Official Luthiers Forum!

Here's a 1/4" dot/ plug cutter I made to cut ablam dots. It's made out of 3/8" steel rod. I centered drilled a 1/4" hole in the center and filed the teeth with a trianglular file and filed thinned the OD by chucking the cutter in the mini mill. I cut the unloading opening with a dremel cutoff wheel. I use the mini mill to cut the dots out. I use double sided tape to hold the ablam to a piece of wood. The ablam has a tendency to separate the at the bottom layer. But I don't know if that's just this piece of ablam. I haven't try it on solid shell but I think it would work.

Looks like that would speed things up alot.Great idea Chris. I too wonder if it would work as good on real shell as that's all i use.My concern would be weather or not the smaller blank could be held down enough to pull it off.Keep us posted if you try the real deal.Thanks for posting. Mark

Are you using a cutting fluid or something to cool the bit at all? Great idea Chris.

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

No coolant on the ablam. That might be why the bottom layer came off about 50% of the time. It cut pretty easy through the ablam Ron so I didn't even think to check to see how hot it was getting. It didn't feel hot when I unloaded the pieces. I tried it on some MOP and it got too hot and then I tried it with some coolant applied with a brush. I got half way through and then the tape gave way. If I could harden the steel and glue the blank down with tight bond I think it might work on shell . When it gets hot it dulls. Maybe more teeth and figure out the speed. It would be nice if someone would make them from carbide. Maybe someone else who is more knowledgeable with metals and tool making can take the lead with it. As for now I have my dots cut and inlayed into the fret board so I'm done with it for now.

Dennis sent me a PM with a link to these which should do the job. You might have to size your drill bit with the saws.
http://cgi.ebay.com/10pcs-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 ... m153.l1262

You did it! Now can you sleep at night again?

_________________
Jordan Aceto
Ithaca, NY

Steve Seneney told me he has a set of those diamond drills and didn't get consistance cuts with them for dots. Anyone else have them?

It's my understanding that there is more to it then that. First you need to know what type of steel it is. Some steel can be quenched in oil or water to harden it and some have to be air quenched. Then there is the tempering of it as it seems it depends depends on how hot you make it and it can get brittle so you need to temper it. It's my understanding that O1 drill rod is a good steel for this. But I'm just starting to read a bit more about this hardening and tempering process.
I haven't seen a 1/4" forstner bit. But like I said I'm done for now as I have my dots, why don't you give your ideas a try and report your results back?

Yeah but I call them brad point bits!

...a follow up to my suggestion that Chris buy those cheap diamond core bits on Ebay: I bought a set. They are junk. Well, I guess it depends on what you want to use them for - probably fine for drilling out a glass bottle to turn it into a lamp, or some other craft function where precision does not matter, or where a flange would cover the rough edge. The diamonds on these bits are too coarse, scattered/patchy, crude, and in some cases individual pieces of grit are stacked. The shafts are hollow tubes. Maybe the stacked grit could be chipped off, and then maybe if the bits are spun at a high enough speed, then maybe a usable shell or stone dot could be cut - but I doubt it. I think my daughter and I will pick up some cool rocks on Lake Superior beaches, and drill them out as pen holders. Guess what you're getting for Christmas next year...



Dennis

_________________
Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Thanks for the update.