hi, I build acoustic arch top guitars.these have bent sides and carved tops and backs,so I'm wondering if the c beam type build would work for rough carving the concave and convex arches,if so this would save me tons of time and stress on my hands. I'd still do final carving by hand. I do not need a 36 x 48" table,space is at a premium. My back blank for instance is 1.5" x 20"x 24" so the machine could be small. I'd probably never need to rout any pieces larger than 2'x2'. The router could be as small as a 1hp. Suggestions? Thanks
I would suggest one of the designs created around the new C-Beam XL Gantry Plate. It'll offer good repetitive carving movements and can be built fully with off the shelf components so no custom plates are required. Sketchup downloads can be found here.
Indeed, a CNC machine of the CBeam type would be ideal. The main concern would be the placing of the timber in some sort of jig or template, so you can turn it over and do the other side, without needing to reset the parameters all over again. Once you get your head around it, it is, quite easy. You may need to give some thought with regard to the height of the Z axis. Although, I don't know how much space, from work table to router bit, you will need. In fact the machine could be used for many parts of a guitar including the neck. We have a couple of members who are into guitar manufacture, and I'm sure they would be more than helpful with any problems you may have. Go for it!!
After doing a quick mock up on the design I'm working on to see if your guitar blank would fit on it and it won't (see below); I would head towards a machine setup like the one Rick and GrayUK suggested with a 500mm X Axis and 1000mm Y axis should get you there
