jski Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 I want to use a cnc machine to do some inlay work, but if my gandfather was still alive he would disown me for not doing something like this by hand. Thoughts on using a cnc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 If you have access to one and want to use it to get the best possible work (in the least amount of time) then it would be silly not to take advantage of what it can do. Honor your grandfather by doing some artistic inlay work by hand as a side project. I personally do as much of the carving of my projects by hand because I love to carve, but I still use a router to make all the precision machining work because that's going to give me the best quality. If I had one, I'd save all the shaping work to do by hand because it gives me pleasure and satisfaction and CNC everything that made sense and not feel a bit guilty about it, It's still just another tool and it still takes skill to operate. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessejames Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Yes, it is true craftsmanship. Take the time to learn a CNC program, get everything spec'd out right, and get all your tooling setup, and you will see how much time goes into learning it. Just dont buy a used CNC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 CNC is just a tool. It needs a man to run it. It is not faster. It is not smarter. It is not more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Marino Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 As long as the end results look like they should I don't see a problem with it at all. As Scott and RAD say, it's just another tool... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripthorn Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 I recently picked up a little CNC milling machine, and let me tell you, there is some serious skill involved in getting the parts set up so that they come out correctly. Yes, it removes a lot of the manual labor of cutting and filing, but that is replaced with intellectual labor of designing and generating toolpaths for a certain part. Certainly not a dummy's way of doing things. Though there are things I will never do with a CNC, like carving a neck. That to me is just too personal, each guitar will be a little different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 CNC is just a tool. It needs a man to run it. It is not faster. It is not smarter. It is not more accurate. ehh.... anyway, I personally feel the true art is in the design. Give two men the same tools and materials, and 2 very different guitars will come out I'd bet. Just a means to an end I'd say lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 It's only as accurate as the design and programmers ability to work with it. Compare Gibson and PRS inlays for an example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 It's only as accurate as the design and programmers ability to work with it. Compare Gibson and PRS inlays for an example. PRS doesn't do their own inlay work, not sure what you're comparing between the two though O.o. If you're using the machine, its up to you to learn it properly or send it off to someone who will do it right. Its still 99.99% accurate, does EXACTLY what you tell it to lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 PRS inlays are perfect, Gibsons are ****. And, your hand guided chisel does exactly what you tell it to also. The only people who complain about CNC's, are those that dont have one working for them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted September 8, 2013 Report Share Posted September 8, 2013 PRS inlays are perfect, Gibsons are ****. And, your hand guided chisel does exactly what you tell it to also. The only people who complain about CNC's, are those that dont have one working for them. lol maybe if gibson didnt have the sub-par Indian's do their inlay work, that probably wouldn't have been a problem. Probably better now though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted September 8, 2013 Report Share Posted September 8, 2013 Since this is going off-topic, I'll answer the OP's post directly. If you make templates for routing on CNC, does that make your work any less handmade? If so, would a straight edged fence off the jointer do that also? Where is the line drawn? A craftsman looks at the end result and tries to pick it apart as a puzzle. If you feel CNC removes that fun, that is maybe where CNC will fail you. Otherwise it is as valid as a ruler, protractor, drill of known diameter or a belt-fed thickness sander. Some people just don't like the loud toys either. A workshop with the pleasant sound of hand planing and music playing is a reward in itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jski Posted September 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 The whole reason I posed the question is because a guy I work with has an 11 year old nephew that is really good with the cnc. Now, I'm pretty sure my grandfather was one of those guys that was set in his ways and didn't really embrace new technologies. My problem is that a kid that probably couldn't tell you the difference between 60 and 400 grit sand paper, could program a machine to make just about anything a guy that has spent over 30 years honing his wood working skills can. To me it's like saying a dj is a musician. I think a craftsman can use a cnc, but being able to use a cnc does not make you a craftsman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 I think a craftsman can use a cnc, but being able to use a cnc does not make you a craftsman. True enough. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 The art in CNC lies with design and execution. At the extremes it may seem un-craftsmanlike, yes. Both approaches have their positives. CNC to me is geometric accuracy, repeatability and consistency. It benefits from a craftsman's finishing hands in many instances. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 The art in CNC lies with design and execution. At the extremes it may seem un-craftsmanlike, yes. Both approaches have their positives. CNC to me is geometric accuracy, repeatability and consistency. It benefits from a craftsman's finishing hands in many instances. I agree, What the Artist brings to the table is the design, as well as material selection. Choosing the right material or section of same for a particular inlay piece comes from the eyes of the artist. Using a cnc enhances the ability to cut parts with consistent accuracy, only if guided by someone with the knowledge of his machine and software. There is still the part of human interaction that sets up the material and machine to get the result. This can be much harder than just using an inlay vise and jewelers saw, as this allows hands on rotational movements both from the vise as well as the saw. Just my .02cents on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob123 Posted September 12, 2013 Report Share Posted September 12, 2013 The art in CNC lies with design and execution. At the extremes it may seem un-craftsmanlike, yes. Both approaches have their positives. CNC to me is geometric accuracy, repeatability and consistency. It benefits from a craftsman's finishing hands in many instances. Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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