This is so true. I purchased your plans thinking I could DIY my first CNC machine. When I was done making my source/price list I realized it would be far easier and cheaper to buy a ready made machine. All the unseen costs add up really fast. My next machine will be a different story.
Great series. Most people are only concerned about the price of the machine, and don't consider the prices of the computer and software. It about killed me to buy vcarve pro for $700, but in the end it was well worth it, and made me much more productive than I was with the free software I was using.
Spot on Chris! I love those candid moments you repeated to drive the point home LOL! :D I purchased a Genmitsu ProverXL 4030 that I converted to a 6060 (larger surface), for about $1,500.00, and have been able to generate usable grbl code that Candle runs on my laptop for acoustic guitar headstock logo work. Now I am trying to find the best CAM software to use and don't mind cobbling together solutions . I have downloaded Fusion 360 in the past, and have already used Carveco Maker (used to be called ArtCam and was an AutoDesk product). I am not new to computers, but am relatively new to CNC. I can see that CNC is really the only way I can hope to turn a profit since guitar making (or lutherie work in general) is very labor intensive. Time is money and if I ever hope to make anything for my effort, automation of some tasks will be essential to the effort. That's why comments about "soul" and religious arguments about certain woods ring hollow to me at times. I noticed that you have a video that discusses your CNC workflow where you use Adobe Illustrator for vector drawing and then import them into Rhino CAM. Was this due to cost? Fusion 360 used to have a "free" option, but they really don't anymore. It is a great product with a steep learning curve. I am not sure that I can achieve what I want with Carveco Maker. However, it is inexpensive ($13.00/month with a 10% Veteran's discount applied). I think it'll work well for the detail work that I previously mentioned above for the headstock inlay. I need something inexpensive to start with that will allow me to leverage my skillset (that I will inevitably develop while using the interim software solution(s)) into other, probably more costly, and perhaps better solutions down the road. I have been drooling a bit over the Laguna Tools IQ but I need to establish a market for my guitars first. Any thoughts you can share? Thanks again for your videos! Very insightful and well made.
Purchased your plan, but ended up not using it. Built a variation on the theme with upgrades. Upgrades were all aluminum, bigger motors, 2.2KW spindle, ballscrews, dust boot, and water cooling system. Came in around $2500. After 2 months of building and learning, it's running great. Learning the ropes with Fusion 360 and Carbide Create, but will buy Vectric shortly. For $2500 I could have bought a Onefinity or similar, but I wouldn't have learned as much. There's value in the struggle. Agree it should not be taken lightly.
Also, everyone that wants to get into the world of cnc's, expect to spend at least 100 hours between searching the parts, buying parts, building the cnc, improving the efficiency of the cnc and learning how to finish a project.
Building your own CNC router is certainly less expensive than a ready to use machine and not too difficult. Cost can vary a lot and will depend to an extent on what tools you have, the design of the machine, and components/materials you choose. The big advantage is that you can probably make a more rigid machine with better capabilities.
My build, based on these plans is going to come in at around $5,000. before the CAD and CAM software packages. I made some changes on my machine, replacing the wood parts of the structure with aluminum, upgrading many other parts and using a Masso controller. The Masso is a self contained unit that runs your CNC that does NOT require a computer. Honestly, the cost of the Masso ends up being less than buying a computer, the boards required and Mach 3... obviously if you have an old computer lying around that can be used for this purpose, make sure it will be able to stand up to constant use, because it has to run trouble free through the entire cutting process. CNC's are complex machines, that require a great deal of time, energy, research and education. Chris offers many fabulous suggestions, helpful tips and a great deal of the education needed to get started. The plans truly helped guide me and were worth every penny!
Don't forget you'll need a capable computer for creating the 3D models required for 3D carving (contoured guitar bodies, neck contours, etc.). And the software as well.
@@HighlineGuitars I agree, so many aspects need to be taken into consideration. Another thought is consumables... there are so many aspects to juggle, learn and put into practice... it's impossible to include it all in one video, forum post or comment. Thank you for guiding my experience.
@@HighlineGuitars a good resource is the world of gaming laptop computers. They're one of the few left that you can still upgrade the RAM in quickly and easily. A gaming computer can cost $1k (to infinity), but are designed for heavy lifting.
