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Step 4Mill Setup and Milling Contours
is to set up the body on the milling bed. If there is a vice or rotary index table on it presently, you'll have to remove it.
Cut that piece of sacrificial plywood with the band saw into a rectangle which has the same length and width of the guitar body. This will be our protector so our wood doesn't get covered in dirt and grease. Cut off a couple more bits of plywood to use on the top to prevent clamp damage. While we mill the outer contours of the wood, we will be milling into this plywood slightly. This way we don't miss any of the edge.
Move the X and Y of the bed so that the bed location is maxed out left and outward. Clamp the guitar piece down so that you can move the bed to start cutting away wood from the top of the neck mounting area. Its likely the guitar will have to be positioned four times before the milling is complete. Also, make sure the clamps won't be in the way of the cutter. Check that the wood is level with a bubble level.
Insert a 1/2" diameter or higher cutter into the mill. Set the mill to a speed around 800rpm ,which will be good for this job, since wood is nothing for a machine designed to work steel. Raise the Z axis so that the tip of the cutter is past the wood, and slightly into the sacrificial plywood. Lock your Z axis in this position, if you can.
Turn on the mill and begin moving the bed right and upwards until you meet the wood. Watch your pencil line as you work both the X and Y wheels, carving a rough curve all around the contour of the guitar. If you don't feel comfortable working both axes at the same time, move the X axis slightly, then the Y axis slightly, and repeat so that you leave small wave-shaped cuts all along the edge. You don't need to reach the line perfectly, but the closer you are, the more hand work you'll have to do to finish it up. If you want to keep your wood finish, its extremely important that you do not overstep the line. Having to add filler will ruin the look of bare wood and you'll be forced to paint the guitar.
Eventually you will run out of room. Either your X or your Y axis will max out at the opposite side you started from, and you will need to reposition the wood. Remember to move the sacrificial plywood with the guitar, or else it might not sit flat. Repeat until all the contours are complete.
Once you're happy, we can move on to the handwork.
Cut that piece of sacrificial plywood with the band saw into a rectangle which has the same length and width of the guitar body. This will be our protector so our wood doesn't get covered in dirt and grease. Cut off a couple more bits of plywood to use on the top to prevent clamp damage. While we mill the outer contours of the wood, we will be milling into this plywood slightly. This way we don't miss any of the edge.
Move the X and Y of the bed so that the bed location is maxed out left and outward. Clamp the guitar piece down so that you can move the bed to start cutting away wood from the top of the neck mounting area. Its likely the guitar will have to be positioned four times before the milling is complete. Also, make sure the clamps won't be in the way of the cutter. Check that the wood is level with a bubble level.
Insert a 1/2" diameter or higher cutter into the mill. Set the mill to a speed around 800rpm ,which will be good for this job, since wood is nothing for a machine designed to work steel. Raise the Z axis so that the tip of the cutter is past the wood, and slightly into the sacrificial plywood. Lock your Z axis in this position, if you can.
Turn on the mill and begin moving the bed right and upwards until you meet the wood. Watch your pencil line as you work both the X and Y wheels, carving a rough curve all around the contour of the guitar. If you don't feel comfortable working both axes at the same time, move the X axis slightly, then the Y axis slightly, and repeat so that you leave small wave-shaped cuts all along the edge. You don't need to reach the line perfectly, but the closer you are, the more hand work you'll have to do to finish it up. If you want to keep your wood finish, its extremely important that you do not overstep the line. Having to add filler will ruin the look of bare wood and you'll be forced to paint the guitar.
Eventually you will run out of room. Either your X or your Y axis will max out at the opposite side you started from, and you will need to reposition the wood. Remember to move the sacrificial plywood with the guitar, or else it might not sit flat. Repeat until all the contours are complete.
Once you're happy, we can move on to the handwork.
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