Custom Design, Reverse Engineering & Prototyping
Unique designs for home and office spaces
.jpg/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1209,h:806)
Violin, Viola, & Cello Parts
With the Luthier in Mind
Here at Arched Angle Creations, we start with an understanding of the exacting processes required for creating unique and beautiful musical instruments. We partner with you, the luthier, to select tone wood, and ensure the details that go into your project provide you with results that simplify your work and wow your customers. Intermedia
Here at Arched Angle Creations, we start with an understanding of the exacting processes required for creating unique and beautiful musical instruments. We partner with you, the luthier, to select tone wood, and ensure the details that go into your project provide you with results that simplify your work and wow your customers. Intermediate steps in our process ensure your needs are addressed before the work is completed.
Custom Instrument Blanks
What are "Custom Blanks"?
Back and top plate designs can be very personal for each luthier. It is a labor of love to perfect the sweep of the arches, the perfect fluting, the graceful corners, and of course, the beautiful musicality of each instrument. In order to facilitate your craft, we scan a 3D map of your ready-to-install* plates wit
What are "Custom Blanks"?
Back and top plate designs can be very personal for each luthier. It is a labor of love to perfect the sweep of the arches, the perfect fluting, the graceful corners, and of course, the beautiful musicality of each instrument. In order to facilitate your craft, we scan a 3D map of your ready-to-install* plates with 0.1 mm accuracy, then build a CAD model of your plate. Using your blanks, we remove a large portion of the rough-out material and provide you with blank plates made to your exacting specifications, ready for your final finish work.
What About Famous Instruments?
We do offer some models for making your plates without a custom design (e.g. Guarneri "Vieuxtemps Del Gesu"). Please ask our team about other designs we may have available.
*note: completed instruments are possible to scan, but not the best option.
Reverse Engineering
What is the Reverse Engineering Process?
We begin with a consultation to discuss your instrument model and the requirements for your blanks. At this point we will scan your existing plates into our computers. The next step is to build a CAD model from 3D scans of your plates. This can take several hours or days, depending on the number of
What is the Reverse Engineering Process?
We begin with a consultation to discuss your instrument model and the requirements for your blanks. At this point we will scan your existing plates into our computers. The next step is to build a CAD model from 3D scans of your plates. This can take several hours or days, depending on the number of plates and required design modifications (e.g. fluting and f-hole removal.
Your project now moves to the manufacturing floor, where we make an MDF "buck" of the outside shape of your blanks. Then it's time for your next "fitting" session. You'll bring your arch templates which we'll use to review and fine-tune the outer profiles of your plates to ensure they meet your exacting standards before committing a single splinter of ton-wood to manufacturing.
Once the outer shape is to your standards, we then make your "forever cradles" for graduating your plates. The bucks from your fitting session are then graduated, measured, and photographed. The photos are sent to you for final approval.
This is the end of the reverse engineering process and the beginning of a future making beautiful instruments with less manual work - without giving up the quality you bring to your craft!
Is It Expensive?
How Much Does It Cost?
There's no hiding it; there is quite a bit of work involved in transforming a custom arch and graduations from your plate scans and map into the digital realm for manufacturing. We have processes in place, tailored to lutherie, intended to keep the costs attainable for professional luthiers producing volume work. In
How Much Does It Cost?
There's no hiding it; there is quite a bit of work involved in transforming a custom arch and graduations from your plate scans and map into the digital realm for manufacturing. We have processes in place, tailored to lutherie, intended to keep the costs attainable for professional luthiers producing volume work. In addition to a pricing schedule (on request), you should know the following:
- Some of your precious instrument parts will need to be scanned (unless you have scans!) to facilitate reverse engineering. We prefer to do this in the controlled lighting in our shop in McMinnville, Oregon.
- On-site scanning is available and mileage-dependent (Oregon, Washington, Northern California) for a reasonable fee.
- We can manufacture your existing CAD models** or even reverse engineer from your CT or 3D LIDAR scanns**!
- We're happy to discuss the specific needs of your shop and find a labor saving pre-shaping plan for your plates!
- A pricing schedule is available on request as a guide. There are more than a few variables to the process, and we're comfortable with customizing work to meet a variety of needs.
Our Story
A Maker's Journey
The Arched Angle Creations story began as a partnership, a marriage, and a means of keeping busy during the pandemic. After moving to a little house in Yamhill County, Oregon, small projects around the place resulted in growing a small productive shop, and a lot of new skills being learned.
From those humble beginnings, various successful projects at home, for friends, family, and neighbors got us thinking about all the ways we could share our love of making things for the home with other folks in our community. We'd love to be part of bringing your projects to life!
Customer Design Questions?
We do custom work for customers who may not have shop resources of their own, but have a great idea they'd like to bring to life, as well as making some everyday items we love and use ourselves. Small projects and large projects - we'd love to hear from you!
Contact us with the details of your project or design, and get an estimate on the cost and time required to bring your idea to life! We have shop facilities that support 3D printing, CNC and lathe and milling manufacturing capabilities, as well as a variety of woodworking and metalworking resources, and can provide CAD and reverse engineering services, too!