So I've got my P90 guitar pretty far along to the point where Im playing it now and making any tweaks before I do the finishing. As I mentioned in this thread I got the itch to strip down and refinish one of the beater strats I had laying around. Well when it turned out to be plywood, just decided to start programming my CNC to make my own body.
Now in all fairness, my CNC is so old that the newest version of Autocad it can import from is R14 so I have to actually program it, not just surf the net for a cad drawing and import it. Well I started up over the weekend a bit and got the body close. Tonight I started making some tweaks and finally decided that Im ready to start building my own necks. I revised the program to draw the entire neck and head stock as well, fret locations, 6mm inlays ect. I did the outlines and such then programmed it to cut it out of a piece of 3/4 scrap I had laying around. The intention was to use my v-grooving bit (smallest one chucked up in the tool changer atm) to just leave a pencil line but whatever schmuk replaced the bit last set it to deep so some of the lines are goofed.
Over all, Im pretty close. I think another hour of tweaking and I should be set. I had it mill the "body" down a 1/4" so I could see the neck shape and make sure it was cool (to bad the v-groove bit goofed that up).
Anyways, so pretty close
full body shot
headstock
The picture is kind of washed out but it gives the idea. Over all, I have a couple tweaks to make on the horns and probably another half hour of messing with the head stock and it should be mostly set. I have the contour programs written, just not the back side of the neck (I think I can do the back rough shaping on the machine).
I think I'll be ready to start cutting bodies friday. I have enough alder glued up to make 5 bodies (glued to 97" x 7" 8/4 blanks together then ran em through the time saver till they netted at 1 3/4" thick). Have some birdseye maple and rosewood coming in soon too. I think I might have to give strats as xmas gifts this year.
Hopefully have some good updates by end of the weekend.