Handcrafted Gibson Instruments Blend with Advanced Manufacturing Techniques

The Challenge

Gibson Guitars developed a legendary status. But, its new instruments have to live up to this status and to do this, they need to be able to blend old-world handcraft techniques with advanced manufacturing technology.

• One way that Gibson keeps quality high and increases production is through the use of Mastercam CAD/CAM software.
• With Mastercam, Gibson has developed a 3D library of their instrument parts. They scan their part and the information is downloaded into Mastercam to develop a 3D model.
• Mastercam ensures that Gibson’s routers are precise, and it helps them improve their tooling and efficiency.
• Mastercam didn’t have the limitations that many other software packages had.
• Mastercam provided Gibson with a lot of features and flexibility for precise programming of their guitars.
• When their parts came off the CNC machine, they were more consistent with far less chance for errors since using Mastercam.
• Mastercam’s verification feature allows Gibson to run the program in real time on the computer to see if there are any problems with the part.
• With Mastercam, Gibson is able to hold onto the tradition of building quality handcrafted instruments, but they are also able to produce them at a competitive cost.

Gibson’s History:
Born in Chateagay, New York in 1856, Orville Gibson worked as a shoe clerk in Kalamazoo, MI. But his great love for woodworking and a passion for music got him interested in guitar and mandolin design. His research convinced him that the best vibrating characteristics were found in solid, unbent, unstressed, carved wood. Applying violin construction techniques, and inventing some new ones, his new mandolins and guitars had carved tops and backs instead of flat ones. They became an instant success when introduced in 1894.

When orders began coming in faster than they could be filled, Orville was finally persuaded to set up a company to manufacture instruments. The Gibson Mandolin - Guitar Co., Ltd was incorporated on October 11, 1902.
The next 15 years were the heyday of the mandolin orchestra and Gibsons were quickly established as the best instruments out there. Because Kalamazoo was located in the "furniture belt" of Western Michigan, the company had access to the best woodworking machinery available and a pool of exceptionally talented woodworkers.

Orville believed that handwork and manufacturing could produce large numbers of high-quality instruments. Two basic policies were established at Gibson that are followed to this day; buy or invent machines for dangerous or repetitive operations requiring great accuracy, and employ a highly skilled worker when the human touch or the musician’s ear is needed. This unique combination of man and machine is one of the main reasons Gibson has become a legend among guitar players.

Instrument Construction:
One way that Gibson keeps quality high for its instruments and increases production is through the use of CAD/CAM software. Kenny Tucker, manufacturing engineer from Gibson Guitar Company said, “We have six CNC wood routers in the Nashville plant. We do a lot of our component parts for the instrument bodies that are routed out on this equipment.” To make sure that the routers are precise, Gibson uses Mastercam CAD/CAM software to program them.

Tucker added, “I’ve spent 25 years in the metal-cutting industry and became familiar with Mastercam there. Gibson hired me to help them improve their tooling and efficiency with their CNC routers. I came to them about three years ago and started pushing them to go to something better than the other software packages they had at the time. Also, we’re developing a 3D library of our instrument parts. We have a scanner on one of our CNC routers to scan the parts. This information is then downloaded into Mastercam to develop a 3D model. This 3D scanning also helps us with programming the unique carved surfaces for many of our instruments.”

Since Tucker was responsible for manufacturing, he wanted software that he was comfortable with. Furthermore, he didn’t like some of the limitations he had noticed with the other software packages.

He added, “Mastercam really gave us a lot more features and flexibility for precise programming. With this software, if I wanted to move something in a specific dimension, I could put it exactly where I needed it. For example, the contour on the top of our Les Paul electric guitar is intricately carved and has a history to it. We scanned one that was done by hand and brought the scan into Mastercam. With the software, we were moving things as much as five-and six-thousandths of an inch to get guitar components where we wanted them to be. When they came off the CNC, they were perfect. Parts come out more consistent with far less chance for errors.”

To duplicate the same profile and contour of Gibson’s classic Les Paul carved-top electric guitar, Tucker said they took a body of an older one, scanned it, and duplicated the surface with their new router. Then they took those scanned points and made a 3D rendering of the surface. Using a six-inch ball-nose endmill on the CNC router, they carved the top of their new Les Pauls and got them as close as possible before they’re finished by hand using a sanding machine.

“With the help of Mastercam, we get the guitar tops carved as closely as possible, then we turn them over to the artists, which are the hand sanders and the craftsmen. Now the guitars have less variance than before, and the craftsmen can work their magic at this point with much less effort,” mentioned Tucker.

