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Cutting shell or recon stone dots
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=17251		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Ricardo [ Mon May 19, 2008 8:38 am ]
Post subject:  Cutting shell or recon stone dots
How does one cut dots? I plan on using faux turquoise top dots, and I'd like to cut matching side dots out of slab. Are there such things as plug cutters for small dots?
Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Mon May 19, 2008 9:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Ricardo wrote:
How does one cut dots? I plan on using faux turquoise top dots, and I'd like to cut matching side dots out of slab. Are there such things as plug cutters for small dots?


I doubt you would be successful cutting the dots in shell or recon stone with plug cutters.
Commercially available shell dots are laser cut and recon stone are cast into rods or cylinders the cut and polished.

If you are casting your own recon stone then straws make good forms. Otherwise I would find commercially available dots or cast them as plug cutters are just going to make a bunch of chips. You might be able to find a cnc water jet or laser cutter in your area tha can cut them for you, but I would think the cost would be prohibitive.
Author:  Guest [ Mon May 19, 2008 9:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
I thought shell exploded when you cut it with a lazer.

I have cut very small dots with plug cutters but it isn't easy. they crack, you lose them, etc.

IIRC I got the cutters from rio grande.
Author:  Michael Dale Payne [ Mon May 19, 2008 9:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Guest wrote:
I thought shell exploded when you cut it with a lazer.

I have cut very small dots with plug cutters but it isn't easy. they crack, you lose them, etc.

IIRC I got the cutters from rio grande.


I believe abalone needs to be water jet cut but I know MOP is often laser cut as is Ablam
Author:  Dave Stewart [ Mon May 19, 2008 10:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Glue a shell fragment to the shank end of twistdrill, mount in drillpress and file the fragment flush. Drill the pocket with the same twistdrill.
Author:  Don Williams [ Mon May 19, 2008 10:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Dave Stewart wrote:
Glue a shell fragment to the shank end of twistdrill, mount in drillpress and file the fragment flush. Drill the pocket with the same twistdrill.


Clever... you would just have to be careful not to over-file. Good idea! A decent diamond file might be perfect for this.
Author:  Ricardo [ Mon May 19, 2008 11:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Dave, cool! I'll give it a try.
Author:  Dave Higham [ Mon May 19, 2008 11:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
I think an ordinary fine cut steel file might be better. Less likely to reduce the diameter of your drill shank with each one you make.
Author:  Dave Stewart [ Mon May 19, 2008 11:35 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Glad I could help Ricardo. Can't take credit for the idea, but I ran acrross it when I was in the same spot as you. I've done it on one guitar, so I know it works.
Author:  Brett L Faust [ Wed May 21, 2008 2:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Try the Rescue pearl company for turquoise dots.
LMI also carries some.
Good luck
Author:  Ricardo [ Wed May 21, 2008 10:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Dave, I tried your technique. It worked real well. Thanks
Author:  Bob Garrish [ Thu May 22, 2008 12:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
MichaelP wrote:
Guest wrote:
I thought shell exploded when you cut it with a lazer.


I believe abalone needs to be water jet cut but I know MOP is often laser cut as is Ablam


Which companies are using lasers? Last I talked to Chuck Erikson (in fairness, about eight months) he knew
of nobody having any real success cutting shell with lasers (and I believe he and Larry Sifel had put a good
deal of effort into making it work).

Waterjet would cut but isn't precise enough for complex pearl work until you're into a really expensive setup.
The industry standard is high-speed air spindles (Pearlworks, Precision Pearl...me ;) ), though I think there'll
be more guys using higher speed electric spindles in the future if they can keep the bearings from cooking
at 90K RPM.
Author:  1bordeaux [ Fri May 23, 2008 7:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Bob,

What type of cutters are you using @90k rpm ?
I am running some .015 bits @ around 35K. Am I missing something?

(Still leaning this Techno Machine!)

Thanks,
Paul
Author:  Bob Garrish [ Fri May 23, 2008 5:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
1bordeaux wrote:
Bob,

What type of cutters are you using @90k rpm ?
I am running some .015 bits @ around 35K. Am I missing something?

(Still leaning this Techno Machine!)

Thanks,
Paul



Probably the same cutters you're using at 35K. There are always different issues to deal with when going through
massive changes in RPM. The stuff you need to account for is different at 5K or 10K or 30K or 90K, it's not just a
linear progression of feed rate. I run my 65K turbine most of the time because the bearings on the 90Ks wear out
a lot faster, but I'd use 90Ks all the time if shell was my bread and butter like PearlWorks.
Author:  johnfgraham [ Fri May 23, 2008 7:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
There's a method that I think I read about in Frank Ford's Frets.com site that I tried and works very well.
You find some sort of metal tubing that's inside diameter is the size of the dot that you want. I used the metal cap on an old inkless ball point pin. Next you cut some teeth into the edge of the tube with a needle file. Put that in your hand drill as if it were a bit and cut your shell or abalone or whatever other material. One thing that I found necessary - as I used a pen cap with one end closed - was to drill a small hole into the closed end so that a straightened out paper clip could be inserted in order to push the newly cut dot out of the tube.

I think you can find some photos of this on the Frets.com site

I once broke up an abalone shell with a hammer, selected a portion that had good color and then used the above method, but only drilling into the shell a 16th of an inch or so - not thru the whole shell, then pried the dot out with a stylus.

The same homemade bit, given that it's thin metal, can be used to drill into the fingerboard - giving an exact perimeter cut to the hole to be inlayed - the interior wood can then be chiped out.

I later gravitated towards buying precut squares or irregular thin pieces of material and used the above method. But lately, I think I've found the best method of all - buying the dots already cut in almost any size or shape you might want for next to nothing.

j
Author:  Ricardo [ Sat May 24, 2008 12:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
Ya I agree John, buying the dots already made is the best, but there are times when you can buy the big dots but can't buy the matching side dots. Thanks for the suggestions. :lol:
Author:  johnfgraham [ Sat May 24, 2008 11:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Cutting shell or recon stone dots
I like Dave Stewart's drill bit idea. Sounds like a good way to go especially on the turquoise.
A good trick to have in your quiver.

j
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