cutting flatwork...

[itchytheclown]

Im just wondering how you guys do it... I have been cutting by hand and filing down to shape...

Is there any better (not necesarilly easier, but more accurate) way of doing this, without spending thousands on a laser cutter?

Cheers, Jason.

[chevalij]

Yes, buy them from mojo or another good supplier! While cutting them by hand may be the traditional method, buying them is the way to go for me. If I were to do a cost/benefit analysis on flatwork, my time is worth more than the cost of the flatwork and I know they'll all be perfect. You'd have to be using thousands a year to even offest the cost of a CNC machine.

[Dave Kerr]

There's a couple of interesting threads from a while back you might want to check out. Spence did comment quite a while back that he'd sometimes work the way you describe, so attention to detail and using good tools can obviously work well for small batches.

http://music-electronics-forum.com/t1253/
http://music-electronics-forum.com/t4074/

[belwar]

if you are looking for mid volume then draw up your part and contact michael gurian at gurian instruments. he makes this kind of stuff for a living and the quality is very good. he has several lasers and several stock parts which might allready fit you needs. we couldn't run our business with out him. tell him that the jerk from oxnard recommended you and to give you a good deal.

[David King]

I've been cutting all my flatwork on the bandsaw. It's very fast and reasonably accurate if you use a good blade and set the saw up correctly. My thin kerf resaw blade leaves a smooth surface that doesn't need any sanding.

I could also cut them on my table saw but I feel like the bandsaw is much safer.

If you don't own a bandsaw then time to look on Craigslist for a used $99 special. The 14" 2 wheel bandsaws are the way to go. Put a "bladerunner" blade on there and build a simple fence that allows you to set the lead angle correctly.

[David Schwab]

I would think a router with a spiral cutter and a pattern would be reasonably quick. But it's tricky... you have to make the right jigs for it so you don't have to handle the work piece.

I get a lot of my flatwork laser cut. It's quite cheap.

David, I used to use one of those blades when I had my Delta 14". I didn't have a table saw. Once you have that fence set to match the tracking, you can make nice straight cuts.

[MKB]

FWIW, here's a URL for a company I've used in my main job to manufacture small batches of parts, they are very affordable and charge a $45 setup fee. They seem to be able to make small parts out of most any material. I haven't used them for forbon but would be confident they could do a good job. I've been really happy with them, however they don't do a good job of answering emails (call them for good service). These would be the first guys I'd contact if I needed custom flatwork.

Precision Cutting Service, Inc. - Savannah Georgia - Home

[Possum]

...

Buy Lollar's book when it comes out on CD. When I started you couldn't buy flat work from anyone. I still make some of my own with plexiglass router guides, use carpet double stick tape to hold forbon stack together then cut on a router and drill on the drill press. You can get fairly fast at this with practice...

[itchytheclown]

Thanks for the help guys! I was thinking of some sort of router jig, but couldnt think how I could get it to work with the piece being so small....

Buy Lollar's book when it comes out on CD. When I started you couldn't buy flat work from anyone. I still make some of my own with plexiglass router guides, use carpet double stick tape to hold forbon stack together then cut on a router and drill on the drill press. You can get fairly fast at this with practice...

thats the sort of thing I am after, thanks alot. where will I be able to buy his cd? does he have a website?

[Possum]

...

Its just lollarguitars.com he said he would post here when its going to be avaiable probably won't be for a long time yet.
Well, basically a router jig for say a strat bottom piece you make a plexiglass piece the same size as the flatwork and drill the same size holes in it for poles etc. to use as drill guides. Yes the templates are small so you have to be real darn careful cutting the stuff out on a router. You mount the flatwork to the plexiglass with double stick carpet tape and you can stack maybe four or five pieces all as one piece. Rough cut the forbon with a bandsaw about 1/16" around the template with the forbon mounted to it then finish up on the router. With alot of pieces stacked up you have to be really careful about the router bit grabbing at the first bite and either throwing your piece into the wall or pulling your fingers into the cutter. Its a bit scary but you get good at it after awhile...

[David King]

You might also look up the "robosander" which is just a sanding drum with a pattern guide bearing mounted on the bottom. You stick it in a benchtop drill press chuck and grind away the excess with abrasives rather than using the router so it's a bit safer. I do the same with a big edge sander to round off my corners. My bandsaw can hold tolerances to 2-3 decimal places and the cut is very smooth so minimal sanding. I can cut stacks of 10-or 20 sheets at a time. I drill the holes through 4 sheets at a time which is the slowest part probably after winding.
Basically you need to be able to get you flatwork done in a few minutes or you'll never make a penny winding pickups.
Routers aren't really practical unless you live alone and all your neighbors are deaf.

[Possum]

...

the router method is invaluable for prototyping and pickups you don't sell very many of or are unique and not worth having laser cutting done, its a valuable skill to have. When I started you couldn't buy ready made stuff so everything I made I made on the router, slow yeah but I made money....

[LtKojak]

Routers aren't really practical unless you live alone and all your neighbors are deaf.

And yourself too...

[David Schwab]

Routers aren't really practical unless you live alone and all your neighbors are deaf.

What? Speak up....

Always a good idea to wear hearing protection.... not that I ever do.