DandHcustoms Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 I'd like to order some acrylic templates and curious where to do so. Also what programs are you guys using to render body/ neck shapes when you order, Thank you, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eubie Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 (edited) 55 minutes ago, DandHcustoms said: I'd like to order some acrylic templates and curious where to do so. Also what programs are you guys using to render body/ neck shapes when you order, Thank you, Recommended PG article by @Prostheta : Laser Cutting Router Templates - Painlessly. This is a great place to start - basically answers all your questions, and some others you might not have even known to ask. -- se Edited August 11, 2017 by eubie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 Thanks for the vote of support! Even thought I still have more to do on that subject, I was hoping that it would help give an easy kickstart for people getting into laser cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 @KnightroExpress laser cuts his own, however I believe Andrew uses a local makerspace or similar? @DandHcustoms - I use TurboCAD to output my files as more or less universal DXF files. The company I rely on - Guitars and Woods - import those into CorelDRAW! which is then "printed" at the laser (sounds like an Epilog to me). If you're familiar with Corel then you can design in there directly, however I spent years doing CAD in TurboCAD so I have a very defined workflow. Regardless, any software that can export to DXF from a workspace defined in real-world dimensions should do the trick. What software do you work with regularly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandHcustoms Posted August 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 On 8/11/2017 at 11:37 AM, Prostheta said: @KnightroExpress laser cuts his own, however I believe Andrew uses a local makerspace or similar? @DandHcustoms - I use TurboCAD to output my files as more or less universal DXF files. The company I rely on - Guitars and Woods - import those into CorelDRAW! which is then "printed" at the laser (sounds like an Epilog to me). If you're familiar with Corel then you can design in there directly, however I spent years doing CAD in TurboCAD so I have a very defined workflow. Regardless, any software that can export to DXF from a workspace defined in real-world dimensions should do the trick. What software do you work with regularly? Just getting round to check this. I have very little experience with any cad programs so the simpler the better. I have mdf templates that i've made already but looking for something a little more precise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted August 18, 2017 Report Share Posted August 18, 2017 CNC-made templates are the most precise, simply because the cutting tool cuts up to the edges whereas a laser has a kerf width. A smart cookie can cheat by knowing the kerf size of a certain laser and offset cuts by half that amount for better accuracy. To all intents and purposes though, a laser-cut template is as accurate as one may really need. Most 5mm acrylic templates are cut with about 0.1mm to 0.2mm kerf size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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