Official Luthiers Forum!

I forgot who had this idea, but it is great. Using one of these laser levels.
you can follow a straight line up and over things. In this pict, I am
preliminarily setting the neck straight. You can follow the red line al the way
to the headstock veneer. I just placed it at the end block and made it follow
my pencil line on the body. It is an awesome trick.

Andy

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Thanks genius

Serge

I also used it to look at my neck profile, especially helpful at the heel. Much more effective than casting a shadow from the edge of a card, the laser is much more coherent light, less dispersion.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Andy, thank you! I got two laser levels for Christmas and was wondering what I would do with them....now I know one good application!

Pat, elaborate on the casting a shadow thing...sounds like a heretofore undiscovered trick I may need sometime...

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Larry,

Look here at Mario Proulx's site, down where you see the file card being held over the neck. The shadow knows. I learned this from a wood sculptor.

http://www.proulxguitars.com/buildup/build12.htm

Instead of using the shadow of the card to cast a shadow, use the laser level to make the line, makes a much sharper line. When looking at the heel curves, I look at the line as I move it from various angles up and down the heel, all the while keeping the laser line perpendicular to the centerline of the neck. It simulates lookng at reflections as they move across a glossy surface, only this works on surfaces that don't reflect, like a rough-sanded neck. I also use it with the laser line parallel to the neck centerline, to cast a shadow along the length of the neck profile, gets me a feel for the curve: soft shadow means gentle curve, harder one means sharper.

I don't know if this helps or confuses. Let me know. Maybe I can post some pics.

Pat

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Pat, pics would be very much appreciated.

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

hey AZ .. 2 levels huh ??? I think I know what you can do with the other one, every morning right after you brush !!!!

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Something to keep in mind! Not all lasers are made equal. all will project a very straight line but the focus of the beam varies depending on the optics used. This is a minamal problem in most of what we do because the distance we work with is pretty short. but I bought a $14 laser that the beam was .032" dia. at 6" but .10" at 36". I also have a $90 laser the beam dia at 6" was .032" and .04 at 120" just a note to keep in the back of your mind.

For those who dont know ...Anthony's day job can be downright insane sometimes, so for those mornings when he just isnt sure, he can use the other laser to check and make sure his head is still screwed on right - and level too !!!!

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Thanks for the explanation Tony. That one had me wondering.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Tony, have you been talking to my wife again? She's the one who got me the laser level

Hey Andy, my first post on the forum was about finishing my first guitar and using the laser level to sight the neck. It's also great to center the bridge as well - just place it on the neck at the nut and center the light on down the center of the neck and voila.
Fun stuff.

I saw Alan's post on this and then stood in Sears and stared at the laser level they had on sale for $30. Wish I had bought it now. Oh well, another reason to make another trip to Sears' toy... I mean tool dept.

[QUOTE=JBreault] Pat, pics would be very much appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Joe and all,

Here you go.


In these top two, I use the laser so that the angle of incidence is fairly shallow, and rotate the neck to see how the light plays on the surface. If the surface is wavy or inconsistent in its curves, the laser won't move over the surface at a constant rate. Sort of like a car with poor body work on its sides, which wave at you as it goes by. In the lower of the two shots above, a constant width of beam along its length means the curve of the profile is consistent.




These bottom two demonstrate how the laser helps check for symmetry. If you move it up and down the heel and note how the curve changes and whether it's symmetrical, that can tell you a lot. Of course, I still use the eye and touch too.

BTW, this neck is not my work; it came from Martin, thus the dead-on CNC level of accuracy.

Pat

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I got to get me one of them lights.

Wow, neat stuff!! I used to work with lasers in the semiconductor equipment industry. Lots of fun. Anyone using the laser measurement tools? They're about the same $30 price range at Sears. Wonder if one would work for the uses shown above. Guess I'll have to check it out. Always some 'new toy'.

CrowDuck

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.