New to CNC Machines

[Michael Thames]

Michael, I think you'll find having a CNC to be a valuable addition to your operation, particularly for at least initial creation of certain components in a consistent fashion so that you can then "do what you do" to complete the instrument. That repeatability can take away the busy work for those components and let you focus on the finesse.

Although my general intentions for my own machine are for a whole bunch of non-musical things, I do plan on trying my hand at a few electric guitars just because it's of personal interest to me, despite being a life-long keyboard guy who also can pick out notes on bass and guitar. I could be fun. We do have a Musical Instruments forum here at SMC so I hope you'll share your journey with CNC and your guitar production there as time passes.

Thanks Jim, greatly looking forward to it! Yes, I'll definitely do some videos in the future with the CNC. Just downloaded Fusion 360, and watching tutorials in the shop! Good luck with your guitar project. One of my best friends makes electric guitars up in Taos NM. called Newcaster guitars. I haven't told him yet I ordered a CNC machine.

[Michael Thames]

The suggestion to use Fusion 360 is a good one. First off the price is right, free until you use it to make $50,000 per year then you need to buy a license. One of the best things is that there is a HUGE amount of god quality on-line train at the Autodesk web site and the very active support comunity

Two weeks ago I found what I thought was a bug in their software. I posted a question and a screen shot Saturday evening I got an email Sunday afternoon from someone at Autodesk asking about how he could reproduce it and wanted acessso to my file that caused the problem. For free software the support is outstanding. I get questions answered in near real-time. Autodesk is a one billion dollar company and they are dumping a ton of money into Fusion 360.

It is not hard to learn, it is actually easiethen most of the professional level 3D CAD systems

What Fusion 360 is best at, where it beats a lot if other CAD is in making shapes that are "organic", then is with compound freeform curve. Lets say you wanted to make a front hood for a BWM 318i. Fusion is well suited to making automotive body shapes or say the handle for a chief knife for frames for eyeglasses. If yu are making musical instruments then I'd guess you have very few straight and geometric parts. But make those first.

One more thing: 3D printershave fallen below the $200 price point, for good ones. If you make a model in Fusion the same model can drive a printers or a router or a milling machine. It is good to be able to print a part and check it for fits and size the plastic is cheap (2 cents per gram)

So do all the online videos at the fusion site and make some parts, THEN buy the machine that can make the parts. Or if you want to ease into it buy a $180 printer and use that to make parts then buy the $$$ machine.

Thanks Chris, just dowloaded it. Whole new world. I'll be watching tutorials now for the rest of my life! I actually have a guitar accessory that I want to make, was thinking of cutting it out of plastic, but, you just planted a seed in my mind, that it could be designed and made on a 3D printer!

[Keith Hankins]

Hey welcome. You can get people to do art for you that you can use. I like fivr.com Go there post what you want and people will jump at the prospect of doing it for you.

Now you still need to convert that art to Gcode for your machines post processor. I use vcarve pro for mine(paid but worth it), and it can import and create g-code from that.

Fusion 360 is another one that is free but ya got to learn it just like any software but lots of vids on youtube to get you going.

Sketchup even has a pluggin to convert to gcode. So you have options, but no matter what the software piece is important.

I'm also going to recommend gwizzard that will simplify the feed and speed piece, which was for me the biggest hurdle. I got the 3 year subscription thinking I would pick it up quick and not need it any more. I'm starting my 3rd year and I still reference the tool.

Finally start with making some dishes or easy models and go with it. Vetric art has a good collection of stuff for resonable pricess try them as well.

[Michael Thames]

Hey welcome. You can get people to do art for you that you can use. I like fivr.com Go there post what you want and people will jump at the prospect of doing it for you.

Now you still need to convert that art to Gcode for your machines post processor. I use vcarve pro for mine(paid but worth it), and it can import and create g-code from that.

Fusion 360 is another one that is free but ya got to learn it just like any software but lots of vids on youtube to get you going.

Sketchup even has a pluggin to convert to gcode. So you have options, but no matter what the software piece is important.

I'm also going to recommend gwizzard that will simplify the feed and speed piece, which was for me the biggest hurdle. I got the 3 year subscription thinking I would pick it up quick and not need it any more. I'm starting my 3rd year and I still reference the tool.

Finally start with making some dishes or easy models and go with it. Vetric art has a good collection of stuff for resonable pricess try them as well.

