Official Luthiers Forum!

How are you guys cutting out the heel portion of the acoustic neck with 3 axis cnc?

I'm looking to cut some acoustic necks on the machine I built and was wondering what was the best way.

Nice work on that machine!

I use a 1/2"ball mill (I think the tool is about 4" in length with about a 2" LOC?) and take small passes. It looks like you are using the same PC router that I am!

I use double stick tape and dowels to locate the neck on a small .25" pedestal (so that the ball mill tip can dip below the fingerboard glue up surface).

Trev

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

-Cutting the heel is really not that much different than cutting any other part. Just make sure you create your tool paths
carefully, simulate and have at it.

Is there anything in particular you are having problems with?

-Like mentioned, you can use a flat mill for the roughing passes, and then switch to a ball mill for the final pass. What will also work, is using a flat mill for the roughing, and the same mill for the finish, but doing so with a small step-over setting. The ball mill will leave a much better finish.

-Like Parser said, using pins or some other method to index and locate the neck is critical! You want to make sure that it is perfectly aligned, especially if you also use your router to finish the front, and then flip it for the back.

-Nice machine by the way. Looks like a modified "joe's cnc" design, is it? Very good on the rapids, what lead screws are you using, and what steppers?

Good job!

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-CyborgCNC
http://www.cncguitar.com
https://www.facebook.com/CncGuitar