DC Ross

Thanks for the replys, guys!

I think I'll start testing by bleaching it as much as possible, which is something I've never done -- any recommended products?

If that doesn't seem to do enough, I've got some waterbased ColorTone that I'll try thinning down. Trying to think of the best order -- dye black, sandback, then stain w/ pigment?

Yeah, definitely bleach and dye black/sandback, but white dye? I've not heard of this...

Hey all,

Trying to figure out how to get this silvery colour on figured maple. I'm assuming it's bleached, but this looks like it went a bit further than just bleaching.

Thanks,

-D

Sorry I can't help with your MeshCAM issues, but I'd be surprised if there's no "Groove" or "Slot" operation that allows you to choose a 3D path for it to follow...

I've modified my approach somewhat since that post from Dec. 2014. I now use a 2-flute .027" diameter (.025" for non-ebony) carbide bit, at 20,000 rpm, going 30IPM, and cutting .01" deep passes, and it poses no problems at all. 

Ha, yeah, the PreciseBits are the cheap ones. Well, cheaper than the $80 1/2" spiral bits that I use for most ops that I need to replace every 6 months

I haven't broken a slotting bit in quite a while, using those numbers I quoted above. What are your feed, speed, and depth of cut?

Ah, of course... Thanks for the link!

Thanks again,

The thing is, everything works the way it was wired -- and any hum there is, isn't consistent. Usually it's dead-quiet.

Wiring the push/push to the quickswitch wasn't really feasible, since a) I haven't seen any dual concentric push/push pots anywhere, (and it would be moot anyway since he wanted the single master vol.) and b ) I have no idea how I'd wire the rest of the circuit.

I wrote to their support, but haven't found a solution through them.

Thanks for the reply, Curtis

The bridge is grounded, I omitted it for the sake of brevity

The cap is from them, with an update to the documentation

The jack is definitely wired correctly (good to check though)

Everything does function correctly, but occasionally there is the weird hum. It's especially noticeable if I grab the yellow wire in the diagram (not even the contacts, just grabbing the sheathing will do it).

Hey all, 

I've wired up an acoustiphonic system with a push/push to select between the humbucker and the piezo, but getting some crazy hum/buzz.

Attached is the diagram. 

Any suggestions / input / advice?

Thanks

Looking for:

One piece Black Limba body blank, at least 19.5 x 14 x 1.75

One piece Rosewood neck blank, at least 32 x 3.5 x 1.75

It seems one piece limba bodies have all but dried up lately. Checked Gilmer, Cook, Gallery, even eBay and Warmoth...

Thanks!

My opinions:

Resawing that size of a piece would be a nightmare (assuming you have access to a HUGE bandsaw).

Handsawing that size piece would be a nightmare (there's no way that HUGE of a saw going over that long of a course wouldn't bow tremendously).

Safe-T-Planing isn't a bad option, with a HUGE drill press

If you have access to a CNC machine big enough, facing it wouldn't be a problem.

So, seeing that you already have a router sled, I'd go that route. Let us know what your setup is, w/ pics if you have any, and what went wrong last time.

If you apply a finish to the board (like you should for maple), then why not? Get some of that Fiebing's or Trans-Tint dye and go to town. It's no different than dyeing a maple top.

As with everything, ymmv. This is just my experience, and what I've found to work for me.

I'm curious how you're doing scarf joints on the cnc. Are you actually cutting the scarf on the machine, or is the scarfed headstock glued up beforehand?

I've been using the stainless wire from Allied lately, so .019" or .021" (the barbs measure .031" and .037" respectively).

If you're trying to shove a .021" tang with a .037" barb into a .022" slot in ebony, you're gonna have a bad time

Some advice I wish I were given when starting out w/ the CNC: Tight tolerances are good, but a "perfect fit" needs a bit of room.

I used to use the StewMac thin kerf table saw blade, which was advertised as .023" (.58mm). That worked fine, which is why I started with the .023" endmill. They definitely didn't give similarly wide slots. The wobble of the blade and the tighter tolerances of the endmill combined to make much smaller slots on the CNC.

I've taken .030" passes with a .023" endmill in ebony (remember, this is a ramping op, so that max depth of cut (DOC) is only at the very end of the path), but that's as far as I'm willing to push it. It's really not as bad as it sounds, it comes out to 0.00075" per tooth (normally I shoot for .001"/tooth on bigger bits).

I broke two bits while I was figuring out what speed/feed rates worked best. They're cheap, so I wasn't too upset; besides, education is worth the price

Here's a custom Ross Precision Guitars DC-1 ("RPG DC-1") built for Edoardo Curatolo with "the works"

The specs:

Carved Ash body w/ contrasting grain fill

Maple neck w/ satin red-to-black fade back

Ebony fretboard

25.5-27" scale lengths

LED/Fiber in Aluminum tube side dots (w/ adjustable brightness)

Graphtech Ghost saddles on a custom Ebony and aluminum bridge

Lace Alumitone pickups

Sperzel tuners

Push/push magnetic/acoustic volume selector

3-way pickup selector

Aluminum nut and cavity cover

Thanks!

-DC Ross

First thing, be aware with that narrow of a bit, you'll get into trouble trying to seat any normal-sized frets. I learned that even for frets with a .021" tang, a .023" bit is iffy unless you're using softer woods. I ended up with a neck that had so much back-bow that it looked like the St. Louis Arch.

Depending on the type of wood, I ramp at about 15-30 in/min, taking .025" per pass. As with everything, start conservatively and you should be fine.

Looks like the dye black, sand back method first, then a mixture of some TransTint mahogany and maybe cordovan or dark walnut, then distress it. Just pick up a bunch of dyes and experiment.

CamWorks is supposed to be excellent. Couldn't afford that price tag on top of SW, so I opted for HSMXpress (a free 2.5D plugin from Autodesk). Super easy to understand. I use the generic Fanuc post as well, and it works brilliantly.

For 3D carves I use FeatureCam. It's kinda cheesy, but it does a good job, just not as fluidly.

Looks great, I'm really curious how the ABS(?) will hold up to the stresses.

Great job!

Never had a board that was so rough that it needed 80 grit that didn't go through the jointer and thickness sander first.

I usually only use random orbit sanders on flat surfaces with 220 and up. Most of the downward pressure needed comes from the weight of the machine, don't press down on it much at all -- that's a sure-fire way to get rounded edges.

As for the sides, maybe it's time to change that router bit if 80 grit is needed

Stew Mac's dual-grit diamond crowning files work great. They're easy, really controllable, and work quickly.

If you have the body (albeit damaged), why not just create your own template from that?

Looking good!

I use SolidWorks exclusively. It's way overkill for just doing guitars, but there's definitely no better tool for it. Plus the fact that there's a free CAM plugin, HSMXpress. It only does 2.5D stuff, but it's very good, very intuitive, and you use it in the SolidWorks environment, so when you make a change to your model, the toolpaths are automatically updated.

The cost for a SW license was tough to swallow (just over $4k, and that's without the subscription service), but it's proven to be well worth it.

I'm no guru by any means, but feel free to hit me up with any questions.