from Photoshop as a guide.
The only thing I did outside of Fusion 360 was angling the neck and pickup pockets, and drilling the channel for the bridge ground wire. The neck angle was added using a jig to tilt the work piece accordingly.
But you could have cut the neck pocket in 360, you'd have to create a surface from bottom of neck pocket and rotate it to desired angle. Fusion will machine in 3D.
aguyinaustintx
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DangerousR6 said:
Thanks for the tips. I'll give the copy-paste method a try, perhaps it preserves the original control points. I had tried exporting/importing via DXF, but each bézier curve was translated to dozens of small ones, making it difficult to modify the shape.
Using 3D capabilities with a 3-axis CNC, tiny ridges would be left in the floor of the pocket. Plus the back wall would not be perfectly square with the neck. That's why I went with the angle jig.
DangerousR6
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True, 3D machining the surface would leave the back wall at an angle, but you could run a clean up with the correct pocket geometry to square it up. As far as the tiny ridges, the step over amount will alleviate this problem, for a nice smooth floor a .005" step over will machine out all the ridges. :icon_thumright:aguyinaustintx said:
aguyinaustintx
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DangerousR6 said:
Yes, that's one way to do it. The cleanup with the correct pocket geometry would either need to be done with a jig on the CNC or by hand. The back pocket wall ideally needs a small inward slope. Even though the angle of this slope is less than 90 by a few degrees at most, it's good to have the neck to pocket interface as snug as possible. A jig also allows the pickup pockets to be cut parallel to the plane of the neck, and therefore more parallel with the strings. A diagram illustrating this is shown below.
