Hello Lovely CNC People

[Archy]

Hi Everyone.

I've joined this forum as I'm about to purchase a CNC machine and need help understanding what I'm looking for and what to avoid.

I would like to start building jazz guitars which involves the carving of two arched plates and a neck. Think giant Violin or a miniature Cello.

I'm a bit of a prat so I usually buy Mafell tools because I don't want the tool to get in the way of my idiocy. A good tool does its job well, so when something doesn't work properly, the only culprit left is me.

I need a small machine, preferably 1200x600 or 6090 at a push and my budget is around 4-6k.
I would prefer to buy new but used is ok too.

I would like to use Fusion 360 or Solidworks with Master Cam CAD, so an open CAM programme would be great.

I am aware of things like ball screws and other signs of quality but my knowledge is still poor enough that I don't know the difference between good quality ball screws and the poor ones. Hence why I'm not ordering direct from China.

Thanks in advance for any help offered and for reading my post.

Cheers!

[Clive S]

Welcome to the forum Archie you must be psychic as there is a member on here Jazzcnc that builds machines to order and your budget seems good he may even have a second hand one.

Wish you all the best.

[Archy]

Thanks Clive.

Yes I believe it was a post by JazzCnC that encouraged me to join this site in the first place.

Hopefully he'll pop along and save the day!

[JAZZCNC]

Welcome to the forum Archie you must be psychic as there is a member on here Jazzcnc that builds machines to order and your budget seems good he may even have a second hand one.

Wish you all the best.

Thanks Clive.

Yes I believe it was a post by JazzCnC that encouraged me to join this site in the first place.

Hopefully he'll pop along and save the day!

Thought my ears were burning..

Well, Archy seems we are made for each other, we can certainly provide the Jazz you need to put into your Jazz guitars.!

I have a few options which will suit your needs and budget, I also have the perfect machine for making guitars that has a rotary 4th axis at one side which would allow necks to be machined in one operation rather than cutting one side and flipping as is normally done with a standard router.

So if this interests you can I ask you to email me at the address below and I will give you my contact details so we can have a chat. It will also be easier for me to send you any info, pics, etc.

[email protected]

Cheers
Dean

[the great waldo]

Hello Archie
As a guitar maker myself and a fairly hopeless cnc person (brought up before calculators were invented) I got a makko machine years ago and it sat in my workshop for years as a shelf. I discovered uccnc software eventualy which made the machine actually workable although not great. I think Jazz should be able to sort you out with a good machine. I did end up buying plans and videos from https://cncguitar.com/cnc-guitar/fus...rchtop-guitar/ and found them easy to use with ready files and tutorials (I'm not affiliated with the company) If you have some pre made files it makes things faster and the videos are good for learning. May I mention that you should try and make a Jazz guitar by hand first to learn the realities of putting an instrument together. When it comes to making guitars cnc will save you a lot of time for many stages but also slow you down (Initially ) in other stages. Producing multiple parts for example where the main effort goes into the 3d designing in the software which after it's done than it's just a matter of setting up and routing. CNC is a bit like learning another language, hard at first and then it clicks and becomes much easier. Good luck and have fun and always make test cuts in mdf or insulation board to save mucking up and expensive spruce top or maple back.
Cheers
Andrew

[Archy]

Thought my ears were burning..

So if this interests you can I ask you to email me at the address below and I will give you my contact details so we can have a chat. It will also be easier for me to send you any info, pics, etc.

[email protected]

Cheers
Dean

Thanks Dean will get in touch via Email. Regards Archy.

[Archy]

Hi Waldo

Thanks for the message of encouragement.

Yes I've been in touch with Spiro at CNCguitar.com. He's been helping advise me regarding software compatibility on machines and he helped me look over a machine I was interested in. His educational videos look really good and he's encouraging me to use F360 so happy to get that side sorted. Really nice guy.

Now it's just a case of buying a machine or alternatively paying someone to CNC the parts for me.

It had crossed my mind that paying someone to machine the parts, from plans I've bought from someone else, or getting someone with CAD experience to help me design what I want, might be the easier way to actually get things going. I can then spend my money on luthier tools for the fretting and spraying, although getting some one to do that might be better too.
Maybe I'm turning into Ibanez :)

On the other hand, there's nothin like having a new toy.

We'll see what Dean says.

[the great waldo]

Hi Archy
I'd imagine getting someone to do any kind machining is going to be quite expensive, there would be a lot of hours involved. If you have the space time money to get a cnc machine then go for it. It's a bit of a learning curve but comes with practice, pretty much the same as everything else. Maybe making a guitar by hand in parallel with the cnc stuff to keep you motivated. You won't need an unbelievable amount of tools to make a Jazz guitar by hand. I know a guy here in Austria who is totally impatient and made a jazz guitar in his small flat and it turned out to be a really nice instrument and he has made more, so anything is possible. Mind you I don't know if his wife is still talking to him after he sprayed the guitar in the flat!!
All the best
Andrew
ps. you're right about Spiro he's a very helpfull chap

[Archy]

Thanks Andrew

Believe it or not, as the saying goes, I actually have no intention to learning how to carve an archtop guitar. It takes too long to master and there are many other far more time consuming things to learn.

As a player I actually prefer laminate guitars. My Favourite being a Guild X-500. Carved top guitars are a mixed bag. Some are great but many are not. Too many variables and the time it takes to make them means they will cost too much.

The Jazz guitar world is shrinking at an alarming rate. The great and good 'boomers' are passing away and so too is their HUGE collection of Archtop guitars. I assume there will be a 1970's style drop in the market for such instruments as they come online in vast quantities.

I intend to take a different route. One that will hopefully sustain a business making things that fewer people want.

Wish me luck,I'll need it :)

[Kitwn]

Welcome to the forum Archy.
You're in the right place for good advice about a cnc machine, but there are also plenty of us who want to see the guitar grow when you get round to building it.

Kit