Leevis Posted August 6 Report Share Posted August 6 Hi All I really want to build some guitars, currently converting a cheapo Strat into a Frankenstrat and finding it very interesting. I know that the learning curve is VERY steep on these things but I have the bug. I don't have loads of funds hence why I am looking at the cheaper end of things and need some advice. I am currently looking at the Fox Alien Masuter Pro which is reasonably cheap and it does have an extension kit option. It starts at 40 x 40cm which is quite small and just about wide enough but certainly not long enough hence why the extension part would be needed. The question/s I have are 1. I know its a false economy (although I already have a route) but others are so much more expensive 2. Is it possible to build a jig so that I can build half, reset and then build the other half? One of the main reasons I want to do this is because the tooling I would need to buy plus jigs and templates etc would probably cost similar and I do like to learn new things and am currently enjoying a 3d printer I am currently using What do you think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted August 6 Report Share Posted August 6 I'm not against CNC but in my opinion the first thing to ask is how many similar guitars are you going to build? Because that's where a CNC really shines. Learning to code and use it is valuable as such as you mention but it's not cheap. The tooling plus jigs and templates... I've been participating a course for the last decade, led by a master luthier. There's been a few dozen fellow builders, none of which has actually bought a template other than one for routing pickup cavities or similar. Of course we can use the templates made by our tutor but there's been numerous fancy builds without ready made templates. There's free drawings available and printing them full size doesn't cost much. A piece of MDF isn't too expensive either, nor is a glue stick to attach a piece of the drawing on it. One fellow builder only had a full size colour photo of the semi-hollow body he wanted to build! So the cost of the templates is minimal. What about the tools? A good enough handheld router is about 50, €, £ or $, A band saw is nice but if you can't afford that, a jigsaw for 20 money units will cut the outlines close enough to be refined with other tools. You'd still need a bunch of hand tools to finish anything shaped by a CNC machine so those can't be added on opposite side. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted August 17 Report Share Posted August 17 I agree with @Bizman62 on this. How many of the same do you need to make. The advantage of CNC is the ability to repeat accurately more that anything. Drawing up the plans should be done no matter what. CAD has it's advantages. So does doing it 1/1 scale on paper. I use CNC, so I have made many of the same instrument so I could sell them. So what are your goals? I also do things by hand as they are one offs . I may still use CAD for the drawing as I usually do not need 1/1 scale on paper to understand what I want to do.. MK PS, The Fox Alien is belt driven don"t waste your money. Go with Ball screws and linear rails or stay out of the CNC adventure. The low end stuff will be more trouble that it is worth. mk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted August 17 Report Share Posted August 17 I agree with guys. No point getting a CNC for building one guitar. On the hand if you want to CNC as a hobby then why not. To me the only reason not to get a CNC is that I don’t want to tinker with it. If I was a business I would get one and hire someone else to solve the problems that comes bundled with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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