Cnc files for maggini

[FiddlingLiz]

Just curious if got a cnc as a gift…. And was wondering does anyone have a ready file for a maggini style violin

[Don Noon]

Does someone hate you so much that they would spend a lot of money to give you years of torture? 

It sounds like you are expecting to get a file, load it in, push a button, and get a nice part.  At best, you might possibly get a solid model file derived from a 3D scan, or something like that.  It is a long way from there to a part.  You'd have to decide how to hold things and what cutters to use, fabricate fixtures, and generate tool paths for the CNC to do the actual cutting.

I suppose it is a slim possibility that someone has already done all of that, and has G-codes that you could use, and your machine uses the same codes as theirs, and then you could figure out the fixturing...  not likely, IMO. 

Figure on starting from a poster (or your own design), and generating everything yourself.  That's what I had to do.  It's a long and tedious learning curve, even if you have the technical aptitude for this kind of thing.

[HoGo]

I was offered 5 figures sum for my 3D mandolin model that I respectfully declined. You cannot imagine how much work is behind QUALITY 3D model. Most free or cheaply available violin models are quite funny VSO's.

[Violadamore]

On 5/10/2026 at 1:53 PM, FiddlingLiz said:

Just curious if got a cnc as a gift…. And was wondering does anyone have a ready file for a maggini style violin

Welcome to Maestronet.  As you are finding out, CNC design files (which come in a number of formats) are an (usually proprietary) article of commerce.  Files for acoustic violin production, in particular, that aren't total crap, are going to be expensive and closely guarded.  Around here, your first hurdle will be to get anyone successful to admit that they might be using CNC to make their fiddles (let's say that I perceive some difficulties with that    ).  Next, as Don indicated, using CNC is a complicated process with a steep learning curve, and very influenced by the design of your production equipment, so even if somebody gave you an entire set of project files, you're only at the start of your engineering journey (and maybe headed in the wrong direction for how your particular shop is equipped).

You might consider starting out with something a little less demanding than a violin.  Here's one place that you could start,  https://worldofwoodcraft.com/best-free-cnc-files-for-woodworking/     

[SCorrea]

CNC IS NOT MAGIC.

You have to understand a lot of things.  Its not as easy as you think.  The first thing is to make sure the machine trams square.  the second thing to know is that the file you have will post to the machine.  If it won't post, then it gets really hard.  You get to learn about cutters, rpm, overstep, how to hold onto the darn part as you cut it.  Indexing so you can cut both sides after you flip it over and how to flip the farside cutter paths to mimic the nearside after you flip it over.  This is a significant learning curve, and unfortunately its one of those things, like violin building, where you dont know what you dont know.  It is fun, if your bald and dont have hair to pull out, but violin parts are terribly unforgiving to dimensional errors, and you will make many of them.  I still have gorgeous titanium parts to remind me how easy it is to make absolutely worthless things, really fast.