“One of the things with Gibson is that their guitars are often historical pieces. You can’t just come in and change something, because the artists that are out there playing them would find it in a heartbeat. So, you have to try and maintain the curves and feel of the guitar and the necks. Players can just pick up a guitar, look at it, and see that something’s been changed,” explained Tucker.

Mastercam is used for solid bodies, hollow bodies, and even acoustic guitars and mandolins. They also use it to develop the fixtures and tooling used for producing the instruments.

A software feature that Tucker uses often is its verification ability. After a part is programmed, he can run the program in real time on the computer to see if there are any problems. “For example, on the scarfs that go around the outside of our Gibson SG, I can make sure that what I programmed is coming out close to what I think they should be. If not, I can make some adjustments before I start cutting wood,” he said.

Routers are also used to cut the delicate abalone and pearl inlays for the guitar’s fretboard. On some guitars, this is very elaborate and for others, the pearl is just used as fret markers. Tucker remarked, “We use Mastercam to program the fretboard pockets for the inlays, and to program the cuts for the inlays themselves that go in those pockets.”

Between the pearl and pocket, the tolerance for the fit can easily be five thousandths of an inch or less. With a pocket that’s too large, the aesthetics of the pearl can easily be lost and the fretboard scrapped. “We try to have a really tight fit, because again, that’s an aesthetic thing that’s part of the Gibson history - it looks good and plays well. You have to keep those things close in order to maintain that integrity,” added Tucker.

Along with guitar building, Tucker uses Mastercam to design and build special machines for production at their in-house metalworking/machine shop. They use Mastercam to program a 4040 Fadal Machining center and the CNC routers to make fixtures and prototype parts.

As a major player in today’s instrument market, Gibson must hold onto the tradition of building quality handcrafted instruments, but be able to produce them at a competitive cost. Mastercam CAD/CAM software helps Gibson Guitar Company do just that!

Innovative Equipment Plus Flexible SoftwareEquals a New Business

The Challenge

Carey’s new company works primarily with thermo-plastics, high-grade acrylics, and some wood for its signs. They also make signs from non-ferrous metals such as thin stainless and aluminum sheets. The complex three-dimensional signs are produced using “HDU” or “High Density Urethane. To cut these out accurately using a router is a challenge. They needed a toolpath software.

• Mastercam’s Modify and Drag feature allows Oak Smith to manipulate images as in a “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” type environment.
• Toolpath Verification allows Carey to see what’s going to happen in the cutting path. They use the Verify feature on every program before it is sent to the router.
• Mastercam allowed Oak Smith to move into a new market – making LED signs. Carey has created a way to make this technology available for automobiles, with an entire dealer channel established to keep up with the high demand.
• Mastercam’s technical support has assisted Oak Smith when they needed it.

Carey has an unusual background and a different perspective on business. Having already sold a successful company, he had to start another one within a few weeks. Otherwise, the tax burden from the sale would have been detrimental for future plans.

After 28 years of involvement in metalworking and manufacturing, half of which was owning a company called Technical Industrial Sales, Inc. that specialized in selling high-end tooling and equipment for metal working manufacturers, Carey felt he saw the “writing on the wall” with China and manufacturing being displaced in the US. So he sold the company.

He says, “I decided to buy a CNC router because they are unique to my area. I wanted to use my training and background to manufacture my own products, pretty much to unleash my own creativity. Also, all that good advice I’d been giving to customers about manufacturing over the years, I wanted to use for myself.”
His unleashed creativity took him back to a hobby and a first love – woodworking. The new business he created was called The OakSmith, Inc. He adds, “Truthfully, I’ve always been a woodworker at heart. When I bought that router, my thought was I’d do some high-end wood sculpting and corbels and things like that for the very elite cabinet shops. I would be their backup, the one they would turn to for doing their very creative work. I would develop a good service affiliation with all these existing cabinet and wood shops. But lo and behold, these shops were somewhat intimidated by me. Rather than being my ally, they made the assumption that I’d be a competitor. I believe it was because I bought everything brand new, a 6,000 sq. ft. facility, a state-of-the-art CNC router with a 5’ X 8’ table, and a laser.

“So how did I get into sign making? Well the word oaksmith has a dual meaning. But one of the definitions with Webster is someone who is skilled in the art of carving. Oak was to imply the wood carving or carver. I thought with my machine abilities I would do some sign making on the side. Why not make high end, hand-carved signs that you would see in cities like Eureka Springs, AR and Branson, MO. They are very decorative and have a warmth and character to them. So we (I and my employees at this time) did a few of those signs and people really warmed up to them."

