i have the sane 3018. here is a few tips. they make an aluminum z axis for about $80 and equip it with the 500w spindle. the 885 spindle really is crap. also look into upgrading the stepper motors and possibly getting the hybrid closed loop setup. it will make it way more stable. i also picked up the 40w input 15w output laser and can make the inlays myself, it can cut upto 3/4" wood i have used it to cut out 1/4" walnut all the time. now my 3018 sits and never gets turned on because i bought a 9014 which is 36" x 56" working area with a 3.5kw spindle powered by a gecko g540 control board. i bought a chinese frame kit and built it just as i did with the 3018. there was a little bit of learning curve from grbl to mach3 but it was well worth it. im getting ready to make a Jem for myself and a PIA for my granddaughter. also best tip anyone could ever give. never buy cheapo parts, bits or cables. get high quality bits your cuts will show it in the lack of need for cleanup work. and always use a downcut bit for the inlays it leaves a clean top surface.
It takes me less than 10 minutes to carve the plus and minus for my logo inlay. Carving a body, neck, and fretboard takes about 6 hours and from there I only need to do some final 320-400 grit sanding before applying the finish. If I was really gung ho, I could easily make 3-4 guitars a week. By myself. CNC is the way.
Thanks for the info! I'm 100% new to CNC , and this little machine seems like a perfect intro to learning it. What do you use for finish? I'm using spray can lacquer (satin only, no buffing involved) for anything with color, and tung oil for natural wood.
@@KleshGuitarsOfficial I think that little machine will get you up to speed very quickly and without forking a lot of money to do so. For my high gloss clear coats, I spray Centurion water-based 2K polyurethane. Crystalac Brite Tone also works very well but isn't as bulletproof as the Centurion. For natural hand-rubbed finishes, which I prefer, I use Sutherland Welles Polymerized Tung Oil since it cures in 8-12 hours. One of these days we should meet up to do some gold panning and talk geetars.
@@KleshGuitarsOfficial actually… you know that huge hoard of silver you are planning to melt? If you carved your logo into a decorative piece of wood and filled it with silver, you could display the piece… 🤔
Nice little machine! I know it's only a couple hundred bucks, but for future reference on a maybe higher price cnc, use blue medium strength Locktite or some other medium strength thread locker on those coupler grub screws. Epoxy works fine but is a nightmare to take apart when you finally wear out the lead screws driving the spindle, the gantry and bed and you need to change them. Blue Locktite only requires a little heat to soften it up...
Awesome finishing job on the guitar! What was the mixture you had for the Tung Oil? Thanks for the info on the CNC router. I've struggled with placing a logo on my wood projects.
How would I do this, if I wanted to fill the inlay with pearloid or resin and on the fretboard? Would I CNC out the shape, pour with resin and then would I raidus the fretboard with resin already in?
Hey Thanks for sharing! I just ordered the same CNC. I’m excited to start doing my peg heads with logo inlays! Do you still like the unit with the 10k rpm motor? It seems like a smart/cheap ungraded to the 20k they offer.
Yeah i just did 6 full logo inlays yesterday. Works great, had to buy the Easel Pro program though, the trial ended and was stuck buying it. I will put it to good use though. Totally worth it , perfect results. Only word of advice, Remember to measure 5 times cut once
The finish going on that stunning claro walnut top was my favorite part of the video.
OH SWEET! That woodgrane POPPED🤯 from the oil. The mini cnc is a Badazz little beast. 🤘👍
Oh yeah!
You are really amazing mostly to everything. So inspirational ❤️
i have the sane 3018. here is a few tips. they make an aluminum z axis for about $80 and equip it with the 500w spindle. the 885 spindle really is crap. also look into upgrading the stepper motors and possibly getting the hybrid closed loop setup. it will make it way more stable. i also picked up the 40w input 15w output laser and can make the inlays myself, it can cut upto 3/4" wood i have used it to cut out 1/4" walnut all the time. now my 3018 sits and never gets turned on because i bought a 9014 which is 36" x 56" working area with a 3.5kw spindle powered by a gecko g540 control board. i bought a chinese frame kit and built it just as i did with the 3018. there was a little bit of learning curve from grbl to mach3 but it was well worth it. im getting ready to make a Jem for myself and a PIA for my granddaughter. also best tip anyone could ever give. never buy cheapo parts, bits or cables. get high quality bits your cuts will show it in the lack of need for cleanup work. and always use a downcut bit for the inlays it leaves a clean top surface.
Looks amazing. I never expected a person could find a cnc machine that cheap. Another great video. Thank you.
