HackSpace_-_October_2019

“The first year was fine, but then everything went

wrong. My first commission was late – I said it

would take three months, but it took me a year. The

CNC router stopped working, so I had to learn how

to do it by hand. Like when any automation breaks

down, it exposes whether you understood the thing

you were automating or not.

“It’s been an interesting journey. Thankfully the guy

who commissioned the guitar was very accepting; he

was happy to be part of that journey. I kept him

involved as much as I could, and it worked out well.

MAKERSPACE WORKING

“Being in a makerspace, you have tools available

that traditional luthiers don’t. And this is the counter

to the fact that I don’t have all the tools that a

traditional luthier would have. So, for example, I have

access to a laser cutter.

“One of the bits you really have to get right,

otherwise it’s not a musical instrument, is the fret

spacing. Those have to be right, because otherwise,

it’s not going to sound correct. So, being a software

engineer and having access to a laser cutter, I wrote

a small tool that lets me type in ‘22 frets, 25 1/2 inch

scale length’, and it will etch a design.

“I still have to cut the slots by hand – the kerfing

on the laser cutter means that you get a V-shape

Above^

It’s nice having

access to a

laser cutter

rather than a straight slot – but I can use the tools

around me to my advantage. The nice thing is that I

know that other people use that tool. Even if they

don’t have a laser cutter, that’s how a whole bunch of

people generate their fretboards now, using that little

tool that I made. It’s nice to be able to give back to

the luthier community, which has given me so much.

“It’s fun being in an environment like a

makerspace, where you don’t have everything you

need, but you’ve got more stuff. ‘How can I solve

my problem using the tools around me? If there are

better tools, how do I find someone who can point

me in the right direction?’

ART & SCIENCE

“Necks are totally under-appreciated. When you look

at a guitar, you tend to look at the body and the

Being in a maker

space, you have tools

available that traditional

luthiers don’t

”

”

Meet The Maker

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