M6 135 drill bit size and lining up

[mdc1]

Hi, purchased the 6 inline M6 135 set for a strat build (right handed). Curious what others have done to properly 1) line up the tuners, and 2) what drill bit size they used for the wood screws.

I have that stew mac set with the drill offsets so perhaps one of those , but want to do this quickly and accurately without any guess work. Neck is flame maple

Mark C

 

[stratamania]

You line them up by using a straight edge such as a 6" rule or similar. Use a drill bit size that corresponds to the inner diameter of the screw thread or close to that.

You can also take a scrap of wood and drill a pilot hole or two to check the size of the bit needed before drilling the headstock with the bit that is the most suitable size.

Remember to lube the screws. This is what I do.

The Mystical Mahogany Build...

I then need to enlist the help of the neck and the tremolo unit so I can ensure the pickguard is correctly lined up and in position. I use masking tape to keep it where it needs to be. I then drill the pilot holes of 1.5mm with the pickguard in place. I remove the pickguard and then use a 2mm...

unofficialwarmoth.com

 

[Scab Pickens]

Yep, use a metal ruler held against the screw side faces of the tuners. Tighten the top nuts enough to hold them in place. After that, you can use a drill bit that barely fits inside the holes to "hand drill" your locations. After you have your pre-drill locations marked with the bigger bit, you can remove the tuners and drill the real holes. If you don't own a decent caliper measuring device, and you plan on doing more of this kind of thing, I would highly suggest purchasing one. The holes you drill for the screws should be just barely larger than the minor diameter of the thread. I have used a 1/16" bit for the Schaller screws on four sets with a 100% success rate ...

 

[mdc1]

thanks worked perfectly.