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Milling Machine


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I teach metal work at a local high school and in my shop there is a metal milling machine which is basically used as a Drill Press. I am building a Strat neck so found a piece of Maple flooring off cut that was the right thickness and rough cut the neck profile on a band saw also in my shop. I then rough cut the shape.

It dawned on me to try the milling machine for thicknessing the neck so I made up some holding down clamps and after school I clamped it down modified a radius cutting router bit by grinding off the guide bearing. I clamped it tightly in the chuck and milled the headstock to thickness complete with a nice radius where it steps up to the finger board surface.

Even though it only spins at 2500 RPM it made a perfect job of thicknessing the headstock and neck and makes a perfectly uniform thickness and so quick.

I can see why Leo Fender designed his necks like that now. Saves time and minimises material.

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I can see it will be great for milling the truss rod slot and doing the fingerboard/ neck edge to achieve perfectly straight edges. No more routing jigs for me.

I can see I also will be able to achieve perfect neck pockets as well. I love it when a plan comes together.

Edited by Acousticraft
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  • 1 month later...
Here is mine when it was brand spankin new. Now it's buries in wood chips.... :D I use it for just about everything.

http://members.aol.com/huntindoug/mill.jpg

Is that one of the 'wood mill' models or a regular metal working mill? Do you have any problems with chips gumming up the ways?

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