Hello Everyone guitar builder new to the X carve

Projects Luthier
1

Hello Everyone,

I am an acoustic and electric builder who just purchased an 1000mm X-Carve from a guy on a whim. This is going to be a fun experience I’m sure. my main initial goal would be to rough out my electric bolt on necks quickly, and maybe do some simple inlay on acoustic headstock veneers.

From a software point of view, what does everyone use? I just downloaded ink scape to create SVG files, but what about a CAD type program like Sketch up, or Fusion 360? I can’t see being very accurate using just Easel… Also, can someone point me in the right direction to maybe a crash course on Easel?

Thanks in advance.

Jimmy

1 Like
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yeah Easel is not limited in accuracy, but it is limited in functionality.

Vcarve is good. Meshcam and Fusion360 are good alternatives that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

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Thanks everyone. I will keep moving along with Fusion 360. My machine should be here later this week. Hopefully I get over the learning curve with 360 sooner rather than later. I appreciate the input.

Jimmy

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Fusion360 may feel intimidating at first but once you have the grasp of things it is very powerful indeed.
Its free for hobbyists/start-ups and is a full blown 3D modelling (CAD) and post processor (CAM) system.

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Sorry - not an answer but another related question. Inlay bit selection? I have an X-Carve machine and V-Carve pro software. My mission is to cut wood and Mother/Pearl, etc. for inlay work with fine detail (headstock logo, fretboard deco, etc.). I need capability for fine detail but small dept cuts (1/16 - 3/32) . My thinking is that a very small angled bit (10-15 degree) would be a good choice for this. I’m seeing “engraving” bits that fit this description but not cutting bits. Will an engraving bit work if used slow enough? Do I really need an angled bit (I never used one in hand work but looked like a good idea). Is X-Carve even capable of doing this kind of work or am I dreaming? If not, any help on bit selection would be much appreciated.

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I’ve never cut mother of pearl, but I’ve had good results cutting fine detail in wood with end mills similar to these. Drillman1 - 1/16 bits.

If you need to put mitered edges on your inlay and pockets you could use a 60 - 90 degree v-bit after cutting the pocket/inlay. Something like this.

Another option for fine decoration would be something like a tapered ball end mill

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At some point I’m hoping to use my 1000mm Shapeoko2 to make an acoustic guitar (preferably a Dreadnought, but I’ll start with anything). I was wondering if anyone had any links to plans or files I could import into Fusion360 (which I have used for other things). Since this will be my first guitar, it would be nice if I didn’t have to start from scratch in Fusion360. At first glance it seemed to me that the neck would be the hardest part to model. Thanks.