I would think you have to have big pockets or making lots of guitars to justify the cost and time required in setting up and learning to operate a CNC machine. You learn good skills by band-sawing, spindle sanding, routing, drilling and shaping guitar bodies by hand. 🤗
The tools you mentioned are not hard to learn how to use and if you use good templates (usually made on a CNC machine) require little skill. Also, when you add up the cost of those tools, you are in the realm of a decent consumer CNC machine. If you’re going to learn a new skill, learn a skill that uses the latest technology.
Last I checked with Fusion 360 is that you can use it for free and sell stuff you've made from it if your company makes less than $100,000 a year. That may have changed as Fusion is constantly changing it seems.
E. é exatamente assim. incrivelmente correto nas informações. passei por tudo isso, entre construir e fazer algo com a cnc é desfiador e gratificante...esclarecedor seus vídeos parabéns!
Hello!!! I constantly watch your interesting videos. Please tell me, why did you change your x-carve cnc machine to a homemade cnc machine??? X--Carve is broken???
Hey Chris! You just made me click on to see who you were. Now… since recess is is all banged up, I suppose it will be after school. Hahahaha. Okay so I’ll subscribe till then!😬
Man, you've been talking so much about cnc routers that now I can't get the idea of building one out of my head haha... If you were to do it all over, would you make the z axis longer? I'm not a guitar builder, so I don't know if something big enough to make use of a 100mm long bit would be overkill or not, but at the same time I don't want to spend all that time and money on a machine and have to change the dimensions later.
For some reason, people think they need all kinds of Z axis height. They don't. I never cut deeper than a total of 2" so 5" is more than enough Z axis clearance.
@@HighlineGuitars thanks, your machine looks way more compact than what I had in mind and it handles all kinds of guitar related projects just fine. It's funny how you can blow your budget by almost twice what you had in mind just by making a way too big and heavy machine that probably wouldn't be using 40% of its working area.
The best Guitar teacher ever I've met. Simple and easy to understand the explanation yet complete guide
Thanks!
This is so true. I purchased your plans thinking I could DIY my first CNC machine. When I was done making my source/price list I realized it would be far easier and cheaper to buy a ready made machine. All the unseen costs add up really fast. My next machine will be a different story.
Great series. Most people are only concerned about the price of the machine, and don't consider the prices of the computer and software. It about killed me to buy vcarve pro for $700, but in the end it was well worth it, and made me much more productive than I was with the free software I was using.
Great video very good explanation
Spot on Chris! I love those candid moments you repeated to drive the point home LOL! :D I purchased a Genmitsu ProverXL 4030 that I converted to a 6060 (larger surface), for about $1,500.00, and have been able to generate usable grbl code that Candle runs on my laptop for acoustic guitar headstock logo work. Now I am trying to find the best CAM software to use and don't mind cobbling together solutions . I have downloaded Fusion 360 in the past, and have already used Carveco Maker (used to be called ArtCam and was an AutoDesk product). I am not new to computers, but am relatively new to CNC. I can see that CNC is really the only way I can hope to turn a profit since guitar making (or lutherie work in general) is very labor intensive. Time is money and if I ever hope to make anything for my effort, automation of some tasks will be essential to the effort. That's why comments about "soul" and religious arguments about certain woods ring hollow to me at times. I noticed that you have a video that discusses your CNC workflow where you use Adobe Illustrator for vector drawing and then import them into Rhino CAM. Was this due to cost? Fusion 360 used to have a "free" option, but they really don't anymore. It is a great product with a steep learning curve. I am not sure that I can achieve what I want with Carveco Maker. However, it is inexpensive ($13.00/month with a 10% Veteran's discount applied). I think it'll work well for the detail work that I previously mentioned above for the headstock inlay. I need something inexpensive to start with that will allow me to leverage my skillset (that I will inevitably develop while using the interim software solution(s)) into other, probably more costly, and perhaps better solutions down the road. I have been drooling a bit over the Laguna Tools IQ but I need to establish a market for my guitars first. Any thoughts you can share? Thanks again for your videos! Very insightful and well made.
Purchased your plan, but ended up not using it. Built a variation on the theme with upgrades. Upgrades were all aluminum, bigger motors, 2.2KW spindle, ballscrews, dust boot, and water cooling system. Came in around $2500. After 2 months of building and learning, it's running great. Learning the ropes with Fusion 360 and Carbide Create, but will buy Vectric shortly. For $2500 I could have bought a Onefinity or similar, but I wouldn't have learned as much. There's value in the struggle. Agree it should not be taken lightly.