Me neither
Seeing that woodgrain was worth every second. That shop must smell amazing. Sweet CNC, seems to do a great job.
Yeah it normally smells great like a wood shop, but when I have guitars hanging in finish, it smells like chemicals.
I can't wait to hear them play please do a live we're you test the massiveness of your talents sir as a player as well as a builder. Love you brother
I will post a video demonstrating the tonal differences for ya
Wow! Looking Awesome! 👍I am happy for you that the inlay Machine is working out. Looking fowards to the next video.
Thanks 👍
looks so good man
Those inlays look Phenomenal! Work smart not hard.
Good stuff Shane. Thanks.
It takes me less than 10 minutes to carve the plus and minus for my logo inlay. Carving a body, neck, and fretboard takes about 6 hours and from there I only need to do some final 320-400 grit sanding before applying the finish. If I was really gung ho, I could easily make 3-4 guitars a week. By myself. CNC is the way.
Thanks for the info! I'm 100% new to CNC , and this little machine seems like a perfect intro to learning it. What do you use for finish? I'm using spray can lacquer (satin only, no buffing involved) for anything with color, and tung oil for natural wood.
@@KleshGuitarsOfficial I think that little machine will get you up to speed very quickly and without forking a lot of money to do so. For my high gloss clear coats, I spray Centurion water-based 2K polyurethane. Crystalac Brite Tone also works very well but isn't as bulletproof as the Centurion. For natural hand-rubbed finishes, which I prefer, I use Sutherland Welles Polymerized Tung Oil since it cures in 8-12 hours. One of these days we should meet up to do some gold panning and talk geetars.
Mad Upgrade!
looks good. i'm inspired!
The blue burst came out awesome! And nice upgrade with the new tool. Now the machine can carve your logo and you can pour molten gold to fill it in. 😉
Cool idea I wonder if it would burn the wood, or if it did, if I could sand it clean after it hardens..
@@KleshGuitarsOfficial actually… you know that huge hoard of silver you are planning to melt? If you carved your logo into a decorative piece of wood and filled it with silver, you could display the piece… 🤔
Nice little machine! I know it's only a couple hundred bucks, but for future reference on a maybe higher price cnc, use blue medium strength Locktite or some other medium strength thread locker on those coupler grub screws. Epoxy works fine but is a nightmare to take apart when you finally wear out the lead screws driving the spindle, the gantry and bed and you need to change them. Blue Locktite only requires a little heat to soften it up...
Gotcha will do - This one is just a learner and now that I've learned quite a bit, I'll most likely be upgrading
Great work
Thank you so much 😀
Awesome!!!!!
Awesome finishing job on the guitar! What was the mixture you had for the Tung Oil? Thanks for the info on the CNC router. I've struggled with placing a logo on my wood projects.
Yep, so the mixture is 50/50 mineral oil / tung oil for the first coat. After that it's just pure tung oil for the remaining coat(s).
I need this machine! I think the software will work on a Mac.
Yes it will work with MAC from what i've read
THAT is SO Bad Ass!!!! 😯😉
use some dry grease spray (PTFE grease) on the X, Y, Z screws
I sprayed some PB blaster , it quieted the squealing
My brother built a 12'x12' C&C Machine because he's a dork... 😄😆🤣 Cool machines though. All the best!
Wow he sounds like an awesome dork!
@@KleshGuitarsOfficial lol 😄😁 He is awesome.
How would I do this, if I wanted to fill the inlay with pearloid or resin and on the fretboard? Would I CNC out the shape, pour with resin and then would I raidus the fretboard with resin already in?
Exactly. Just be sure to go deep enough in your fretboard because after radiusing, the sides will obviously be thinner than the middle. Good luck!
Hey Thanks for sharing! I just ordered the same CNC. I’m excited to start doing my peg heads with logo inlays! Do you still like the unit with the 10k rpm motor? It seems like a smart/cheap ungraded to the 20k they offer.
Yeah i just did 6 full logo inlays yesterday. Works great, had to buy the Easel Pro program though, the trial ended and was stuck buying it. I will put it to good use though. Totally worth it , perfect results. Only word of advice, Remember to measure 5 times cut once
@@KleshGuitarsOfficial Thanks! I’ll look into Easel Pro, and if it’s worth it at this point for me,or find some other software.
Brilliant! How hard is it to program your logo into the software?
The only confusing part was to change the file type, that will allow Easel to read it, but once I had that figured out it was surprisingly simple.
@@KleshGuitarsOfficial Cool! Thanks, some sweet looking guitars there btw 👍
Is that a macabre shirt
Hell yeah it's a Macabre shirt