Carving guitar tops

[liquidguitars]

hello,

Downloaded the Carvewright software and i like the way it works..
Here is a image of a guitar body that I would like to try...



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[RobertP]

:shock: WOW! now that is cool! How long did it take you to design that?

[liquidguitars]

thanks,
It took me about 10 mins for the setup after thinking about the porceedure and looking at the ink bath idea. The 3D guitar model, I made about 8hrs. I inported the cad infomation as a hack and it seems to be ok. I do not have a machine to check/debug data pockets ect.. but I do not see why it will not work...

[Dookychase]

Hey liquidguitars, how wide is the lower bout of that guitar? I was interested in getting a machine to carve an archtop.

I emailed Carvewright and was told that they want to produce a wider machine in about a year. It would be in the 20-24" range.

Thanks
Pookie

[liquidguitars]

lower bout should be 13" typ for electric guitars so 15 is cool...
The Jazz guitars will need 16" to 17"

[Greybeard]

...Playing with how to inport the cad infomation as a hack and it seems to be ok. ...

Would you care to expand a little on the detail of the "hack" ?

John

[liquidguitars]

hello in the UK.. I used the idea of your plastic figure immersed in a black dye bath detail" very cool BTW"was able to project the virtual ink well map

[Dookychase]

Liquidguitars, the archtop size I'm interested in carving would be small like the Ibanez Gerge Benson Model GB10. Its about 14 1/2" at the lower bout.
Sadowsky builds the Jimmy Bruno model thats 14 3/4" at the lower bout.

Keep us posted on your guitar progress.

Thanks
Pookie

[liquidguitars]

14 3/4" shoud work with the CarveWright standered model as you can mill a 15" wide board right?

[Dookychase]

I really don't know exactly how wide the unit will cut. Could you possibly try and cut across a scrap piece of wood to see exactly how wide the bit will travel to cut?

I went to see one at Sears and I mearsured 15" across the table and it seemed that the cutting head travels wider but couldn't tell if it would actually cut close to 15".

Thanks for your time.
Pookie

[liquidguitars]

Hi Pookie,
I just started to look at this desktop cnc a week ago , so I do not have a unit. :( I saw a Carvewright on ebay and here i am doing some research.

[Greybeard]

hello in the UK.. I used the idea of your plastic figure immersed in a black dye bath detail" very cool BTW" but in 3D, using a grayscale map a "trick i use in brodcast to generate earth images ect.." i was able to project the virtual ink well map into my cad model, render it and bingo!

:D Great :D

John

[liquidguitars]

Hi John,
After looking at the 3D simulatons of the guitar shape above, can this body be accomplished with the Carvewright with repeatability? Some of
the woods we use are something not to waste.

I know that a large 5hp CNC is better :) but....

[Greybeard]

I hope you realize that I'm in a similar position to you without a mc.
However, I have become familiar with the current software so I hope I can contribute theoretical observations that are valid.

Repeatability shouldn't be an issue, but production runs might be if you are thinking in commercial terms. If you're doing everything else yourself, I guess the mc making the bodies (and the necks ?)could keep up with you. But if your thinking of a small factory, I'm not so sure.
Certainly that's the line that Carvewright take - this is designed more for the diy/hobby market, but then a lot of companies start as just that.

Re the sizes involved. You haven't posted the actual dimensions in terms of maximum depth you need. Although the maximum cutting depth is only 1", you can turn it over and carve from the back, so with a suitable jig to hold the first carved face steady, you should have no problem with a 2" slab.
Are the bodies of electrics always made from a solid block, or is building the shape from glued up pieces commonly done ?
John

[liquidguitars]

I was thinking your working with the MC now... no worries...

Regarding the guitars bodies two piece top and bottom bookmatch is typ.

for the guitar top, bookmatch maple: 17 long x 13 wide x3/4 thick typ and the back 1 3/4x13x17 typ I would think the MC should be fine as far as the sizing.

But I am wondering if the MC can handle the carving part without shutting down due to heat ECT... I am thinking about calling MC and see if a demo
or sample caving would be prudent.

[pkunk]

ok I was thinking your working with one now... no wories...


but I am wondering if the MC can handle the carving part without shuting down due to heat ect.. I am thinking about calling MC and see if a demo
or sample caveing would be prudent.
Carvewright most likely (according to their web page) will not do this as a sample carving. Post your mpc file, I'll upload it to a card at best, and let you know here what kind of carving time you're looking at. Then we could discuss where you want to go from there. I've run my machine as much as 6 hrs. a day with no ill effects, allowing for some cooldown time.

