Gitty's Bench Notes 4/15/14 - How our Custom Sound-hole Covers are Made - Part 2

This is the second part of our 2-part series on the steps we follow to create one of our custom pewter fairy sound hole covers.

Phase 3: Cutting the parts on the CNC router

1. The router is set up for cutting using a special jig. A blank panel of African mahogany is loaded.
2. The CAD design is loaded into the CNC program. Creating the CAD design could be a series of posts unto itself, but for now let's just say it magically exists.
3. The correct bit is put into the router, and its X Y and Z positions are set. For this cut, a 1/16" end mill single-flute carbide bit is used. 
4. The dust collector is fired up and all settings double-checked.
5. I mash the "Run" button, the router spins up and begins cutting.
6. If all goes well, 30 or so minutes later I have 6 sound hole cover blanks. This time could potentially be reduced by fine-tuning the CAD design, but for now it does the job.
7. Repeat with more pieces of African mahogany if a larger run is being done.

Phase 4: Sanding and prepping the CNC-cut pieces

1. We use a combination of disc and belt sanders to clean up the sound hole cover blanks, knocking off fuzzies and burrs.
2. We then lightly rough up the fronts to give them a light distressed/weathered look, using a special method we devised.
3. After a final hand sanding, finish is applied to darken the wood and seal it. We generally use Medium Walnut Danish oil on these parts. Customers can of course apply a clear finish like lacquer or polyurethane if they want.
4. Once the finish has fully dried, the pewter parts are glued into the recess using a good strong cement.

After that, all that's left is to bag and label them and ship them out when an order comes in. As you can see, a lot of work goes into each one of these handcrafted items, which hopefully helps give you an idea of why they cost what they do.

So that's it - the full story of how one of our custom parts comes to life. Hope you enjoyed it!