Help Gregg, I'm screwed!!!

[jackthehack]

Still waiting on the neck for my VIP build, but got my TX BBQ set from Rio Grande and I was going to finish the body when much to my chagrin, it seems like someone at Warmoth was smoking rope for lunch or not paying attention, as it seems like the routed post holes for my Wilkinson tremelo bridge route were bored to 11.3 mm (correct holes for Gotoh 510 bridge per diagrams) instead of the 10mm they should have been per the spec diagram. The Wilkinson posts drop to the bottom and have at least a mm of play when inserted....

I really don't want to return the body and add many more weeks to the wait, anybody have a suggestion as to how to fix this??????

 

[jackthehack]

Here's a pic, you can see the posts dropped down to the bottom of the post routes....

 

[Shmoopie]

Um  get some 10mm dowels or something and epoxy them into the holes then when its dry, drill out the dowels. thats the only thing i can think of, and for some reason it seems like a bad idea. and as grandpa says good this come from bad ideas, like drinking tequila in a dark bar, thats how i met your grandma.

or just epoxy the holes with out the dowels and drill.

 

[Alfang]

Jack  I've been lloking at as many bridge specs as I can find on Warmoth

Sorta looks like they got the wrong drill bit, looks like it's been drilled for tune o matic bridge      11.3 mm as you stated

I am looking to see if we can find you larger diameter drop in, that will accept the same diameter post, or at least accept posts of a similar style that will work with your bridge.  I will keep looking, 

However, if CB doesn't come up with an idea, I had already considered both shmoopies ideas,  he forgot to mention duct tape :toothy10:

Thats Black Korina?  The 2 square inches i saw in your photo look awesome.

 

[jackthehack]

Yes it's black korina, transparent amber with a natural binding see pic below and you'll know why I don't necessarily want to return it, it's also pretty light for a korina carved top...

Schmoopie - The posts falling down in the holes ARE 10mm; keep in mind that the holes are drilled slightly smaller than the posted spec for the bridge posts for any given post so they can "grip", i.e., the holes should be slightly smaller than the 11.3/10 mm specs, making the holes some real oddball size; could probably source 10mm dowels, but the holes are probably 11.X oddball size and I don't have a lathe, so looking for some other solution...

 

[Alfang]

Heres a couple thoughts,  If you did use dowels, you certainly would want to use hard wood.  Maybe you could buy an oversized hardwood dowel from a hobby shop, then chuck it up into a drill and using a peice of sand paper, turn it down to the correct diameter, obviously you want to keep the dowel a consistant diameter.

I don't like that idea, because then you gotta redrill a correct diameter hole and keep it straight etc...

This is what I would do,  I would get some good 2 part epoxy, and a box of flat toothe picks, put epoxy in the hole, then the insert with toothe picks inserted on each side to hold the insert centered. when the epoxy dries, your done, no drilling no nothing. Maybe you wont even need the toothpicks.

you could screw the posts partway in and build something to hold those posts centered and perpendicular over the holes, like a strong magnet taped to a ruler or yardstick, just gotta figure out how to span and clamp the ruler in place.

I forget if the dropins are open at the bottom, if so you gotta plug that to keep the glue from seeping up from bottom

If your using black hardware, use black epoxy,

Thats an awesome looking body, did you buy that from the showcase? I think that's one that I have been looking at for a while and have almost bought a bunch of times
I will recognize it if i saw the left side. It has some nice figure there? I just checked showcase and it's gone

 

[Alfang]

out of habit I call the inserts drop-ins    we use concrete achors like those inserts that we call drop ins

 

[SkuttleFunk]

I would consider looking into the bore size for a steel threaded insert - an insert similar to what I install in all of my necks. I know several of them have rather robust body diameters to accommodate heavy loads, and I'm sure one of these should be able to nicely fill that hole while providing you with an interior machine screw thread to make your attachment with

check out www.mcmaster.com for a complete selection of threaded inserts

all the best,

R

 

[Shmoopie]

he forgot to mention duct tape :toothy10:

holy shit i almost suggested that  :toothy12:

 

[jackthehack]

Alfang - yes, that's the one from the showcase

SkuttleFunk - you have a drilled down link from the mcmaster.com link you sent? There are like 2000 sublinks on that page....

 

[SkuttleFunk]

SkuttleFunk - you have a drilled down link from the mcmaster.com link you sent? There are like 2000 sublinks on that page....

on the home page click Threaded Inserts in the Fastening and Sealing section, then click

Threaded Inserts for Plastics and Wood
Kife-Thread Inserts for Wood

I'd be most likely to search thru the section containing High-Strength Hex Drive inserts, as these will be significantly easier to install without a drill press. at the bottom of this page there's a table with drill sizes and thread diameters. if you have access to a drill press, then there could also be something of interest in the 'Slotted' section ... I'd steer clear of the slotted brass fittings, though, as they really like to crack when you thread them into the wood (even with a drill press)

if nothing there looks to be workable let me know and I can pay a visit to Fasten-All and see if they have anything that might work (but you talking about three plus weeks in turnaround with this route)

all the best,

R

 

[simple]

Hi Jack,

Can you email me one of these: order number, name on the order or Showcase VIP number.

I'll get another set of eye balls on your pictures to garner the best options as well.

Sorry I didn't answer sooner. I was out of town over the weekend and the increased traffic on this board is making it harder to keep up.

Thank you.

G-

 

[jackthehack]

Resolved...

After getting a PM from Gregg, I got some metric drill bits (easier to find than a caliper and eventually I'll use them anyway) and double checked everything. The holes in the body ARE correctly drilled, about 9.3-9.5 mm; the problem is that the posts shipped with the Wilkinson bridge are 9mm, rather than the 10mm posts that Warmoth ships if you purchase the Wilkinson from them.

Weird thing is that the diagram that came with the Wilkinson bridge I ordered is a duplicate of the PDF file diagram on the Warmoth website, without the added verbiage.

 

[Alfang]

WOW!  aren't you glad you didn't listen to me.

What an incredible fix, Warmoth was correct after all.