Has anyone laser cut their own pickup flatwork?

[Steve Holt]

Just what the title says. I'm looking to make some custom flatwork for a pickup on a build I'm working on. I have laser cutter that can probably do the work. If not I have other alternatives, so the laser cutter isn't really the issue.

I was just wondering if anyone here has done it and has any advice or pitfalls to avoid. For instance I'm curious about the holes for the polepieces. I've got some precut flatwork that I've been measuring. The rod magnets are .195" size (I'm actually measuring more like .192-.193" with calipers) And the holes in the flatwork are about the same, but can be a little bigger or smaller than those measurements I just listed. I have no idea what the tolerance is on my laser engraver, or any other that I might use. I'm just wondering if I should start with a .192" hole for a .192" rod magnet.

Any other advice would be great. Is there a 3rd party that cuts flatwork and ships it direct to you that I don't know about? That could be fun too.

 

[guitarbuilder]

I cnc'd some flatwork for my first pickups. Plastic doesn't like the eyelet soldering.

You can buy fiberboard online. I'd do some tests and aim for a hair under the magnet diameter but it depends on the accuracy of your machine.

Bobbin Flatwork Material 6" x 6" - Philadelphia Luthier Tools & Supplies, LLC

www.philadelphialuthiertools.com

Fiberboard Gray 10" X 10" Sheet .062" Thick flat work eyelet board DIY | eBay

Pre-cut 10" x 10" GRAY vulcanized fiberboard material for pickup makers. Perfect size for cutting your own bobbins. NOTE Fiberboard material has a natural tendency to warp. This should not however affect the final assembly once everything is held into place with magnets and such.

www.ebay.com

 

[Steve Holt]

Yeah I was scoping out the flatwork from Philly Luthier already. Good call on the plastic. I wasn't thinking about using it, but I hadn't considered that part.

 

[old wrench]

I've been getting my flatwork from Tone Kraft in New Jersey -

They do custom flatwork cut for a variety of magnet diameters in a variety of flatwork colors - their prices are pretty reasonable, too

Here ya go -

Wind Your Own Pickups, Guitar Pickup Kits, Alnico Rod Magnets, Pickup Flatwork, Tone Kraft

Tone Kraft, your best source for vintage pickup bobbin kits. We specialize in custom pickup bobbin kits, flatwork, hardware, alnico rod magnets.

www.tone-kraft.com

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[Steve Holt]

I've been getting my flatwork from Tone Kraft in New Jersey -

They do custom flatwork cut for a variety of magnet diameters in a variety of flatwork colors - their prices are pretty reasonable, too

Here ya go -

Wind Your Own Pickups, Guitar Pickup Kits, Alnico Rod Magnets, Pickup Flatwork, Tone Kraft

Tone Kraft, your best source for vintage pickup bobbin kits. We specialize in custom pickup bobbin kits, flatwork, hardware, alnico rod magnets.

www.tone-kraft.com

.

I'm pretty sure I ordered some magnet wire from them once. Waited months and months to get it. No replies to any of my inquiries and when I initiated a charge back the magnet wire finally showed up so I called it off. So they're not high up on my list of people I want to do business with... but good to know they exist for that reason!

 

[grumpah]

I use a laser cutter for my flatwork. I cut the pole piece holes 0.010" smaller than the diameter of the pole pieces. If the hole is too close to the size of the pole piece you will push the flatwork apart when you wind the pickup.

 

[Steve Holt]

Thanks for the tip! Do you measure each pole piece every time you cut one out or do you just accept the tolerance? In winding my own pickups I've had rods that I can push in by hand and others that I could barely press in.

 

[old wrench]

I'm pretty sure I ordered some magnet wire from them once. Waited months and months to get it. No replies to any of my inquiries and when I initiated a charge back the magnet wire finally showed up so I called it off. So they're not high up on my list of people I want to do business with... but good to know they exist for that reason!

I had the same thing happen with them about a year ago Steve - I found out later that they had a fire in their building and got all backed up with orders, but, they wouldn't respond to my emails either - so I can appreciate that you got fed-up with them -

I can deal with just about anything, as long as someone tells me what's going on so that we can work things out - but, silence doesn't doesn't do anything to inspire confidence


I ended up having a phone conversation with their shop fore-woman/customer service person/ order filler - they are actually just a very small operation.

We got things straightened out, and they've been good to deal with since then



You might look into getting your magnet wire from Remington - good prices, and free and fast shipping

Trusted Wire Distributors & Electrical Wire Company | Remington Industries

Remington Industries is a trusted wire distributor. Trust us for electrical wire, raw metals, wire processing, coil winding, and 3D printing. Shop now.

www.remingtonindustries.com

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[Steve Holt]

I had the same thing happen with them about a year ago Steve - I found out later that they had a fire in their building and got all backed up with orders, but, they wouldn't respond to my emails either - so I can appreciate that you got fed-up with them -

I can deal with just about anything, as long as someone tells me what's going on so that we can work things out - but, silence doesn't doesn't do anything to inspire confidence


I ended up having a phone conversation with their shop fore-woman/customer service person/ order filler - they are actually just a very small operation.