[liquidguitars]

I am thinking about getting one for prototype work. I like the idea of a small CNC running 1 hp and high rpm.. so you think it's up to the task?

[liquidguitars]

Well I thought I was smart about the cad transfer but looks like I have a pitted surface due to the maps I am painting....

[liquidguitars]

Here you go- It is a eary version of the body not to scale, but a good test.

[Dan-Woodman]

You will need to put this project on a sled or add a couple of boards to the sides for the upper rollers to ride on.
When you upload the project it warns you about this. You have a choice to manual jig , let the machine autojig, or ignore.
Carving time 2 hrs. 21 minutes.
If you choose autojig ,it reduces the size of the project to leave extra wood on the sides for the rollers.
If you ignore thers no way to hold the project down.

[liquidguitars]

thanks,

So if i have 1/2 or so on each side, no need for a sled saying if i set my stock to 14.45" or so ... my finished bout size shoud be around 13" ok?

Here is a rendering that should work better with the CW... wood can be left on each side and front/back typ.

Question will the carvewright be able to make the prototype bodys to what we see here or should i get a bigger Cnc. I must say that this software is Realy Cool!

[Dan-Woodman]

What you see is what you'll get
I don't see any problems with that.
It does carve back and forth across the 14.45 width just like a printer,
so I don't know if you would want it carving with the grain or across it.

[rlrhett]

Well, I'm still not convinced by Designer for the Carvewright. I just don't see how you can make acurate, measured arches. I spent some time trying to be scientific about using shades of grey to give depth. This is what I came up with for an archtop (limited to 15 in, of course!) It's two sided, so I left a tab. I assume you would carve the underside first since that would leave a flat rim when working on the front side.

I don't have the machine, so if anyone would like to give this a try, go right ahead. If it works, and you would like to thank me, make one for me in QS pine so I have a chance to evaluate it. Here some screen captures. If you want the Designer file, let me know by e-mail or pm.

PS, does anyone know why the cut-out F holes still show wood in the center? I suppose it doesn't matter, but it looks odd.

[rlrhett]

No body with a Carvewright wants to give this a try? You could make this from 2x8 douglas fir but jointed together to form the blank. No matter what you would have a great conversation piece. No takers?

[BobHill]

If the design is put in for Downloading, I'll put it into my "to do" list when time presents itself. I'm a possible future luther (and the classical guitar is my favorite instrument).

Bob Hill
Tampa Florida

[liquidguitars]

No body with a Carvewright wants to give this a try? You could make this from 2x8 douglas fir but jointed together to form the blank. No matter what you would have a great conversation piece. No takers?

looks like people love your data but thats all, I think you could hold off on uploading any files untill you get a CW.


"to do" list when time presents itself

this is why i own my own tools... :)

[David M.]

rlrhett,

I have a machine and am a Jr. luthier, I would like to try your arch top, but I need your original files that came out of the Designer, not these .giff files you posted. The .giff files will not work, unless they are the original file you imported into the designer to create what we are seeing on the forum. If you manipulated the image after import, then the end product is what I need.

SAVE AS to a file and send me the designer file to work from, and I'll give it a try. I'd be interested in the outcome because I would like to do this same thing on F-Style mandolins I already build and carve by hand.

[liquidguitars]

Well, I'm still not convinced by Designer for the Carvewright. I just don't see how you can make acurate, measured arches

I think it can, but you will need a CW to test it for sure, I noticed a print option, I think you coud use the print mode to scale/ debug your
object before you build this could save wood.

From what i have taken out of this, is what you see is what you get.
so if it looks like it will fly is should.

[avboy5000]

PS, does anyone know why the cut-out F holes still show wood in the center? I suppose it doesn't matter, but it looks odd.

From what I have got from working with the program, it will carve the highest level, so if it is not laid out correctly it will not carve the lower depth. As the guys from CW put it "the highest level wins" So what you will eventually get is those f holes cut out, but is jst doesn't show it on the program

[Dookychase]

Hey liquidguitars, did you get a machine yet? If so, did you try and carve the guitar?
I emailed someone at Carvewright about carving archtops in the 15-16" range. He said they are working on another unit to cut in the 20-24' range and that it would be about a year or so before it was ready. He also didnt know about the price.

I'd like to have one but might wait to see if they do in fact make a bigger machine.

Dooky

[liquidguitars]

Hey liquidguitars, did you get a machine yet? If so, did you try and carve the guitar?
Yes I ordered on Jan 24 should be here any day now :wink: