Custom CNC build finished!

[DangerousR6]

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.

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.

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.

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:

Correct, 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 issue is that the back pocket wall needs to have an small inward slope, i.e. moving towards the bridge as it descends. 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. An exaggerated diagram illustrating this is shown below (the measurements are body/neck/bridge specific).

:icon_thumright:

 

[PhilHill]

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.

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.

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.

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:

Correct, 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 issue is that the back pocket wall needs to have an small inward slope, i.e. moving towards the bridge as it descends. 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. An exaggerated diagram illustrating this is shown below (the measurements are body/neck/bridge specific).

The jig would be the way to go. The old hollow body carved top guitars of the thirties and forties often used an angled neck and pocket. Then they did it with a jig and a bridgeport end mill at the factory. Private Luthiers with nerves of steel used a chisel and decades of experience.

 

[aguyinaustintx]

It's my first time using AquaCoat, and so far I like it. It's relatively non toxic, goes on clear, fast drying, and easy to sand. It's filling the grain nicely, but isn't well suited for filling surface imperfections of any real depth. The curly walnut top has a fair amount of them, which I'll be filling with CA. The goal is to get as good of surface as possible before building up the Tru-Oil layers.

 

[stratamania]

Possibly Z-Poxy finishing resin may be an alternative to CA grain filling method to consider.

This is a good build to follow and some interesting things being discussed.  ccasion14:

 

[Rick]

Following progress

 

[aguyinaustintx]

Dyed a pair of pau ferro (Machaerium acutifolium) P90 covers black to match the fretboard, using TransTint Black and Minwax Gel Stain Black. Might leave it unfinished, so it retains the wood look as opposed looking like black plastic.

 

[aguyinaustintx]

Tru-Oil coat number 9 down, and here's what it looks like so far. Using coffee filters to apply very thin coats. The initial slurry/oil coats were a bit rough, having used 280 grit for them. Might wind up going for a matte finish, which would help hide the slurry/oil scratch marks.

 

[Cagey]

Damnable scratch marks. Even with something as forgiving as oil/wood dust slurry, surface prep is everything. The tedium of prep and desire for progress are real enemies to fine finishes.

Still, lookin' mighty fine... :icon_biggrin:

 

[rgand]

I do like the color the clear gives you. Looks great already.

 

[Rick]

In the pic it looks great!

 

[ragamuffin]

At first I thought the shape was a little ugly, but I've got to admit it's growing on me! Looking good!

 

[aguyinaustintx]

As I wait for the finish to cure, I wonder... Is "ugly" or "beautiful" strictly subjective, or is there an objective component as it relates to purely geometric shapes? As far as guitars go, there's certainly the bias of what guitars "should" look like. I lean towards a mostly functional esthetic when it comes to design. There's a reason why cars no longer have fins (they served no purpose), and why the Flying V didn't become a very popular guitar (it's not easy to hold sitting down). Thoughts?

 

[PhilHill]

As I wait for the finish to cure, I wonder... Is "ugly" or "beautiful" strictly subjective, or is there an objective component as it relates to purely geometric shapes? As far as guitars go, there's certainly the bias of what a guitars "should" look like. I lean towards a mostly functional esthetic when it comes to design. There's a reason why cars no longer have fins (they served no purpose), and why the Flying V hasn't become a very popular guitar (it's not easy to hold sitting down). Thoughts?

I believe that how a person views or values an object is largely determined by their past experiences and the makeup of their personality. Form over function or function over form likely is determined early in life and reinforced or modified over time. If they are artistic and emotional, they tend to value form higher. If they are logical and mechanically adept they tend to value function higher. If they are hesitant and undecided they value what Facebook and Twitter tell them to. So, yes it can be purely subjective, however there is an element of "That seems to just make sense this way" that often gets involved too. The old, that doesn't look like it'll work very well first glance decision. I've found that more often than not, people decide things with their eyes, not their logic.

 

[BigSteve22]

...If they are hesitant and undecided they value what Facebook and Twitter tell them to..

That would be really funny, if it wasn't so true!  :glasses10:

 

[DangerousR6]

...If they are hesitant and undecided they value what Facebook and Twitter tell them to..

That would be really funny, if it wasn't so true!  :glasses10:

:icon_thumright:

 

[Rick]

I’ve used meguairs scratch x to get rid of the light whorls.

 

[aguyinaustintx]

I’ve used meguairs scratch x to get rid of the light whorls.

Thanks! Will give it a try.

 

[aguyinaustintx]

Finished the Tru-oil coats and applied three coats of Varathane matte poly spray. Just started drying.

 

[Rick]

That looks good.

 

[aguyinaustintx]

I made ebony pickup covers for the Kinman P90's on the CNC router, and it was quite a challenge. For one, the published dimensions wound up being too tight. Also, chunks of wood would often crack or break off -- the walls had to be thin (2mm) to fit into the P90 route. Ebony is more susceptible to this than other types of wood. It took quite a few tries to dial in the right bit choices and cutting strategies so they wouldn't break. No wonder the folks that sell them charge so much.

The Warmoth neck has a black ebony fretboard, which looks slightly darker than the natural Gabon ebony (Diospyros crassiflora) covers I made. The "fake ebony" ones I made by dying and staining Morado covers from dknob.com match the fretboard better. I'm debating which to use. Perhaps I'll save the Gabon ebony ones for a future build using a fretboard with a better color match. As an aside, does anyone know if Warmoth darkens their black ebony fretboards?

Here are the Gabon ebony ones I made: