CNC router to make Guitar - World’s First Serviced Archtop Guitar Kit

Fernando Alonso Jaén, a Spanish guitar designer, has created the world’s first “serviced” archtop guitar kit — a kit where complex wood tooling is done by the manufacturer to simplify the buyer’s task. As a small operation, “creating the wood parts with complex contours required for the guitar would have been impossible,” Jaén said. Using a CNC router he was able to do it.

World’s First Serviced Archtop Guitar Kit

The archtop jazz guitar (also called a jazzbox, cello guitar and plectrum guitar) is a steel string acoustic guitar with a big soundbox somewhat like a cello; it is usually electrified.

“Despite the growing popularity of archtop guitars, no one has ever tried to make a serviced archtop guitar kit before,” says Jaen. “I have had to overcome many obstacles along the way but the biggest was reproducing the many complex geometries involved.”

Conventional woodworking would have required lots of hired hands. “The cost would have probably been more than the market could bear,” says Jaen, and it “also would not have achieved an acceptable level of accuracy.”

Computer numerical control (CNC) machining provided the answer. “All the available CNC machines that I saw here in Spain were too big,” Jaén said. Others were either too smaller or large. “I found the exact size and style of machine I was looking for in Techno’s LC series,” he adds.

Jaen used RhinoCAM software for both the CAD and CAM tasks — to design the archtop guitar kit and to create the CNC program. The kit includes the top with braces carved in it and the f-holes and pickup already cut out. “Carving the braces is feasible only with a CNC router,” Jaén says. “This relieves the maker of a difficult job — adjusting two wooden bars to the curvature of the top so that when they are glued the glue line is almost invisible.”

Quarter-Sawn Spruce and Maple

Spruce wood, light, stiff and quarter-sawn through the center axis of the tree, is used for the top of the guitar. Quarter sawing produces wedges, two of which are glued along their thicker sides. “A good top must have compact wood growth rings,” Jaén says. “The closer the rings are, the stiffer the top.” The back of the guitar is curly maple, also quarter sawn to better display the back’s curl and provide greater stiffness.

“The back in a serviced kit must be delivered in the final shape,” says Jaén. He bent the sides using a machine he designed and built with the CNC router. “Curly maple is one of the hardest woods to bend but this machine handles it easily. I couldn’t have made the machine without the CNC router.”

CNC Carves Out New Life for Old Doors

From Emerald City (that’d be Seattle, WA) comes this interesting use of digital manufacturing technology to give a new lease on life to reclaimed timber doors.
Husband and wife team Jonah and Mackenzie Griffith together form Object Creative, a design house that specialises in bringing humour and simplicity to fully functional design.
The reDoor project takes traditional domestic doors that have been reclaimed through salvage, and extends their lifecycle. The magic happens when a CNC router is used to cut designs and patterns into the wooden doors. A little lacquer and a lick of paint later, and you have a portal that is sure to be the envy of all your neighbours.

The majority of film-set components for the movie ‘AVATAR’, shot in Miramar Studios, were produced on CNC Routers

Two router cutting machines are fully programmable to output 2D profile cutting and routing - milling 3D forms.

As a profile cutter these machines can replace traditional workshop tools such as band or bench saws, producing very accurate and mass produced pieces.

These Three Axis Router Machines have working sizes of:
2500L x 1300W x 200H mm
3000L x 1500W x 200H mm



We offer creation of files services or can translate existing digital files.
Our ( http://www.humandynamo.co.nz ) standard in house software is Rhino 4 which will interpret most 3D files.
The majority of film-set components for the movie ‘AVATAR’shot in Miramar Studios, were produced on our router cutters. We interpreted the 3D files supplied from the designers, to create the many different film set components for the movie. The CNC's cut very quickly, accurately and economically.

guitar blanks

  material: a 1/4″ sheet of cheapo plywood

the measurements and everything looked pretty good.

Sign Magic CNC Router Work Shop

Six folks travelled from far and wide to attend our eighth Sign Magic Workshop. The ball got rolling fast late Thursday afternoon when they gathered for an informal meet and greet. We went for supper at a local diner and talk quickly turned to routers, dimensional signs and how to make them. This crew was eager to learn all they could. After supper we walked back to the shop and the learning commenced - before the workshop officially began Friday morning. We didn't break up until 11:00 pm that first day. And so it would go all weekend long.

The days were long and the learning intense... we had a lot of ground to cover in three short days. We talked of design, how to build three dimensional routing files and of course fired up the MultiCam to show how our creations would look in real life. Our MultiCam got a good workout.

We also spent long hours learning how to finish our many samples. The skill level of this group was high. they also demonstrated a passion to learn and took things as far as they possibly could in the time they had. We laughed, we talked, we learned and shared 'secrets' of how to do the things we do until the time was up. Some great projects were completed by the students.

I look forward to seeing some great things from these folks in the future!

CNC Router can be used to frame a car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

check this out....

 

 

CNC Router and Art CAM

It was incorporated the CNC router and ArtCAM to make the cherry leaves on the low left and right sides of the cabinet as well as the internal drawer fronts with the weave carving.