How many of you have machine tools like lathe and mill?
 

Just curious- in my day woodworking job I have a 1340 metal lathe and a milling machine to support the necessary maintenance and custom modifications of the woodworking equipment. This could be anything from opening up a shaper collar to allow larger tooling, reducing diameter of a countersink, making a part for to repair another machine, or building a new custom machine. They are very rarely used to cut the wood firsthand. It seems several members here are using metalworking equipment of one type or another. Care to share what sort of tools you use and the applications?

I do have a small benchtop mill, that I had converted to CNC operation. I use it mainly for making some jigs and fixtures, as well as making small batch parts for others, not related to guitar making. Most of what I work with is in aluminum, but I do cut some wood with it, so I had it fitted with a 3HP electric spindle capable of 24krpm.

Not used as much is my old metalworking mini lathe. Though, I'm probably going to CNC that as well.

I also built a CNC router table that gets used mainly for small batch work, again mostly not related to guitar though that was my original intent. I have made molds, jigs and fixtures for guitar making from it, as well as for roughing out certain parts that I hand-work afterwards. I'll also rough cut top and back plates, fretboards, neck laminate parts, etc... Mainly because I've been without a bandsaw for about 7 years.

"... Mainly because I've been without a bandsaw for about 7 years"

That is very surprising- for a guitar maker, I would have thought a bandsaw would be power tool #1. Just goes to show there are a lot of ways to do things!

microlux table top mill, small home-built 3axis cnc mill. access to a complete high-tech machine shop as needed.

use? whatever i can come up with.

When life gives you lemons.... juggle 'em...

I have an old Sears (Atlas) 6 inch lathe. I also have a milling vise attachment for it.

Welder. Along with a steel bandsaw that sees mor wood than metal I manage to make up stuff I need. Along with a good file, belt sander, a lot you can do. Plan on making a miniature circular saw but might have to go to my bothers to use his lathe and mill.

A lot of my CNC tooling were made for soft metals, including my single edge spiral-"O"-flute cutters in 1/16", 1/8", and 1/4", some of the micro endmills I use for slot cutting and other detail work... My CAM software is actually geared more to metalworking shops, but I have adopted a lot of the toolpath strategies for wood cutting; namely the high-speed toolpaths that are pretty much in vogue now. I was using them on wood about 6 years ago.

Bridgeport and Logan. Not to mention an Agazzani and a few other nice tools.

No lathe or mill but I do use a cross slide table on my drill press

https://z1duwg.bl3302.livefilestore....&cropmode=none

In woodworking / guitar repairs, not only just the things like bandsaws thicknessers jointers and so forth,

we also use metal working tools for doing guitar repairs and fabrication of parts, we use machinery such as

Lathes
Milling machine
Folder - pan Brake
Guillotine
Sand Blasters
Swage and Jennys
English Wheels
Tig welders / Oxy welders / mig welders
Electroplating line
Tool and cutter grinders
Sharpening machines

and then theres the other part where we use 3d printers,vinyl printers, sublimation printers etc,

to name just a few of what we use in guitar repairs that are non traditional "guitar associated machinery"

Steve

Benchtop mill
 

My favorite shop tool!

Really, the only shop tool you need;

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...=1,43000,51208

For those tag-team luthier projects....