Thanks Keith, I'm gonna give it a try first in Carbide Create, and Inkscape, if I have problems I may indeed hire someone to handle the Shape of the guitar problem. Good to know there are people who can do this.

[Michael Thames]

Just want to say thanks to Carbide 3D! I ordered my machine last Friday with some extras. They say a 5 day wait to get the machine out. To my surprise and delight, I got a shipping notice it was shipped out today! I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

[Jim Becker]

Take your time setting the Shapeoko up, Michael. Winston Moy's videos on YouTube are pretty good and he does have one or three relative to assembly since he's had multiples of them.

[Jim Becker]

Here's a YouTube-er that is using CNC for Luther work...including using vacuum.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH-...TYdNS4EkQGsVUQ

[richard newman]

Good find Jim, some interesting videos. I like the way he has his spoil board set up as an indexing plate.

I did a little googling and discovered his name is Mark Frazier and he's a professional soft ware engineer. Kinda coming at it from the other end than Michael, but meeting up somewhere in the middle.

[Jim Becker]

...the dude clearly has been a "little" influences by Festool. LOL Slightly ever so little....

I'm actually thinking hard about that ability to use the Parf dogs for squaring when I setup my own spoil board once my machine arrives. There's no harm in building as much utility into things as practical for sure.

[richard newman]

You can do pretty much the same thing using precision metal dowel pins for WAY less money, especially for commonly used sizes. This is common in the metalworking world. They are available in all sorts of diameters and lengths, typically .0002" over nominal diameter. In metal you ream dead nuts for a press fit, or .0005 over for an easy fit. For wood, you need a drill several thou over, as the wood springs back and doesn't cut to drill size. I've used number, letter and metric drills to get what I need in wood.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-dowel-pins/=1cdsfs8

[Jim Becker]

Oh, I agree...simple pins can also fulfill the role. I already have some 1/4" drill blanks from another SMC member that I plan on using for pins. But there's no harm in consistency across multiple work surfaces in a smaller shop setting like I have, either.

It's nice to have so many choices!

[James Biddle]

Oh, I agree...simple pins can also fulfill the role. I already have some 1/4" drill blanks from another SMC member that I plan on using for pins. But there's no harm in consistency across multiple work surfaces in a smaller shop setting like I have, either.

It's nice to have so many choices!

it's also worth it to drill alignment holes when you make multi-layer templates, blanks for glue-ups, bending forms and such. I use imperial sizes and sometimes just use wood dowels to align parts together, especially if it needs to be used on a the CNC, saw, shaper, etc. where a cutter hitting a pin would be an issue.

[Michael Thames]

Hello friends, it's been a little over a week since I got the Shapeoko XL. I can see this machine is gonna be a life-changer, my only regret is I didn't do this 10 years ago. I don"t know if affordable easy to operate machines existed then. The assembly was a breeze, and I have a hard time putting together a bookshelf from IKEA. I have CNC-mania right now, cant sleep and when I do a dream about tools-paths.

Just want to give a huge shout out to William Adams. When I was considering the Shapeoko my main concern was the fact I have no experience with these things. Will assured me their support team would help with anything I needed. I never thought that meant drawing up the tool-paths and sending me back a finished file. It's a great feeling to get started on something while at the same time learning, it takes the frustration element out of the equation while actually producing something useful.

When I make heads for guitars I usually make a dozen at a time, which generally takes me 4 to 5 days by hand. This took maybe 15 minutes from set up to finished head. Will include a V-bit tool-path for the detail cuts, but I don't have a V-bit, so I ordered one.

Anyway just wanted to share the joy! This CNC journey is working out beyond my expectations.

Also, Mick Simon who teaches CNC classes at the Collage of Santa Fe, (what are the odds), has invited me to sit in on his class tomorrow. Looking forward to meeting Mick tomorrow.

[David Falkner]

Nicely done, Michael! Just an FYI, when it comes to Mahogany and Rosewood and other exotics I do all my test cuts on a similarly sized piece of MDF until it's perfect and then I put the real stuff on the CNC. When I cut my bridge on the CNC I used Walnut because I have a boatload of small pieces of that material. Then I put the EIR on with confidence that everything was right on the toolpath.

David

[Jim Becker]

I can see how that's going to be a game-changer for you, Michael, especially with repetitive manufacturing tasks. I hope I can get "productive" in even three or four multiples of the time you did! LOL