When Carey purchased the router through CR Onsrud, they offered Mastercam and another software package. Carey says, “I selected Mastercam because in my years in metal working, I had heard the name, and knew they had a good reputation. So we chose Mastercam as our operating system for the machine. We’ve been buying Mastercam ever since and all the add-ons that go with it. To be honest, I think Mastercam is a routing software package dream. I’m very happy with its ability. In my opinion, it’s very easy to train people on too. I just found it quite conducive to what we use the machine for.”

Carey is taking his abilities and equipment in another direction through an opportunity to produce signs for the Country Music Television show “Trick My Truck,” which use LED illumination and acrylic composites to illuminate artist designs and logos directly in place of the vehicles standard windows. The end result is that of a “floating” display of color.

Carey says these new signs are neon-like signage or neon style. “We say it that way because everyone is accustomed to the neon look. But the LEDs allow for the neon color, without the maintenance and problems of transformers, gases, and highly volatile glass tubes that can be broken and damaged in storms. We’re able to use the LED lighting and project the light through the edge of the acrylic using a technique called ‘edge lighting.

“As far as waving the Mastercam flag, I truly could not be happier with the support we’ve gotten. Any time we’ve called, they’ve been right there to help us, even at the higher levels of the programs code writers if need be. I feel that with the staff they have at Mastercam, they’re going to continue to make improvements in ways that will keep them far above the competitors in the field.”

With new doors for his services opening almost daily, Carey is looking forward to expanding his shop and will soon add another router. Some of his LED-acrylic products are sold on Ebay.

Stairbuilder Routes a New Path to Higher Profits and Productivity

The Challenge

To build exclusive staircases with precision and beauty has always been a challenge. Rock Woodworks needed to find a CAM system and new wood cutting equipment to be able to deliver staircases with style and beauty, along with precision fit.

• Mastercam allowed Rock Woodworks to get into the staircase building industry when his customers couldn’t find anyone else to do it.
• Mastercam’s clear, illustrated dialog boxes helped explain the program, and sped up the learning curve.
• Mastercam allowed Rock to get precision work with quick turnaround.
• Mastercam’s relationship with CAD partners allowed Rock to work in AutoCAD and bring the files into Mastercam simply and easily.
• Mastercam’s knowledgeable Reseller network got Rock up to speed and helps answer his questions along the way
• With Mastercam, Rock will be moving into a new niche with his business by building circular stair kits and marketing them across the country.

Custom staircases for homes can easily cost thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. To build these exclusive staircases, Rock Woodworks used the help of CAM software and new cutting equipment to deliver staircases with style and beauty along with precision fit.

Starting out as a general building contractor 25 years ago, Roger Rock found himself building staircases when his customers couldn’t find anyone else to do it. Though he was reluctant to build them, he gave his customer a price with a generous profit built in, and they accepted it. “Then people just kept coming and asking me to build stairs for them, so I figured I’d do it for a living,” he says. Currently the company builds stair casements, railing systems, circular and spiral staircases using metal or wood in traditional or contemporary styles.

Rock uses 2 Techno CNC routers which has allowed him to quickly produce precision wood components that fit together like a hand in a glove. To get this precision and quick turnaround, he uses Mastercam software to design his wood components and interface with the CNC router. “I got on the Internet, started looking for routers, and was attracted to Techno. When it came time for software, I was told by the distributor that Mastercam is better software, worth its price, and it would be money well spent. So, I took him at his word, and it’s been great,” Rock notes.

Rock found that at a price of roughly $35,000 each, few staircase makers could afford a CNC router, let alone two, giving him a competitive edge in his area. Rock says without the routers, he would close his doors and quit.

As to what he likes about Mastercam, he says, “The clear, illustrated dialog boxes help explain the program, and it speeds up the learning curve. One of the functions I like is that you can type fractions in you don’t happen to know the equivalent for and it automatically converts to a decimal.” Rock uses Mastercam for layout and renderings. “Whatever we draw in AutoCAD, we simply send it out to Mastercam and then to the router. We put in a point bit in the router’s spindle and scratch out a stairway system for a customer. We do a full-scale rendering of the whole rail system this way. Then we can take it to the job site, stand it up and it goes together precisely. This allows the customer, who is spending maybe $50,000 to $70,000 on a railing system, to see what it looks like in the house. There isn’t a week that goes by that we don’t think of another thing for Mastercam to do.”

Rock and his four employees are trained in Mastercam. As for its simplicity, he says that when they first purchased it, “we just got on the program and started working with it. We called or Sales rep a few times with questions, and we were on our way. “

With his router and Mastercam, Rock will be moving into a new niche market with his business by building circular stair kits and marketing them across the country. “We’re building these kits and putting them together, and they work perfectly. They’re easy to build, and just about anybody can put them together. Somebody might normally have to pay $10,000 for a staircase, but we’re able to get it to their doorway and they can install it themselves for $5,000. The money they save on the stairs, they’re putting into custom top railings. That’s where the eye appeal is.”