We got things straightened out, and they've been good to deal with since then



You might look into getting your magnet wire from Remington - good prices, and free and fast shipping

Trusted Wire Distributors & Electrical Wire Company | Remington Industries

Remington Industries is a trusted wire distributor. Trust us for electrical wire, raw metals, wire processing, coil winding, and 3D printing. Shop now.

www.remingtonindustries.com

.

That's understandable, and I'm willing to give them a do over after learning that they're just little guys. I like little guys, because I've been one. Now I work for other people instead and it's way better

I discovered Remington just days after placing my order with Tone-Kraft so I placed an order with them as well. This was back in 2021. So I got a spool of magnet wire from Remington to do my project, and figured the Tone-Kraft spool could just be a backup. So I was pretty patient in waiting because I didn't really need it, but the lack of reply still irked me. Just reply to the email and say "sorry for the delay, we'll try to get you an update soon" so that I know you're not completely out just to commit fraud and I'm a happy guy. In my line of work, an email back saying "working on it" is 1000 times better than silence.

 

[grumpah]

Thanks for the tip! Do you measure each pole piece every time you cut one out or do you just accept the tolerance? In winding my own pickups I've had rods that I can push in by hand and others that I could barely press in.

I measured 100 pole pieces and set my hole diameter based on the smallest diameter. Pole pieces from some suppliers have a greater variance in diameter than other suppliers so I would rather have them too tight than too loose.

 

[JUSS10]

I laser cut and CNC my flatwork. I have both tools in my barn. I prefer the CNC as it’s a bit more precise and I like the cleaner cut without the little bit of gummy residue left from the laser. I may have just got lucky, but on my CNC I can cut line to line what I measured on my pole pieces. Regardless, I always do a test cut in the corner of the material just to make sure.

If you are looking for some flatwork let me know, I can cut it.

 

[Larkins]

I can’t remember what hole size I use with my laser cutter (I want to say .180” but can’t remember, I just keep cuttin and pastin anytime I do a different design).
I do use a reamer very lightly, just to clean up the char and make the magnet center itself better.
I’ve never used a CNC for flatwork just cause the laser works so well for me.
I used to put a dab of water thin CA on the hole after assembly with all the magnets but haven’t really done that in a while. Not sure why, I guess I just forget and it seems to work well without it.
I always use a nail file to de-burr all the edges on the flatwork (and the eyelets, which I install right out of the laser) prior to winding, I would recommend it especially if you go the CA route.

I bought some of the grey flatwork by mistake from somewhere (can’t remember) but I actually like the look of it. Very “prototype-ish” with no covers on it.

 

[pblanton]

I found out later that they had a fire in their building and got all backed up with orders, but, they wouldn't respond to my emails either - so I can appreciate that you got fed-up with them - I can deal with just about anything, as long as someone tells me what's going on so that we can work things out - but, silence doesn't doesn't do anything to inspire confidence

No excuse. It's dead simple to set up an email responder that sends a reply message to everyone who sends you an email saying,

"Sorry for the lack of personal response, but we had a fire in our manufacturing facility which has slowed our production down. If you have an active order it may be delayed by a few weeks. If you absolutely cannot accept a delay on your order then please send an email with details to "blab_blah@thefactory.mneh" and we can process a cancellation and refund your order. Please only use this email account for immediate cancellations. If you can accept a delay of a few weeks, we would very much appreciate your patience as we deal with this unfortunate situation. For updated information please check this page on our website https://ourwebsite.com/fireinformation.html"

A message like that would solve over 90% of your unhappy customer issues caused by silence.

 

[Steve Holt]

No excuse. It's dead simple to set up an email responder that sends a reply message to everyone who sends you an email saying,

"Sorry for the lack of personal response, but we had a fire in our manufacturing facility which has slowed our production down. If you have an active order it may be delayed by a few weeks. If you absolutely cannot accept a delay on your order then please send an email with details to "blab_blah@thefactory.mneh" and we can process a cancellation and refund your order. Please only use this email account for immediate cancellations. If you can accept a delay of a few weeks, we would very much appreciate your patience as we deal with this unfortunate situation. For updated information please check this page on our website https://ourwebsite.com/fireinformation.html"

A message like that would solve over 90% of your unhappy customer issues caused by silence.

Agreed. I was going through my emails yesterday when I went to look up when I placed my order (time flies). Reading my correspondence with them I emailed them, called them, left voicemails, sent them messages through their website and requested multiple times to cancel my months late order that I had initiated a charge back on. To no avail.

Seems as though this was before their warehouse fire too if that was last year. But like I said time flies. Sometimes last year can mean 5 years ago. So maybe all of this was going on at the same time.