Official Luthiers Forum!

I figured this would be the most logical place to post this and that this is kosher with the rules of the forum (I sent a question regarding this to the admin and never heard back. So if there is a more appropriate way to offer services, let me know and I will gladly comply.

With that out of the way, my CNC router experiences a decent amount of downtime at the moment and I have also noticed the exceptionally high prices of most templates. I am willing to cut your templates using any type of wood or plastic material (aluminum may be offered in the future.) Creating cutting paths for templates is rather trivial. If you do not have CAD drawings for your design I can draw them for you for a reasonable flat fee based on complexity. Pricing will depend on materials, but will be a fraction of what other suppliers are selling them for... I'm sorry, but charging $80 for a few pieces of 1/8" hardboard is nuts. My plan is to offer materials that are relatively insensitive to variations in humidity cut them with high precision, and still sell them for less than half of what the other guys are. For starters I'm leaning towards signboard/MDO (if desired, it's easy enough to laminate it with a bit of melamine to keep the friction low), acrylic, and polyethylene (particularly if you are using it for fixturing, perhaps installing braces with a vacuum press, the glue will release easily.)

Anyways, let me know if you're interested and we can go from there.

Not even a nibble yet? Prices will never be better than they are right now: we're basically selling at wholesale to help get the ball rolling. Work is by no means limited to templates. For example: a boutique effects pedal company has ordered a half dozen acrylic drilling fixtures and the owner decided to have us duplicate his favorite neck contour for an additional order of at least three necks and potentially a body to go with one. We're even making custom engraved pistol grips. If you have an idea, please don't be afraid to ask... I promise that I don't bite.

Want to order a few dozen custom engraved wooden knobs without breaking the bank? How about a set of router templates to go with a ball end bit so you can carve the top of a Les Paul faster than ever? Custom pickguards (ever wanted to make one from laminated wood with a highly figured face... and not need to make a template first?), road-ready pedalboards, cases featuring your company's logo, etc.

Hugh, I'm curious why you are posting this on the kit subforum? First, its a pretty slow place, and second, most people building kits don't really need templates. Seems like both the electric and acoustic subforums would make more sense.

fwiw - I happen to work in a machine shop and we have a number of cool cnc machines available which I use all the time for making jigs and templates. I would think that you would get a lot of interest.

Hugh I would like to discuss something with you. Can you PM an e-mail address?

FYI, if I hadn't of clicked the "View Active Topics" view, I would never have seen this as I seldom visit the Kit forum.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Freeman: Good point, I guess my logic was to go offer my services to people who are just getting started and might be branching out to making some more cuts.

Darryl: Check your inbox.

E-mail sent.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Hey Hugh - any chance of seeing some samples of what you have done/can do? By templates are you meaning bracing templates, form templates, headplate, routing, fret? I'm curious, just not sure what all you're able to do...

Thanks!

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"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." - Winston Churchill

Hugh, Paul Burner posted today he needs a bridge cnc'd fast. You can pm him if it's something you can do (end of thread hijack....but thought you might have missed his post).