how to drill?

[tranceFusion]

Can someone tell me or link me to directions on how to drill holes for the strap buttons, pickguards, neck heel, tuners, etc? I mean the basics, like, what kind of drill do I need, what kind of bit, how do I keep from chipping/cracking the finish around the hole, etc.?

Thank you!

 

[GoDrex]

some people say to use a non electric hand drill

I used a battery power Makita drill and squeezed lightly so it would spin slowly - worked fine for me

I used bits that were just a hair smaller than the screws I was drilling for. If you're drilling into a very hard wood you might want to use bits that are the same size. I wanted the holes to hold tightly.

some people say to drill through masking tape, but I found that the finish Warmoth uses isn't so hard that it chips. I didn't use anything and had no problems. I just marked where I wanted to drill - pressed into that spot a little with the screw to make a dent and drilled slowly and carefully.

 

[smavridis]

+1 to the chipping. i drop a screw, that was IN a bag, from an inch high and it chipped.

also i just went ahead and drilled. the places i needed to drill got covered by something (ie the pickguard) so it didnt matter.

 

[GoDrex]

+1 to the chipping. i drop a screw, that was IN a bag, from an inch high and it chipped.

that's really weird. I found that the finish is hard to chip

 

[smavridis]

to me the littlest thing is scratching and chipping my finish. i havent even played it FINISHED BUILDING it and its got scratches all over the back.

 

[shanejw]

As long as your bit is good and sharp you shouldn't have too much trouble with chipping as the bit is actually cutting into the finish.  I'm on my 4th Warmoth and have never used masking tape or anything and have had nothing chip.