If you have a CNC machine and want to use it to make your own templates and other projects, you must first draw it in  your software. Kristin Young has put together a course at the Lutherie Academy - Drafting Instrument Plans with CAD  that will teach you how to do this. 


Up until the mid1970s all drafting was done manually. With tools such as pencils, pens, straightedges, T-squares, French curves, rulers, and so on. Before calculators and mobile phones, we used slide rules to perform simple math. And let’s not forget drafting boards and tables that occupied entire rooms.

When computers came into their own, engineering drafting naturally moved into the digital space. This allowed engineers and drafts people to create more and more complex designs more quickly than ever before.

In this course Kristin teaches you how to master CAD allowing you to create and use your own plans to build your instruments. He uses RHINO in the course but all techniques are applicable to most CAD software available today and several of them are free.  Follow along as he explains every step in detail. 
All source files are available for download and personal use in PDFs, Rhino3D, and AutoCAD formats.

Learn About:

• The history of drafting engineering plans and how the craft progressed from simple to complex.
• The benefits and drawbacks of CAD
• Software options
• How to create a full guitar plan from a blank canvas to a finished hard copy
• How to digitize an existing instrument drawing
• How to digitize a completed guitar
• Extra benefits of CAD such as making templates and molds
• And much more!

You will also enjoy the musical soundtrack that Kristin composed and recorded for each lesson in the course.
Happy Building.