Making A Guitar Body On A CNC Machine

In this episode, watch as I use my CNC machine to rout a guitar body, sand it smooth by hand, and install some binding.

[@richardelam3210]

Using a short run of pipe to protect the body from the long drill bit is really clever. Wish I had thought of that.

[@anakindean6434]

i dont mean to be so offtopic but does anyone know a method to log back into an instagram account..? I was stupid forgot the password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me.

[@damarigeorge1412]

@Anakin Dean Instablaster ;)

[@JobyP]

The pipe around the drill bit when drilling the pickup wire channel.... THAT was the best thing about this video... I am SO using that idea... #smart

[@magnumardent]

This is a very nice guitar shape. I especcially like the neck/body transition on the back of the piece....thanks, man, great upload!

[@TexanUSMC8089]

It's incredible that it holds together with just glue and no dowels or anything like that. Awesome job. Thanks.

[@hhattingh]

IKR? Still scratching my head. Disclaimer I'm not a luthier or carpenter so there is that.

[@stuarthall5271]

@@hhattingh Wood glue really is an incredible thing when used correctly.

[@danabbate4623]

Love this guitar. Thank you so much for your videos. I am simply a hobbyist maker and have learned so much from all your videos. Now I want to build a CNC for weekend fun. I've had the intention of purchasing a turnkey system but I did purchase your CNC plans because I wanted to show support for all I have learned. Now, as I get further into my CNC research (paralysis by analysis) and have begun comparing components and prices it is clear that your design is the direction I want to go. I have begun purchasing parts! Thank you again. I truly appreciate all the effort you put in.

[@thomasbreene893]

Good lord! Maestro! That was inspiring! And you throw in the "Ode to Joy" as the soundtrack! I watched the CNC-centric videos of yours (designing a different instrument), but to see that process rendered with flying wood chips, machine precision, designer skill and forethought, and with LVB playing??? Super moving!

[@HighlineGuitars]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MrPatzerat]

Great Work Chris! Another inspiring video

[@juanwalte9418]

Simply, beautiful. Bravo.

[@InvisibleKingStudio]

This is so satisfying to watch. Thank you.

[@MangoOverload91]

Beautiful work!

[@audiorepublik]

Amazing!!! So informative, and deeply relaxing. It great to see you work. Many thanks

[@bjornandersson6713]

Love it! It's gonna be a looker for sure. Keep up the good work. Peace

[@pyroguitars1296]

That was really fun to watch. And the carved guitar is stunning. I hope to buy a 2nd hand machine soon and begin the job of learning whilst doing.

[@rickcarlson5109]

Nice work no loss of any time I like the Idea of the tube around your bit for the angled holes trying to save up for cnc but I better start saving my money for wood 😉

[@mrubin6270]

Nice,,,you got skills man, and it motivates!

[@can5projects563]

great work. love it

[@freeelectron8261]

Milling to Beethoven's 9th symphony - love it! :)

[@thijs199]

Really like the color combo

[@cncsphere]

Looks great.

[@AleksanderLydkunst]

Awesome video man! I’m gonna need to buy a CNC soon, or at least make a dupli-carver to help streamline my build process

[@rahl1233]

Such magic!

[@michaelgamboa4986]

with that music i can take a month watching this

[@demantoid418]

That fret board ... WOW I need one. thanks

[@kevinofficial6980]

You are amazing!

[@HighlineGuitars]

Wow, thank you!

[@nmonye01]

I love this. This why I love KZbin.

[@dsantos5548]

Man love your videos! You Rock bro! Whooooooos at the piano?????? OMG!!!! You should listen some Egberto Gismonti's tunes... Palhaço is my favorite one. Cheers from Piraporinha!!

[@petedazer3381]

Very nice

[@deantobe]

Bravo!

[@jonmccrory2317]

Love your design,, on this guitar, Would Love to have the STL Files ,, Also show you some of my guitar Builds, Love all your videos,, Dale

[@fredscott413]

I have to make mine lefty,thank you.

[@thebigswede1736]

That fretboard tho!!

[@ZARCULIA]

Would love a flying v with that headstock . Maybe a different version V , than a Gibson or Jackson, slight twist to the body design.

[@lachijames6213]

Reminds me of the Ibanez Iceman (PS) headstock. It looks so good.

