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CNC or not

CNC or not ?

  • I like my basses cut by hand.

    Votes: 8 2.8%

  • I prefer a cnc cut bass.

    Votes: 38 13.1%

  • I don't mind.

    Votes: 243 84.1%
  • Total voters
    289
  • Poll closed .
#62
allexcosta said:
I wonder why US Lakland fretboards come crowned and leveled by master luthiers while Skyline's is done by a CNC...

Absurd, huh?
Click to expand...
Now, you're arguing for the sake of arguing. Where do you get your info?

Dan Lakin even says in this video the U.S. models go on the Plek machine, if they need to. The leveling of the board (not the frets) plays a bigger role in how the bass plays. Dan Lakin: "Generally, we don't have to level the frets." So "master craftsmen" finish the fret ends?

Lakland Factory Tour Video
 
#63
No, but it probably will burn if the cutting speeds are too high. Wood is among the lowest density material that can be worked in machining.
The speeds used for wood are very low compared to those used in metal working (which is what high speed tooling is designed for).
_________________
Click to expand...
_


.

High Speed Steel (HSS) is a cutting tool material, used
to make HSS twist drills, taps, endmills,cheapish router bits,etc.


wood is cut at much faster speeds and feeds than metals .
slow rpm speeds in wood will cause tearout of the grain.
slow feeds will burn the pizz out of the wood.

too high rpm speeds in metals will burn up the cutter.
too fast fpm feeds in metal s will overload the cutter.

in general, the harder the material, the slower it is cut.
softer, less dense the material is cut fast as possible to get
a better finish, avoid heat buildup.

most woodcutting is done with tungsten carbide routers.
high speed tools tend to wear-out pretty fast from the
abrasiveness of wood. some open grain woods(swamp ash,etc) contain
a considerable amount of grit(dirt) which will trash an High Speed Steel router in seconds.

sfm for maple = ~ 2000-4000 sfm
sfm for mild steel = ~ 75 -100 sfm

and that's just with HSS!
 
#64
piloted Forstner drill tools are used almost exclusively on drill press
type machines to create flat - bottom round holes, and unless there were some special circumstance,

they would almost never see cnc duty where a carbide endmill
would be the norm.
 
#65
First - I am no machinist, I am a bass player.

Second - Not that I ever will, but were I to spend $10,000+ for some of these "handcrafted" instruments, it had BETTER be built by hand or someone is giving me a refund. ;)

I also recall the ginormous scream fest among guitar players that ensued when it was found out that Paul Reed Smith had started using CNC machines. So much for the idea of "handmade" prices at a "machine made" plant...:D

Now, it really makes no difference to me whether a company uses CNC or not. Hell, I play Fenders and Ricks. I fully understand that mine are made in a plant with CNC machines and not some mystical religious ceremony where the wood is prayed over and "lovingly" touched ONLY by "Old World Craftsmen".....:D
 
#66
first- i am no bass player......:)

sorry couldn't resist !

anyway , as a machinist , i find this whole thread a total
goof . someone please put the boot to it so there can
be some real bass guitar discussions (bronco vs. electromatic,
what should i get ?) (bartolini vs. EMG , what will look cooler
on my Teisco?)
 
#67
madmachinist said:
first- i am no bass player......:)

sorry couldn't resist !

anyway , as a machinist , i find this whole thread a total
goof . someone please put the boot to it so there can
be some real bass guitar discussions (bronco vs. electromatic,
what should i get ?) (bartolini vs. EMG , what will look cooler
on my Teisco?)
Click to expand...

Yes! :)
 
#68
KingRazor said:
.... I care about how it turns out in the end, not about the process it took to get there.
Click to expand...

And that is what I would think is important.

A CNC is a tool, just as non-CNC machines, or files, or chisels are tools.
They are a means to an end, and all can, and are, utilized with varying degrees of success.

All this interwebz-hype, arrogant cork-sniffing is laughable. There are some very talented manufacturers using a variety of methods and tooling as their means to an end. CNC is just one of those options, and can be used very capably and successfully.
 
#70
CNC or not

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hmmm ... uhhh ... gee ....

sorry no opinion here ...

As long as the bass is made out of wood I am happy.


If you look at the old Rickenbacker brochures they proudly declare their instruments are all hand made. Well now in the 21st century the majoity of the wood cutting is cnc. Pretty much all electric instruments are made that way today.
 
#75
We have no qualms about trusting our lives to largely machine-built automobiles. If they can build something precise enough to trust your life with, can't they build something precise enough to play at a gig?

Of course I do believe finishing and final construction should be done by hand, because I haven't seen a machine yet invented that can do those satisfactorily.
 

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