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Private member DiscussionDesign and Testing

Incoherence between CAD and test-piece

Good morning everyone, I was taking some measurement on production necks with scarf-joint (13° headstock angle) to add some machining process with the cnc. I so recreated the standard neck blank feature (100mm wide and 20mm thick), then drawed the 13° angle. Everything correspond the to the real piace but two measurement: the startingcut behind the break angle is ''off'' by 20mm +/- as well as the cut on the bottom, still off by 20mm…

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Is it possible that the angle of the scarf joint is different from the angle of the headstock on the real piece? Could be a manufacturing quirk
Private member DiscussionFinish New Builds

Sanding methods/mechanism routine

Good evening folks, lately I'm experiencing some sanding methods/mechanism frustration. Can't explain better than look like I'm regressing at doing it. The only thing changed in my building routine is that I'm currently using a CNC (I haven't used one for some years) for both bodies and necks. I have no problems with necks, but sanding bodies has become incredibly frustrating, specially around the edges. While I keep improving my c…

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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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Private member
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 DiscussionAcoustic Builds

Any helpful tips with bar frets?

Hello, One of my commissions is coming down the pike and it's going to be my first time using bar frets. I could use a once over for any helpful tips if you have any. About the guitar: Aged HD-28 but mahogany back and sides. I think Martin called this a HD-28 M? Skipping the truss-rod and using two carbon fiber strips. My process for Frets: 1: I CNC my fingerboards to a 16" radius and for T-frets I use a .023" to cut slots with a mat…

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Ian Davlin
Depending on the carbon fiber strips and the gauge of string, you're compression may be moot, or at the very least, a fairly subtle factor. I would do a lot of testing before you glue the neck on to t…
Private member DiscussionElectric Builds

Guitar Building Philosophy...

Hey everyone, I had a question on guitar building and overcoming something of a mental hurdle that I have. Quite awhile back I had access to a CNC machine and routed some Stratocaster bodies which you can see in the pictures. I was mostly pleased with how these turned out, but there are a couple of issues. On the cherry bodied guitar, the seam is off center and I had some blowout at the upper horn location, which caused me to try and cu…

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Private member
I appreciate the response and the perspective, thank you! I am curious, since I'm a rather inexperienced builder, I'm torn between being a perfectionist, versus seeing a project through and cracking e…
Private member Discussion3D Printing

Free 3d printed stuff up for grabs

Santa heard I had a challenging year so he got me a 3d printer for Christmas. I’ve been printing like crazy, learning the machine. This has resulted in a bunch of tools that either don’t work for me, were attempts at mixing colors, or have very minor printing blemishes. Two lots up for grabs to anyone in the US who wants either. I’ll mail to you for free. First one to claim each gets it :) First lot has parametric nut and saddle sanders…

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Private member
Lot #1 still available. I'll likely be adding to the lot as I print and eff up but still make usable prints.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Builds

Side bending - actual problem or isolated freak out?

Hello All! My first post and I'm very happy to be here and share the highs and lows of this pony ride. After years of bending sides on a hot pipe or bending machines belonging to 'other people', I finally built myself a bending machine. Functionally it is great, but the result on some test material was far from great. See pictures attached. What you see here is a doug fir 'test side' that certainly came out guitar shaped, but oh my, what…

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Private member
Hi Benn: My layers are: Metal slat heat blanket 1 wood heat blanket 2 Metal slat
Private member DiscussionShop Organisation

MagFitt Vacuum System from Woodcraft

Like many of us, I work in a small space - a quarter basement with maybe 6 -1/2 feet of headroom. Sawdust is a problem. There’s no room for an extensive ductwork system or a blower setup. My shop tools (bandsaw, drill press, vertical belt sander, etc.) have a 1-1/2 inch connection for vacuum, but I have mostly been too lazy to use them. (note that I finally added a portable shop air cleaner with HEPA filters). When the most recent Wo…

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Tom Krebs
Thanks for this info, I have been using the Rockler expanding blue hoses and their Manifold shown here with great results.
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Martin D-18VM No truss rod?

In the process of evaluating the repairs needed on this guitar I checked to see if the truss rod was working. There is hole in the transverse brace where you would normally insert a truss rod, but all I see is the end of a metal bar with a smallish hole in the center. I tried several allen wrenches that would fit in the hole, but nothing seems to grab. Did they really eliminate the adjustable truss rod on this vintage reproduction? Here'…

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Private member
A reproduction with that much wrong?!?! Did the thing go of a cliff in the back of a car without a seat belt, get thrown, and wash up 10 miles south?
Private member DiscussionGeneral Business

Workshop Layout

Hi everybody, Can anyone share their workshop layout? I have recently moved country and I need to transition from sharing a 300 sqm workshop to having my own, which will be significantly smaller. I would find it very helpful if someone - especially luthiers operating in a small workshop - could share their workshop layout, even just by describing it (what machines are essential in your space, what machines do you outsource, etc). I mainly b…

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Private member
I bought a way big CNC and that was mostly a mistake. The capacity is cool but it takes up so much of my floor space. I use it in ways I didn't really think I would. I could definitely get by with…
Private member DiscussionShare Your New Builds Content

3D printing and CNC

3D printing and CNC are two areas that I am interested in as a way to facilitate acoustic building. Two questions: 1) For those of you that have both capabilities in your shops, which do you find more useful or more often used on a regular basis? 2) How did you choose a cnc machine? Given the high cost and huge number of products in the marketplace the decision is a bit daunting. Given that the learning curve is steep, I am inclined to b…

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Private member
> 1) For those of you that have both capabilities in your shops, which do you find more useful or more often used on a regular basis? Without a doubt, the CNC is much more useful for building ELECTRIC…
Private member DiscussionSELL! SELL! SELL!

LMII Side Bender - $600

Side bender machine in great condition. Includes spring steel, heating blankets, and thermocouple. No bending forms included, just the machine itself. Asking $600 for local pickup in Chicago area.

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Private member DiscussionTotal Vise

Proper Workstation Headstock Riser

This is a simple riser to fit between tuning machines on a headstock. I made two versions. One with a magnetic base and one that just clips on to the workstation.

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Private member
that is the bees knees