Rock Woodworks is growing and, with the help of CNC routers and Mastercam, they are a stepping up to new opportunities.

Past Masters Meet Today’s Technology

The Challenge

Henkel-Harris, a premiere manufacturer of fine 18th-century reproduction furniture, needed to increase productivity and remain competitive in an increasingly commercialized industry. They needed new software to run their CNC router.

• Mastercam's easy-to-learn interface assured a seamless transition from the company’s previous software of 12 years.
• Mastercam Router illustrated how different types of cuts will work under the delicate conditions associated with intricate wood craftsmanship.
• Mastercam’s feeds and speeds were critically matched to the specific wood Software reduced manufacturing time for a contoured drawer front with full dovetailing on the sides from three or four days to just three or four hours.
  

The great 18th-century American furniture makers would never have believed that their timeless designs could be exactly recreated with the same care and craftsmanship in the 21st century. In the rolling hills of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, The Henkel-Harris Company is doing just that, preserving the rich heritage of the past using today's best software technology.

Exceptional handcraftsmanship is the hallmark of Henkel-Harris, a premiere manufacturer of fine 18th-century reproduction furniture. But the artistry of the past is running headlong into the economics of today. To increase productivity and remain competitive in an increasingly commercialized industry, Henkel-Harris decided to invest in new software for their CNC Router.

It was a critical time of year for Henkel-Harris. It was just four months before one of the largest industry trade shows, and they decided to put in an entirely new software program. There was a lot of breath-holding, but Mastercam really came through for them.

Mastercam's easy-to-learn interface assured a seamless transition from their previous software of 12 years to Mastercam Router. "The incredibly user-friendly commands helped us start out running with Mastercam Router," says Product Engineer David Cooper. "We have already saved a lot of time, but what we see for the future is what we really like."

Mastercam Router's feed rate optimizer is absolutely essential to creative wood manufacturing. "We work on some pretty delicate shapes, like the classic Queen Anne leg, ball and claw foot, and intricate filigreed pencil bedposts," says Cooper. "Carving needs to be carefully oriented to wood grain direction. The feeds and speeds must be critically matched to the specific wood material to achieve the quality and look of a wood cut. Mastercam Router shows us how different types of cuts will work under the delicate conditions associated with intricate wood craftsmanship."

Henkel-Harris first applied Mastercam Router to 3D contours. Many of the standard chests the company makes have graceful curved drawer fronts. Mastercam Router reduced manufacturing time for a contoured drawer front with full dovetailing on the sides from three or four days to just three or four hours. "You can see why we're excited," says Cooper. "We are getting results we could only dream about before. But the greatest thing about Mastercam Router is that it is so easy to get there."

Like many companies in the woodworking industry, Henkel-Harris is finding that Mastercam's advanced technology helps the company maintain the highest levels of quality. And do it with the efficiency demanded by today's economy.

From a Hobby to a Profitable Business

The Challenge

Wooden Nature needed optimum technology to increase the production rate of their creations.

• Mastercam takes Kevin from a photograph to a completely machined piece in two to three hours.
• The speed of production allows Kevin to have new pieces on the market almost instantly.
• Mastercam’s associative toolpaths eliminate the need to re-toolpath every time there is a change in a design.

After two years of researching and rejecting production possibilities, Kevin zeroed in on CNC routing as the best of all possible techniques to reach his goals and satisfy his quality requirements. "I have a passion for the art form and for working in wood," he says, "and it was very important to me that I select a method of design and manufacturing that allowed me to create the quality of handmade artwork at production quantities."

Kevin bought a CNC 28" gantry machine and a seat of Mastercam. Learning on his own in his spare time, he began to import the 2D images he drew and to generate the toolpaths within a couple of hours. "One nice thing about Mastercam is that I can go from a photograph to a completely machined piece in two to three hours, so I have new pieces on the market almost instantly."

"Although Mastercam's toolpaths run exactly as programmed, I may find I've positioned a piece differently from what I'd really like, or I want to alter a shape," Kevin notes. "Since Mastercam files and their toolpaths are associative, I don't have to re-toolpath every time I make a change in a design. It's done automatically." Once Kevin has successfully completed a stock design, his crew takes over for production runs.

WoodenNature has been growing exponentially. Kevin says, "It's growing because customers appreciate our artistic abilities and craftsmanship at prices which remain affordable thanks to CAD/CAM production. The reactions we receive from customers make us proud of our quality."