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Private member Discussion3D Printing

Sub $400 3d printer

I had a Flashforge Adventurer 5m pro and liked it but it suddenly stopped connecting to WiFi. Customer support was super frustrating and I returned it. But i did like it when it worked, aside from wishing it had a larger print bed. Any recommendations on what I should look at in the <$400 range? I’ve been reading and googling but have yet to find any advice that seems to hit the spot. Thank you!

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Private member
Hey Brian, Bambu Labs have the A1 at $399 at the moment. I bought the A1 mini (with the AMS lite combo) a couple years ago and it's been rock solid. Bambu has a great reputation in the community, especi…
Private member DiscussionShop Organisation

Lessons Learned from building out a workspace

Hi all. I'm in the process of working with a landlord to customize a space for my growing repair and building business. The space is approximately 800 square feet and broken into a major space (around 400 square feet), and 2nd large space (around 300 square feet) that I'm thinking of as a machine/sawdust room, and 2 smaller areas that I'm considering as a spray booth and a wood/guitar storage closet. I'd love to hear about lessons learn…

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Here's some more tips. I recently remodeled my shop so this is all very fresh. I've been in this shop for almost 15 years and I have rented benches to other luthiers and apprentices in the shop so it…
Private member Discussion3D Printing

Pickup routing template for les paul?

Does anyone have a STL for a routing template that will sit square on a les paul body? I need to cut a P90 hole into a middle position, and it would be nice to use the router, rather than chiseling the edges...

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Private member
Neat. Yes, that looks like exactly what I need.
Private member DiscussionTools and Jigs

Deal alert!!

Just received these sandpaper rolls from Red Label. 4.5"x60' cloth backed aluminum oxide. Killer deal at $15 a roll (about 30% of normal price). Quality is excellent. Various grits available. Don't know how long the deal lasts. https://www.redlabelabrasives.com/products/4-1-2-inch-x-20-yd-roll-cloth-backing-aluminum-oxide?utm_source=Customers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1%2F6%2F26%20-%20Bulk%20Surplus%20Reminder%20%28Customers%29%…

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Private member DiscussionTools and Jigs

The first tool to measure longitudinal neck torsion/twist - the LTwist® gauge

Dear looth community/colleagues around the world, During 2023/24 I have developed a digital gauge to measure so-called longitudinal twist of (bass) guitar necks: the LTwist® gauge. Just to be clear, this is about the "cork screw" type of deviation along the length of a neck, not the bow of a neck. I think there is no need to explain how a too severe neck twist can make it difficult or even impossible to set up a stringed instrument (guita…

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Private member Discussion3D Printing

F Hole Plugs for Archtop

I drew up and printed these F hole plugs for a customer a little while back, felt like showing them off here. The bottom diamond shaped piece has a M4 nut in it, and is super glued to the body of the plug at its two tips. An M4 screw threads into the nut through the counter-sunk hole in the top of the plug. The entire plug drops into the F hole, and then you can tighten the screw slightly to expand the plug so it clamps itself into plac…

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Private member
Great idea, and I love the idea of comically oversized F holes.
Private member Discussion3D Printing

Printing metal

I used to run a cnc punch press at a machine shop. It was a Trumpf. For some reason the brand just showed up on my Instagram and I checked it out. Apparently they make printers that print metal powder. @member are you ready for the next level? Might be interesting for custom hardware. https://www.trumpf.com/en_INT/products/machines-systems/additive-production-systems/truprint-1000/

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Private member DiscussionTools and Jigs

Work Tray & Tool Holder for Proper's Guitar Workstation

I installed my new Proper’s Guitar Workstation, and other work holding equipment from Total Vise, in my shop this week. I customized my pedestal with a work tray & tool holder, using their “Pedestal Work Board Support." This will keep me from having to always go back & forth to my bench to set things down and get the tools I need, etc. I'm looking forward to how all of this new gear will help make my work easier, quicker, and cleaner, a…

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Ian Davlin
Looks really comfortable to work at that station. Nice work!
Private member DiscussionShop Organisation

Shop humidity: Am I nuts to focus on dew point instead of relative humidity?

Not sure if this is the best place for this, but whatever. I need somebody to check my logic here--I could be completely wrong in my thinking. I'm about to start up my new shop in Ireland, and the humidity/temperature situation is VERY different than the Greater Washington DC region. I will also be unlikely to have as complete control over temperature and humidity as I did in our extremely tight, air-conditioned house in the US. I also k…

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Private member
Maybe ask other Ireland luths? @member Maybe your shop should be somewhat dryer than the dryest that your customers homes would be?
Ian Davlin DiscussionShop Organisation

New Workshop Move

Hi Guys I'm going to document the process of moving into a new workshop space. along the way I will try to explain the I have come across and the successes (if there are any). Any advice along the way will be welcome. Moving and Keeping a shop open and running is really tough it seems. To Start here is my New Space. A 550sq ft unit on the 1st floor of an industrial estate just 15 mins from where I am now. The lighting is great as is an…

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Ian Davlin
Post 3 A little more progress today. The guitar rack is built. It's real simple and thrown together. If I built guitars like this they wouldn't last long lol. Not a single piece of the construction ti…