[@jez6345789]

HI Chris I appreciate the video is sped during the cutting but roughly how much machine time does that body take to carve thanks

[@michaelfleetwood8583]

Enjoyed your video, i"m not a guitar maker or a CNC owner presently, been researching CNC machines presently. was wondering what manufacture your machine is it looks very well made. If you could reply I would greatly appreciate. Again a very interesting video on making guitars.

[@Piccyman1]

When you turned the body over, how did you ensure that you had aligned it accurately, the centre line is easy, but the front to back position not so ?

[@tomdowler5416]

I have the same question.

[@MrMinecrafter720]

probably locating pins, with holes machined into the sides of the blank and the wasteboard

[@christiancolon147]

I am not a CNC machinist, but I would imagine that if your blank is only turning over by 180 degrees so the opposite side is up, tracing the outline of your blank would probably work just fine. Again, I am not a CNC machinist but I dont really see why it would effect it as long as initial carve is 100% in the center of the blank.

[@budiono8769]

Wonderful shape of a Bolt neck...

[@HighlineGuitars]

It's a set-in neck.

[@budiono8769]

@@HighlineGuitars but i Don't see any screws behind the back of the guitar body.to locking the neck?

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@budiono8769 I don't know what you're talking about. A set-in neck is a neck secured in place with glue.

[@dj_tmc]

Thank you for showing the entire process! I’m looking into getting a CNC router for guitar building. One question I have: what tips do you have to ensure alignment between the back and front? Thanks!

[@HighlineGuitars]

I mark the centerlines on the front and back of my blanks (length and width) and line them up with centerlines engraved into the wasteboard of my CNC machine.

[@jimmykunz1]

In the year 2525. Ever heard that song?

[@donvu101]

Hello. Just finished watching your Guitar Body on a CNC Machine video and am thinking of buying your plans. Can you tell me how it costs in total to build? I loved your video. I really like your CNC Machine design as well.

[@fredscott413]

WOW.

[@scratchcrafter]

hello nice video, may I ask where you purchased the CNC from ?

[@rmccain99]

Warmoth will only route a Fender neck pocket and I have a BassMods roasted maple neck which is wider than Fender. That's something to think about if you want something from Warmoth.

[@dickwright9609]

Very impressive. Thank you. I bought your CNC machine plan and hope to build it. But before I start spending, I have a question about tooling. The router you specify has a 1/4 inch collet but I cannot find 1/4 shank bits that can rout the depth of 1.75 inch body. I should be grateful if you could point me in the right direction. Regards.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Try one of these: www.precisionbits.com/up-cut-bits/?features_hash=15-9536_19-9580_33-11467

[@hhattingh]

Did he cut the binding separately? I don't remember him doing it/contour in 3D tutorial. Amazing to watch. Thank you. One day I may give it a try.

[@HighlineGuitars]

The channel was built into the 3D model.

[@hhattingh]

@@HighlineGuitars Thank you. It was only a few minutes later I found the 3rd follow up. I had to go look for it, and forgot to remove my question. Thanks for all the great information. Not luthier, but I certainly can apply same ideas on so many different projects.

[@dalgguitars]

What is that liquid you painted on before the thin superglue? Thanks again for the great videos!

[@HighlineGuitars]

Accelerator. It makes superglue dry even faster.

[@ZARCULIA]

I would spend all my money on wood , and make a body every day. So cool

[@AndrewScott1762]

Thanks for the videos man. Greatly helpful! So when you’re milling a piece, do you sit and babysit or can you go in the house and do other things while it’s running?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I stay in the same room while it works, however, I'm not babysitting since I have a multitude of other tasks to do.

[@MikeCindyWhite]

Nice work Chris, lots of nice comfort carves/surfacing do you use a ball end mill for that?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Not in this case. I've had a hard time seeing any difference in the surface quality between a straight end mill and a ball end mill.

[@tonyflies1]

This Guitar is prob my fav so far, great work. Quick question, in an earlier video you talk about your processes with design, from illustrator to Rhino and then to Easel and mesh cam. Do you still use Easel for 2D cutting now you use your own CNC?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I still use it for simple cuts like fret slots and perimeter shapes.

[@motoputz3201]

cool video , thanks. what program are you running?

[@HighlineGuitars]

For CAD I use Adobe Illustrator and Rhino 3D. For CAM, I use MeshCAM. For 2D cuts and to send the g-code to the machine, I use Easel Pro.

[@mattaquinn]

Beautiful. Off topic, but curious - what is the fretboard wood?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Bocote.

[@kevinallen1761]

What is your reference to align the blank when cutting the second set up?

