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Posting DXF files here?

dune

dune

Gold Supporting Member
Jul 5, 2019
1,487
3,407
Utah
#1
Frustrated by my inability to find a 32"/33" metal fret slotting template anywhere in the US, I decided to lay one out on my own, creating a DXF file that I can send to Send Cut Send. The design is identical to the Stewmac one that I already have.

I have looked a bit, but if there's anywhere here on TB where a file like this could be posted to provide the same option for others I haven't found it.

I briefly considered having like 10 of them made so that I'd have some to sell, but decided against that in favor of hopefully leaving the file here somewhere so that anyone else who cares to can just download it for free and order their own from Send Cut Send.

I'm kind of assuming that file hosting just isn't something that the admins here want to get into and/or that uploads of DXFs are prohibited. If that is in fact the case, it's totally understandable but just thought I'd ask. Also, if it exists here, is dead obvious and I just missed it, my apologies, and it wouldn't be the first time.
 
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#4
I often do CAD drawings and select the print to PDF option in my program to convert the dxf files to PDFs. PDF format can be accurately printed by most printers and they can be re-sized and/or zoomed for direct use without printing without losing detail.

If you could post a dxf that might prove to be of limited use, as only those who had the ability to use that format could use them. The PDF option allows a much larger number of users to have access to the information.

For details such as fret spacing layout I normally put the layout within a bounding box plainly labeled with dimension, such as 7" by 9". That ensures that the printed layout will be accurately sized and is easily affirmed by the user by checking the printed boundary box dimensions.

As an example, I posted several PDFs in my bass construction topics here on Talkbass. Here's a fret spacing layout example from the topic "Building A Short Scale P Bass":

Fret layout

I make up my own aluminum layout rule by producing an accurate printout and transferring the layout to a cheap $1 aluminum yardstick from the big box home improvement store. I just sand all the markings off and repurpose it into a fret layout guide. Scribing the layout lines and going over them with a fine point Sharpie makes a robust and permanent layout rule.

This works so well that when I used to market drawings and instrument construction information that I simply sent a PDF to my local blueprint shop when I needed a new batch of drawings printed. I originally got the exact make and model of the large printer that the shop used and installed the print driver on my computer so I could send the owner the file tailored to his machine, but I quickly found out the PDF driver was much easier and quicker. His printers used huge rolls of size stable paper and could print any length and up to 60" wide.

An example of a full size printable pdf is attached.
 

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#5
A .dxf fileis generally a plain text file. I've taken a .dxf file named DC.dxf (sorry - not a bass) and renamed it DC.dxf.txt, then attached it to this post as an experiment. Assuming it gets through, the attachment can be copied to the local filesystem (Save link as ...) and renamed back to DC.dxf. Let's see what happens ...
 

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#6
rmmottola said:
A .dxf fileis generally a plain text file. I've taken a .dxf file named DC.dxf (sorry - not a bass) and renamed it DC.dxf.txt, then attached it to this post as an experiment. Assuming it gets through, the attachment can be copied to the local filesystem (Save link as ...) and renamed back to DC.dxf. Let's see what happens ...
Click to expand...
That gives me a readable text file with gibberish on 10,782 lines if that's any help.
 
#7
rmmottola said:
Assuming it gets through, the attachment can be copied to the local filesystem (Save link as ...) and renamed back to DC.dxf.
Click to expand...
Worked for me, opened as expected in MacOS Affinity Designer 2.

edit: on the whole it might be better if it can be uploaded as a DXF or ZIP file for the reasons below...
rudy4444 said:
That gives me a readable text file with gibberish on 10,782 lines if that's any help.
Click to expand...
What OS do you have and how is it configured? MacOS and Windows both by default hide the file extension and you have to override that manually, so it might appear as "DC.dxf" on your desktop even though it's actually "DC.dxf.txt".
 
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#12
rmmottola said:
The file has that number of lines. If you've never seen inside a .dxf file before, it will certainly look like gibberish. The test is to see if your CAD software can load the file. I'm testing with AutoDesk TrueView.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

It may be readable with my CAD software but that might be way beyond what many casual users might be able to deal with. I'm doing the "real world" check on a Chromebook, which has little or no capabilities of utilizing the text file version of a actual CAD program which might use dwg or dxf format.

My CAD software is installed on a Windows PC which has no ability to interface with the internet, that way I minimize any risk to my work and there's no updates or anti-virus software to deal with when doing audio / video editing or CAD work. If I desire to share anything then I move files via jump drive from my PC to my Chromebook.

I guess what I'm trying to suggest to the OP is to provide information in a format that can be added directly to a Talkbass topic posting that is immediately usable to the vast majority of folks accessing this forum, hence the suggestion of using PDF files.

Parking a file at a third party website is also problematic because useful information might not be accessible down the road. This was a huge problem for "Photobucket" users who used the "free" service and then had their photos held for ransom when they switched to a paid site format.

I also want to say how much I love (and appreciate) your website! ;)
 
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#13
The few times I've sent someone CAD files on TB was by getting an email address via PM and then sending it from my home email. I've never received a CAD file that way, if I did, I'd probably run an anti-virus scan on it before opening, but the TB builders seem like a pretty trustworthy crowd.
 
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#14
I did the same thing: Fret_Scale.dxf
Rickenbacker (33.25") scale one side and 32" on the other. Fabricated by SendCutSend on 0.100" 304 stainless steel. Turned out great!
I was never successful in sharing a DXF directly on here, but links to Google Drive or OneDrive mostly work fine. It would be preferable to have something that doesn't rely on me not eventually deleting the file...
 
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#16
Eric_Allard said:
I did the same thing: Fret_Scale.dxf
Rickenbacker (33.25") scale one side and 32" on the other. Fabricated by SendCutSend on 0.100" 304 stainless steel. Turned out great!
I was never successful in sharing a DXF directly on here, but links to Google Drive or OneDrive mostly work fine. It would be preferable to have something that doesn't rely on me not eventually deleting the file...
Click to expand...
Yes, and thank you so much for offering it to me. I definitely would have taken you up on it had the timing been different.
 
#19
Anyone who has Autocad probably already knows this, but the PDFIMPORT command does a pretty good job of converting PDF's into CAD, at least for PDF's that were originally exported from CAD in the first place. They don't always come in to scale, but most of the major guitar and bass hardware manufacturers have dimensioned drawings that are converted to CAD lines, and can be scale up accurately using the supplied dimensions. If somebody gives you PDF of a fret slot template, for instance, easy enough for Autocad to convert it.
 

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