Laser cutting a shell inlay for a guitar headstock

[Chris Bewick]

Hi all,

I am currently in the process of building an acoustic guitar (a few pictures included below if you are interested).

I really want to inlay an abalone shell swan in the ebony veneer on the headstock and was wondering if this was something that I might be able to achieve on the rLab laser cutter. 

I have been playing with a few ideas and am currently leaning towards design 1 or 3.

Is there anyone out there who could advise me on how best to achieve this or if indeed it is possible?

I already have the materials and the swan shapes as vector files in illustrator so I think I am about as prepared as I can be at this stage.

Many thanks in advance,

Chris

[Simon Green]

Is the headstock removable? If not it wouldn't be possible as the cutter isn't large enough to fit the entire thing in.

That limitation aside, I'm certain this could be done with the laser but you'd want to do a LOT of practice runs on off-cut wood of the same batch before going for it!

[Chris Bewick]

Hi Simon, 

Thanks for the reply!

It wouldn't actually be cutting into the headstock. It would be cutting into an ebony veneer which is about A5 size and about 1-2mm thick.

I only have one piece of ebony and 2 pieces of shell.

What would the purpose of the practice runs be? Would it be sufficient to nibble one corner of the veneer/shell to get it cutting well and then go for the real thing?

Cheers,

Chris

[Gary Fletcher]

>>>What would the purpose of the practice runs be?
 

Yes.

 
>>>Would it be sufficient to nibble one corner of the veneer/shell to get it cutting well and then go for the real thing?
 

Yes.
 
:)
 

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Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 06:21:50 -0700
From: chris...@gmail.com
To: reading-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [RDG-Hack] Re: Laser cutting a shell inlay for a guitar headstock

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[Simon Green]

Rule 1 of our laser cutter: "Yeah, that MIGHT work!"

Trial and error is unfortunately a requirement as it is not very repeatable or predictable. It's best to do trial runs on a spare and then go straight for your final cut.

[Chris Bewick]

Exciting stuff!

So what format do I need my artwork in? 

I currently have it in an illustrator file.

[Simon Green]

From illustrator export to as old version of dxf as you can and you'll be set.

Simon

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[Chris Bewick]

Wonderful stuff, how exciting! :D

If I bring the dxf file, the shell and the ebony down next Wednesday evening are there any talented lasersmiths who could be available to give me a hand?

Chris

[Simon Green]

I'd b happy to help.

Simon

[Chris Bewick]

Awesome, thank you very much Simon.

One more question...

What is the thickness of the cut? If I cut the shell and the ebony with the same vector the ebony hole will be a lasers width bigger then the shell plug, right? Just wondering if I need to prepare 2 subtly different concentric vectors or can get away with one. A small gap would be ideal as its easy to fill with sawdust and will make sure the pieces go together easily. No gap or a massive gap would not be so good.

[Jay Abbott]

Wont the shell be problematic in the laser-cutter because of its reflective surface?

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[Chris Bewick]

Would a bit of masking tape stuck on the shell help with that?

[Iain Farquhar]

Just to jump on Chris's post about the laser cutter: Is anyone who knows how to use it going to be in the space over the weekend? I would like to use the cutter to engrave a sheet of plastic but this job is a little time sensitive so I would prefer not to wait till next wednesday if possible. 

Thanks