[@HighlineGuitars]

The blank's center point.

[@Swanlord05]

What machine brand us this?

[@rodolfomisao123]

May u tell me what is the CNC working area size in mm?

[@jgc25gomes83]

Como conseguir o vetor? Dxf etc...? Obg! Parabéns!

[@HighlineGuitars]

I don't offer plans for this particular guitar. I do have plans for other designs (pdf only) available in my KZbin merch store linked below the description for this video.

[@TheJTK123]

Hey, awesome video. Curious how you know the proper dimensions and spacing of the pickups, and bridge relative to the guitar neck? Is there like a standard measurement for the distance between pickups and distance from bridge to the neck? Some pickups are angled and so is the bridge? Also how did you drill the truss rod hole? Just a super long bit? Sorry for all the questions

[@HighlineGuitars]

Despite what some “experts” will claim, there is no standard or ideal placement for pickups. It all depends on how much space there is between the bridge and the heel of the neck. The closer to the bridge a pickup is placed, the brighter it sounds. The closer to the heel of the neck, the warmer a pickup will sound. Some say there’s a sweet spot, but that’s nonsense since it would move as soon as you start fretting the strings.

[@TheJTK123]

@@HighlineGuitars I appreciate that reply! That makes sense. I started following you on Instagram and messaged you to ask if you happen to build custom 7 string guitars?

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@TheJTK123 I have built many in the past including multi-scale 7 stringers.

[@TheJTK123]

@@HighlineGuitars well I'm definitely interested in starting to get things figured out for designing a custom 7 string and would like your input. What is the best way to get ahold you?

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@TheJTK123 My eguitarplans website at www.eguitarplans.com/ where I also sell plans for sevenstring guitars.

[@mattjc]

How do you ensure you keep your alignment when you flip the piece?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I use the blank's center point as my reference for both sides.

[@kipphockin5896]

What bits are you using? I have new files for a design I've worked on, but the bits I have won't work. What you're using looks like what I'll need. Thanks-Kipp

[@HighlineGuitars]

This video will explain what I typically use: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6HNh3ydfbOUo7M

[@jasonpalagi114]

How long did the whole process of cutting out the body on the CNC take?

[@HighlineGuitars]

2-3 hours.

[@cwboxguitars]

What bits are you using for carving your bodies?

[@HighlineGuitars]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2SlZ6ucq5V9iJY

[@JP1AO]

So how much could you scale down your cnc and still be able to make bodies and necks?

[@JP1AO]

Nevermind. I see there is a lot of space taken up by the dogs.

[@DavidTaylor-th2fq]

Could you share the specs of your CNC? I would like to build one and really like how yours.

[@HighlineGuitars]

The working area is 546mm (X), 965mm (Y), 127 (Z). A complete assembly guide is available at www.eguitarplans.com/ This video shows how I assembled my machine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqHHdqKPnbN5pcU

[@raine4214]

Hello, sir. Was wondering what type of CNC setup it is you are using as far as the workspace, table, and unit itself?

[@HighlineGuitars]

The working space is 27" on the X axis, 37" on the Y axis and 5" on the Z axis. Overall size is 37" wide, 55" long, and 28" tall.

[@raine4214]

@@HighlineGuitars very cool, am looking into getting one of these. What kind is it ?

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@raine4214 It's my own design. highline-custom-guitars-2.creator-spring.com/listing/cnc-machine?product=953

[@stratman._.]

But how did u do it? What settings did u use? What tools did u use?

[@HighlineGuitars]

This isn't a "how-to" video. This video explains how I do it now: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qomtpaSEmJuXmac

[@jatna77]

How do you know where to precisely position the body blank, especially when you turn it over?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I mark the exact center point on both sides of the blank. From there, I know where to position the router to start each carving operation.

[@joshuac6657]

(Passing through and thought I'd add this) Jatna77, another thing to check out would be the datum points in your CAM software. The (0,0,0) point is your homing centre. You can use a probe to pin point (no pun intended hahaha) this homing position. Hope this helps! :)

[@jatna77]

Thanks!

[@joshuac6657]

No worries! Of course, this is stuff I learned from this channel. Chris' stuff is an absolute bloomin' gold mine. His CNC plans are actually the best I've seen on here. Not an advert, just saying 😁

[@rmccain99]

Let's see now, it took Warmoth 3.5 months under COVID19 to send my bass body. A roasted maple Warmoth deluxe. They could not route my Bartolini candy bar but they did route Musicman at the bridge position. R U stateside and what your address. My Luthear at PST guitars is on rehab after a pinky accident so I can't get any work done there. I need options.

