Creating Your Own Head

[santacruz]

I want to buy an angled paddle plank neck and obviously I will need to put in my own tuner slots. Is this easily done or does it require a special part or something else? Is it just a hole through the head or something more than that?

 

[Surf n Music]

Just requires the correct size drill bit and a drill press. Different brands require different size holes and some require a bigger hole on the backside of the head stock that doesn't go all the way through. You just want to make sure you don't go to deep. A good way to do that is to mark the drill bit with a piece of tape showing the depth. That way as the drill goes in you know how deep your going. When the edge of the tape touches the surface of the wood you are there.

 

[mayfly]

A few more things:

1 - use a drill press
2 - brad point drills are very good in this application
3 - use a drill press
4 - stu-mac sells a jig that you could use to line everything up perfectly
5 - use a drill press
6 - go slowly
7 - use a drill press

 

[Cagey]

What Mayfly said. Also, use a drill press.

 

[swarfrat]

And clamp your workpiece when drilling in the drill press.

 

[Ddbltrbl]

And, just in case no one has mentioned it, use a drill press!  :toothy12:

 

[bagman67]

Also bear in mind that not all tuners want a straight bore - some want a stepped bore.


Take a look at the Schaller and Gotoh/Grover reams here:


http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/TunerHoles.aspx


You'll need two different sized drill bits to do this correctly.


Or you'll want to buy tuners that require a single diameter for the ream.

 

[Orpheo]

i start at the front side of the headstock and when the tip of the brad point comes out of the back, I flip it over, to prevent tear outs. works just fine.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

You can also use a block on the back of the headstock, drill all the way through into the block, fresh hole all six times as far as the block is concerned.  That will help to avoid tearout.

 

[stubhead]

"A piece of tape" is a pretty iffy way to control the depth of a hole, especially when you want to drill multiple (six!) holes that all come out the same - tape move easily, and really easily as it warms up. There is a product called a "drill stop" that's a metal ring that locks onto the bit with a set screw, they're usually sold in sets of several different sizes. Or - the discount way - you can cut some plastic tubing, like BiC pens or such, to various lengths. It doesn't have to be the perfect length, as you can slide the drill bit in and out a ways before you tighten the chuck.