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Are there such things as commercially available programs for CNC machines?

Specifically, could I go out and buy an already existing neck carving program, or would I need to pay to have one programmed?

You would probably have to pay. I have not heard f people selling their programs. Unless you are looking for a radically different neck, you can probably find someone who can cut a neck that is close to what you want. Custom programming can get pricey

I don't think you'll have any luck finding pre-made programs at all. The performance envelopes of all the machines out there is just too great and the program must be made to work with a particular machine and a particular work flow. Necks are pretty complicated when it comes to machining.

I suspect you'll have a hard time commissioning one as well. I've turned away some requests because you just don't know who's going to be running the machine and what their competence level is. Additionally there's always a chance that the programmer makes a mistake in the program which could cause at minimum, a loss in material for the customer or at worst, a broken machine or injured customer. Simply not worth the stress.

What you might be able to get is a a stock model of a neck or perhaps get someone to design a neck for you. You'd have to do the CAM work yourself but getting a good blend at the headstock and heel is pretty challenging in itself so it might be worth it.

I'm getting ready to launch a semi-custom neck line in the next few months so I'm going through all of this stuff right now - there's a lot to think about when it comes to necks!

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

Well, I know a guy who can do it, used to do it for Larrivee. He now has his own machine. I've been thinking of tooling up CNC for neck carving. It is the most physically labor intensive aspect, and always bogs down the flow.

But, the number of parameters with scale length and nut width are pretty substantial...

Not saying it's impossible, just might be difficult. My current neck model has about 20 parameters for the customer and another 20 that I can use for deep customization - those then expand out to an additional 20 or so parameters in the spreadsheet driving it. It's a big task but, I now have a fully parametric model that allows me to make a very customized neck in a reasonable amount of time.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

Wanna sell a copy...?

Ed, for the price of your own Cnc, tooling, material and time spent programming you could buy a LOT of necks from Andy. And you could buy some cool faux bound fretboards too.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I suspect there would be a customer perception crisis between CNC'ing your own neck, and buying a premade neck...though the actual product would be the same...

You might be surprised how many small builders use outside sources for their necks. If the design parameters are all yours and the quality of the product meets your standards, does it really matter which tool you use to accomplish the task? I know of one Fender style builder in Florida who even states on his website his source for necks and it doesn't appear to be hurting his sales one bit.
Customer perception is a real concern, perhaps you could ask around to see who is outsourcing and how they handle the issue.
I hope I haven't completely derailed your thread.

Not at all...

I've been thinking about this thread as I too am looking to speed up the neck carving process. The fact that I have so many scale lengths and nut/bridge spacing options has discouraged me from going CNC (yet). In the mean time I've been investigating non CNC options of speeding up neck production. I found this video on youtube a while back. It is something I'm thinking about...

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Covet.

Who is that guy?

"I found this video on youtube a while back. It is something I'm thinking about..."

The simple jig and router bits that I use I think will do what his jig is getting you, plus do some of the transition and heel. roughing out the neck shaft is the easy part.

Google router duplicator. That may be an option

B

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

I know guys that tried duplicators and said it was nightmares all round...

Josh,

Can you tell me who was in that video?

Looks like Kevin Pederson to me.
http://www.abyssguitars.com/

I think Steven has it. In the description for the video he has 2 websites listed. It seems like a lot of people have asked him for plans (at least in the comments). If you happen to find any plans for something like this let me know. I'm thinking of taking a crack at making one just from what I can see in the video. Maybe a good winter project for the next few months when I'm snowed in. Although I may try to come up with something that uses a standard router since I don't have a pin router like in the video.

_________________
Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

I'm sure something could be rigged...

Back in 2008 on the TDPRI forum, a member posted a jig like this for doing Fender style necks on a router table. Follow the link and look for the PDF's on page 8. http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/123054-new-member-poplar-tele-build.html