Jude,

What is the design on your accordions? I saw a picture of one of yours but couldnt make it out.

Very sorry to hear about your friend Lyman.

Bryan Lafleur

CNC is computerized numerical control. The machining center will be controled by a computer program either on the machine or down loaded from a remote computer. The idea here is that an engineer can create parts in a program like Pro engineer or AutoCad to create part files that can be brought into a CAM package. The programer will build a program specifing the tools to use along with the speeds and feeds for the machine to follow. Raw material is loaded into the CNC machining machine, the program is run and the part is produced automatically. For the wood working industry CNC routers have been developed that specialize in wood products. And there are machines that are cheap enough that a small operater like an accordion maker could use. The advantage is all the parts will be made exactly to specification. No more sticking buttons, missaligned air holes, knocking base boxes,loose stops, missaligned button holes and yes Claude perfect miters.

Bruce,

Well, no more excuses,now that my little darlings are easier to make with laser cutting techniques.

Have you ever tried to make compounds mitred angles joints, or mitred dovetail joints or mitred through dovetail ones.

A "cinch" with the "laser Machine".

What happened with the accordion building progect that you and Dwight undertook last year?

Any pics?.

Claude.

The cutting of wood products would not be with a laser on the CNC routers I spoke of. The wood would be cut with normal and coustom router bits. I think the laser devices would be more appropriatey used for face plate etching. Dwight's accordion project has ben religated to the box of accordion parts. There is part of a keyboard a couple of reed blocks and some uncompleted sides. He was not satisfied with the wood(tiger birch) (almost impossible to sand out tool marks). I did complete an accordion for myself. Mostly done using machines normally used for metalworking like milling machines and lathes. All parts fit together like champs and the accordion sounds good. And I have engineered in many improvments that I think could produce a better accordion. Not too bad for an amateur builder. Pics of the box + much more at the above link.

Note that some youngish LA. box builders completely omit the face end plates decorations over their names .

R.Falcon has none and J. Roger has replaced them with a " floral" theme, and I mean no criticisim here, but that my interpretation of them, they are nice and I can't remember what Jude uses if anything, what is it Jude?.

And I know there are others.

In any case, I have never like the idea that these lovely elegant motifs have been partially "hidden" behind the treble board thickness, and I think these two avant guarde builders have found a suitable design solution.

Ok, just because the Monarch and the Sterlings end plates had hidden motifs, doen't mean that builders can't innovate and improve on old designs!.

Cheers!.

Claude.

Here is the machine or one very similar to the one Marc Savoy uses to do his faceplates. Dont know where he had the pattern engraved but it is done in brass and bigger than the actual faceplate as the machine is a pantograph.
Greg

Templates for the trademark names used by Mark and John were made of hard brass and made by a template manufacturer. John made his own templates for the floral designs.

would it be possible to laser engrave these decorations?.

Now I do realize that the wood might burn somewhat, but has anyone try this metod, or does anyone knows of a different engraving system.?

BTW, the term "etching", is too me somewhat misleading as it applies, I'm pretty sure to a printmaking method.

Could be wrong though.

Claude.

Claude re: laser... Yes.

You can do CO2 laser. The trick is that there are various grades of hardness among wood. Unlike any rotary router type bit, the Laser settings are crucial to the hardness and the DPI settings for specific detail.

Laser in this fashon, operates on a digitized pattern of grey scale. The darker portions of the grey scale achieves the deeper cuts and the lighter shades recieve a delicate minimized cuts. So in essance, any black and white photo (or converted photo to black and white) can establish the digitized parameters for etching and engraving using a
CO2 laser through the grey scale. The beam is measured in wattage, as such, the settings and programming from a computer is the real measure of success or failure. This is the method of engraving I was looking to emerge into the 3D artform for accordions. There is much much more, for what I will not go into.

Hope I did not bore you too much. Oh and did I mention that laser can do miter cuts with precission??

Nonc D

Then there's the kind of bas relief sculpting that can be done with abrasive media, like what is done with "sand-carved" wooden signs.

There's really no reason an accordion body couldn't look like Kermit the Frog made out of urethane foam, as long as there was a place for bellows in the middle and buttons at either end.

And why not buttons in a curve like some computer keyboards? You could cast an impression of the heel of your thumb to get the proper shape for the back of the button board...er-ga-cordionomics

All of the methods mentioned could be used for decorating accordions. The problem is return on investment!!!