Also, everyone that wants to get into the world of cnc's, expect to spend at least 100 hours between searching the parts, buying parts, building the cnc, improving the efficiency of the cnc and learning how to finish a project.
The subject of time will be a future episode. So many details!!
Learning how to finish a project is a project in itself :)
Building your own CNC router is certainly less expensive than a ready to use machine and not too difficult. Cost can vary a lot and will depend to an extent on what tools you have, the design of the machine, and components/materials you choose. The big advantage is that you can probably make a more rigid machine with better capabilities.
My build, based on these plans is going to come in at around $5,000. before the CAD and CAM software packages. I made some changes on my machine, replacing the wood parts of the structure with aluminum, upgrading many other parts and using a Masso controller. The Masso is a self contained unit that runs your CNC that does NOT require a computer. Honestly, the cost of the Masso ends up being less than buying a computer, the boards required and Mach 3... obviously if you have an old computer lying around that can be used for this purpose, make sure it will be able to stand up to constant use, because it has to run trouble free through the entire cutting process. CNC's are complex machines, that require a great deal of time, energy, research and education. Chris offers many fabulous suggestions, helpful tips and a great deal of the education needed to get started. The plans truly helped guide me and were worth every penny!
Don't forget you'll need a capable computer for creating the 3D models required for 3D carving (contoured guitar bodies, neck contours, etc.). And the software as well.
@@HighlineGuitars I agree, so many aspects need to be taken into consideration. Another thought is consumables... there are so many aspects to juggle, learn and put into practice... it's impossible to include it all in one video, forum post or comment. Thank you for guiding my experience.
@@HighlineGuitars a good resource is the world of gaming laptop computers. They're one of the few left that you can still upgrade the RAM in quickly and easily. A gaming computer can cost $1k (to infinity), but are designed for heavy lifting.
Thanks bud. reality can be a rude awakening but appreciated. Good straight talk on the entire thing.
I would think you have to have big pockets or making lots of guitars to justify the cost and time required in setting up and learning to operate a CNC machine. You learn good skills by band-sawing, spindle sanding, routing, drilling and shaping guitar bodies by hand. 🤗
The tools you mentioned are not hard to learn how to use and if you use good templates (usually made on a CNC machine) require little skill. Also, when you add up the cost of those tools, you are in the realm of a decent consumer CNC machine. If you’re going to learn a new skill, learn a skill that uses the latest technology.
Last I checked with Fusion 360 is that you can use it for free and sell stuff you've made from it if your company makes less than $100,000 a year. That may have changed as Fusion is constantly changing it seems.
What are the rough dimensions for the bench that your CNC sits on?
55" X 44"
you need a really stable platform to mount it on yes?
Of course.
E. é exatamente assim. incrivelmente correto nas informações.
passei por tudo isso, entre construir e fazer algo com a cnc é desfiador e gratificante...esclarecedor seus vídeos parabéns!
I bought your plans .. can I use single start acme lead screws instead of 5 start?
NO!!!
Hello!!! I constantly watch your interesting videos. Please tell me, why did you change your x-carve cnc machine to a homemade cnc machine??? X--Carve is broken???
Hey Chris! You just made me click on to see who you were. Now… since recess is is all banged up, I suppose it will be after school. Hahahaha. Okay so I’ll subscribe till then!😬
I've bought everything for my DIY CNC-machine about 9 months ago and still couldn't finally assemble it
Man, you've been talking so much about cnc routers that now I can't get the idea of building one out of my head haha... If you were to do it all over, would you make the z axis longer? I'm not a guitar builder, so I don't know if something big enough to make use of a 100mm long bit would be overkill or not, but at the same time I don't want to spend all that time and money on a machine and have to change the dimensions later.
For some reason, people think they need all kinds of Z axis height. They don't. I never cut deeper than a total of 2" so 5" is more than enough Z axis clearance.
@@HighlineGuitars thanks, your machine looks way more compact than what I had in mind and it handles all kinds of guitar related projects just fine. It's funny how you can blow your budget by almost twice what you had in mind just by making a way too big and heavy machine that probably wouldn't be using 40% of its working area.
@@luisownerbr As I have said before, over engineering can kill a project. Take the time to do the math and you'll come out way ahead.
sweet Tomie shirt. didnt take you for a fan of junji ito’s works
👍