[@zacadelic7247]

What Cnc router do you have, or did you make yours??

[@HighlineGuitars]

I have a home built machine and an X-Carve Pro.

[@st0mper121]

What software did you use to design it? I would love to be able to do this.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Rhinoceros 3D.

[@st0mper121]

@@HighlineGuitars Nice job on that. Just got my first CNC and my fusion 360 knew when to expire:( Its a hobby

[@christopherdiesso]

How did you program it?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I created a full size 3D model in Rhino 3d and imported it into MeshCAM which I used to generate the g-code files.

[@joshferguson9421]

Where did you find the plans for it? As of right now I'm making one by hand. It would be much quicker on a cnc.

[@HighlineGuitars]

I draw my own plans and create my own models and g-code.

[@joshferguson9421]

Well dammit, I just got my cnc last week. I'm not that good yet. Lol

[@LeMans512]

He spreads glue with his pinky like Bob Benedetto.

[@vansavage4027]

I’m looking at buying a cnc. May I ask which machine you use?

[@HighlineGuitars]

It’s my own design. I sell the plans at www.eguitarplans.com

[@BillyBN]

Awesome vid, where do you get the codes for your cnc?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I create them myself.

[@BillyBN]

Highline Guitars would you be willing to create a code as a paid service?

[@HighlineGuitars]

BillyBN Blues no because the code is machine specific and has to written by a person who either knows the machine’s capabilities or will be running it.

[@BillyBN]

Highline Guitars copy. Thanks

[@Rockingoodman]

@@BillyBN consider that programs like Fusion360 are free to the student our hobbiest and there are loads of KZbinrs happy to teach you to design your own guitar. It is a lot to ask a luthier to stop and be a designer for you, but it is ready to learn and very rewarding to do it yourself.

[@abdullahelbarkouky3841]

i really need the file for the cnc machine

[@helgiwaagedelgadillo9347]

Hi! I am a mechanical engineering student and I am writing an article about electric guitar design, can I use a frame of your video in it?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Yes, you can. Thanks for asking first!

[@danilocorrea8046]

hola podrias decirme que bits usaste?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Fresa de extremo con corte en espiral de 1/8 ". Fresa de extremo con corte en espiral de 1/4" -Google Translate

[@themisfitgeek]

What's CNC machine do you recommend ?

[@HighlineGuitars]

You can make your own from plans I sell on my eGuitar Plans web site www.eguitarplans.com or if that’s too much, I recommend the Inventibles X-Carve Pro.

[@themisfitgeek]

Thanks so much !@@HighlineGuitars

[@adityapurwanegara8292]

do you use same machine to make guitar neck?

[@HighlineGuitars]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaWuhKueibWLnsU

[@GosselinCreative]

Chris, is there a reason why the contour lines are carved before the outside shape? Does that avoid chip-out? Thanks for posting all these CNC vids.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Yes. If I make the perimeter cut first, I have to plow through more wood, which takes more time. Also, because of the contours on the back, I have to limit the number of tabs which I think is too risky.

[@yjm100playloud]

Which cnc machine do you use!!!!

[@HighlineGuitars]

My own design. Scroll to the bottom of this page: www.eguitarplans.com/

[@lemanxr]

Hi whats name of this cnc?

[@HighlineGuitars]

I haven’t named it.

[@kennethnielsen3864]

28th.

[@ccchicken8889]

Dang. 29th, sigh.

[@jimmykunz1]

Nice machine. But I prefer to make them. Much more satisfying to actually make it. But those machines are pretty nice. My wife is a artist and does portraits. Now you just go on the internet and a computer program does it. No more actual hand crafted things. But there are a few people that actually like human made stuff.

[@HighlineGuitars]

Did you stop to think about the technology you used to watch and comment on this video? Probably not, huh?

[@jimmykunz1]

@@HighlineGuitars yep. It all came from Roswell 😂. Yea sometimes I think it just goes to far.

[@kommi1974]

Why are your videos now all 720p? Loss of quality and wish you would go back to 1080p, which should be a bare minimum.

[@HighlineGuitars]

I don’t know. I’ll look into it, but no one else seems to care.

[@jasonfick4506]

Had to have something to complain about.

[@colinsnyder3082]

Beautiful! What kind of wood did you use for the fretboard?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Bocote