Fab Lab

afreiki

afreiki

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I am getting a gift certificiate for one month at a fab lab for my BD. Has anybody used something like this? CNC, Laser cutter, high tech stuff? I was thinking I could use the month to prepare a lot of blanks for rosettes and headstock inlay (cut the shell or wood inlay too).

Any other ideas? I hope they have a thickness sander...
Anne Flynn
 
Cool. Where is this place? I didn't you could get a gift cert for something like that
I'd do lots of inlays, maybe some necks and bridges too
 
Apparently there are "Fab Lab"s all over the country. I would try Googleing Fab Lab St. Louis. This one is in Tacoma, WA and there are much larger ones in San Francisco and I am sure other large cities. I was just thinking to definitely get fretboards done while there. This place charges $125/month, and you can get a gift certificate for a month, or more. The gift certificates are actually engraved wood "cards".

Anne Flynn
 
The last time I visited C. F. Martin, they were cutting out tops, backs, and sides with a CNC laser...and the cuts were incredibly accurate. So yes, you can do some inlays (not pearl...it shatters), you can even do fret slots, you can do rosettes, etc. My son has been using a laser in his guitar making class in high school.
 
Rick Turner said:
The last time I visited C. F. Martin, they were cutting out tops, backs, and sides with a CNC laser...and the cuts were incredibly accurate. So yes, you can do some inlays (not pearl...it shatters), you can even do fret slots, you can do rosettes, etc. My son has been using a laser in his guitar making class in high school.
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Hey Rick, I was going to ask your son this when I met him and saw the guitar he was making. Does his teacher know who dad is? Let him know I'm waiting for him to do my next build after he's done with his first commissioned guitar. He does beautiful work.
 
gyosh said:
Hey Rick, I was going to ask your son this when I met him and saw the guitar he was making. Does his teacher know who dad is? Let him know I'm waiting for him to do my next build after he's done with his first commissioned guitar. He does beautiful work.
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Hey Gary..
how come in High School they had me make a stupid stool..and I grew up in Hawaii...I should of been building an Ukulele in my woodshop class...haha


the fab lab looks interesting...
 
hawaii 50 said:
Hey Gary..
how come in High School they had me make a stupid stool..and I grew up in Hawaii...I should of been building an Ukulele in my woodshop class...haha


the fab lab looks interesting...
Click to expand...

I made a salad bowl that I dropped on the way home. They don't even have woodshop at my school :(
 
gyosh said:
I made a salad bowl that I dropped on the way home. They don't even have woodshop at my school :(
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Man if I had learned how to build a Ukulele in High School I could of been Rick or Chuck...ha ha...I don't think so

but I guess building guitars,ukulele etc..in the future builders will be using more with CNC then right now..
not sure if that a good thing..I think we may be seeing the last of the great real luthiers(thanks to Rick he has passed it on to some young builders)
 
Envy does not begin to describe my emotional state at present. This would NEVER happen in the UK. The other day I drove for 2 hours to see a CNC router cutter outfit. Foolowed up the visit by Emailing them drawings etc and zip! Seems to be a go-to CNC guy on every corner in the US!!!!! The only consolation at present living in the UK is the beautiful scenery here in North Wales and free health care :)
 
Pete Howlett said:
Envy does not begin to describe my emotional state at present. This would NEVER happen in the UK. The other day I drove for 2 hours to see a CNC router cutter outfit. Foolowed up the visit by Emailing them drawings etc and zip! Seems to be a go-to CNC guy on every corner in the US!!!!! The only consolation at present living in the UK is the beautiful scenery here in North Wales and free health care :)
Click to expand...

We've got some fantastic scenery here as well :) But the health care..... That is surely something to be proud of (and for us Yanks to envy).
 
My son, about to be 18, learned SolidWorks a couple of years ago while in his high school robotics club. He then took that knowledge and expanded upon it by doing musical instrument design work, and he's eons and miles ahead of me in this department. I'll post a link to his blog.

The amazing thing about the guitar making class (and yes, the teacher, Jeff Germano does know me and I've lectured there a couple of times) is that it engages the kids like nothing I've ever seen other than sports, music, and the robotics team, but it's a total experience for them. They apply geometry, math, trig, art, and music all in this class. They're allowed to make mistakes and learn from them without being shamed or down-graded. They're wonderfully alive in that class. And it beats a bird house all to hell...
 
Pete Howlett said:
Envy does not begin to describe my emotional state at present. This would NEVER happen in the UK. The other day I drove for 2 hours to see a CNC router cutter outfit. Foolowed up the visit by Emailing them drawings etc and zip! Seems to be a go-to CNC guy on every corner in the US!!!!! The only consolation at present living in the UK is the beautiful scenery here in North Wales and free health care :)
Click to expand...

Well, Mr. Pete, I do feel incredibly lucky to be in a place, geographically as well as financially, to pursue my woodworking as I do. And I did get my gift certificate in the form of a laser carved wooden birthday card! I just wonder why it would not happen in the UK? It is a privately owned business that basically rents out time with their equipment. A lot of classes and schools use it in conjunction with their engineering and design, art, etc. Also one company pays for their employee's "membership" to use on their own time, figuring that what they learn will help the company make wise choices in production equipment, etc.

Without getting political, just know that I work in a Cancer Center and envy does not begin to describe my emotional state when it comes to universal healthcare. Not to mention how I envy your experience & skill at building instruments...
Anne Flynn
 
Timing of this thread is perfect, I just came home last night from a Fab Lab. In this neck of the woods they are known as "makers groups". The shop space included a 3X6 foot CNC, a mini CNC, 100 watt 2'x4' laser cutter, 3 3d printers, full wood shop, electronics shop and much more. All for $50 a month. You get limited access at that price, just during open shop hours or classes but if you get checked out on everything and are a contributing member in regards to helping out on cleanup days, open houses etc they can invite you to full membership and you get a key to the place ($100) a month.
Pretty cool set up. I worry it would feed into my addictions though and I may never get around to doing my day job;)
 
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