Mini drillpress for pickguard and jackplate holes?

[jalguitarman]

I have been looking at mini drillpresses fo hole drilling for pickguards ect. Thing is they appear not to cover a large enough area to get to every hole i would need to drill. Any one used one for this purpose. I am iffy on using a regular drill as i have tried a mini- dremel 4.8v and it would not hold steady it just bounced off the area i was trying to drill and i finally gave up trying to driil the pick up mounting hole i was doing  and screwed it in by hand as all i was doing was gouging thearea. But then again that was a mini dremeland not a drill so who knows..

ANY HELP OR INFO APPRECIATED AND THANKS IN ADVANCE.

 

[theklanch]

You can use a router base for a dremel as a drill press.  I was at Sears christmas shopping and they had an attachment for a dremel that actually was a drill press.

 

[GoDrex]

I used a hand drill on my build. I didn't have any trouble going through the finish. I found the key was to go very slow and use sharp new bits. Worked for me - I didn't get any bounce, I just held the drill very steady and put a little bit of downward pressure on it. I didn't feel that small screws like for pickup rings, tuners, strap pegs, jack plate, etc, needed the exact precision of a drill press - like you would need for the neck screws (if they weren't drilled already) or tuning peg holes.

 

[Wyliee]

I've used a Dremel and hand drill for screw holes.  Never had any problems.  Sharp bits is a good recommendation.

 

[SkuttleFunk]

if the OP is asking about how to drill the holes in the guitar body - use a hand drill with the proper sized bit for your screw. I'd also recommend using a sharply pointed center punch to set the hole location prior to drilling so that you minimize drift

if the OP is instead asking about drilling the holes and countersinks in the actual pickguard - use a drill press so you can control the countersink depth and centering on the pickguard hole

all the best,

R

 

[DocNrock]

I put a piece of masking tape on the wood and mark the drill target with a marking pen.  I use a variable speed power drill very slowly, with the bit marked at the desired depth with another piece of masking tape.

The masking tape on the wood prevents skipping and makes your target very easy to see.  +1 on very sharp bits.

 

[SkuttleFunk]

be cautious about masking tape - if you have a Nitro finish, many tapes will react with the Nitro and create a gummy mess of your finish.

good news is that W uses poly finishes, so this shouldn't be a problem on W finished bodies

all the best,

R

 

[DocNrock]

be cautious about masking tape - if you have a Nitro finish, many tapes will react with the Nitro and create a gummy mess of your finish.

good news is that W uses poly finishes, so this shouldn't be a problem on W finished bodies

all the best,

R

Didn't know that.  Good thing I've done this on W finishes.  :icon_thumright:

 

[jalguitarman]

if the OP is asking about how to drill the holes in the guitar body - use a hand drill with the proper sized bit for your screw. I'd also recommend using a sharply pointed center punch to set the hole location prior to drilling so that you minimize drift

if the OP is instead asking about drilling the holes and countersinks in the actual pickguard - use a drill press so you can control the countersink depth and centering on the pickguard hole

all the best,

R

I was refering to the body. what about the tuner screw holes (not peg holes)?? I have been looking and i know a mini drill press will not cover enough area for a guitar body but i was thinking for the tuner screw hole maybe that would do it.

also i got a raw piece of wood and did some practice runs and think my dremel would work. i think i will invest in a center puch. Thanks for your help.

I am super anxious :toothy10: to get my Strat together. after a mid 60s type vibe as far as sound but with some cosmetic variations.

 

[jackthehack]

Be a man, you don't need no stinking drill press; any 3/8" drill will do, wired or cordless; just get the proper sized bits and drill away...

 

[mayfly]

Be a man, you don't need no stinking drill press; any 3/8" drill will do, wired or cordless; just get the proper sized bits and drill away...

+1, but use an awl to center the hole first.  Then you can call yourself a manly man.

 

[jalguitarman]

Be a man, you don't need no stinking drill press; any 3/8" drill will do, wired or cordless; just get the proper sized bits and drill away...

So does that mean only girlie men use drill presses :toothy12:

So a regular drill will do fine on those tuner screw holes then??? :icon_scratch:

thanks for your respones.

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Be a man, you don't need no stinking drill press; any 3/8" drill will do, wired or cordless; just get the proper sized bits and drill away...

So does that mean only girlie men use drill presses :toothy12: ???

So a regular drill will do fine on those tuner screw holes then??? :icon_scratch:

thanks for your respones.

Yup, It's what I did! I'm a manly man.

 

[stubhead]

The awl/centerpunch/tape thing is the MOST important, once you've got a sturdy starting point it's easy. I usually press in with an awl once I'm perfectly centered, and the use a tack hammer and give a little tap to a sharpened nail to have a great start. The tuner screws that Warmoth (and most others) use are too big for a 1/16" bit (.0625") and too small for a 5/64" (.078"), you want to get a #49 (.073") and they'll slip right in with a bit of wax. I bought a dozen, lemme know if you want one for a couple of bucks if you can't find one easily.

 

[jalguitarman]

The awl/centerpunch/tape thing is the MOST important, once you've got a sturdy starting point it's easy. I usually press in with an awl once I'm perfectly centered, and the use a tack hammer and give a little tap to a sharpened nail to have a great start. The tuner screws that Warmoth (and most others) use are too big for a 1/16" bit (.0625") and too small for a 5/64" (.078"), you want to get a #49 (.073") and they'll slip right in with a bit of wax. I bought a dozen, lemme know if you want one for a couple of bucks if you can't find one easily.

May i pick your brain a little? Will this work with a power drill? I have been practicing with a dremel and while i can keep it from bouncing much and the bit is new and sharp. It seems i am always a little off. Of course i don't have an awl or center puch yet but i am going to get something like that. What i do is draw a vertical line and a horizontal line through it and attempt to center it. So will using an awl or center punch enable me to get a perfectly centered  hole??? Thing is I am still considering a mini-drillpress for tunner screw holes. one with a laser sight. I may take you up on the bit thing. Depends on what i can find. Thanks I appreciate it.

 

[SkuttleFunk]

really, you should dump the idea of using a Dremel tool for this - the grip is all wrong to properly control a clean hole, and you're simply asking for disaster in my biased and very experienced opinion

you should really, really, really, really be using a powered hand drill (electric or battery) to drill these pilot holes for the pickguard and pickup mounting screws ... really

all the best,

R

 

[stubhead]

I wanted these holes to be in the right places, for obvious reasons:

NO DOTS:

DOTS:

I used a needle in a pin vise & a 10X jeweler's loupe to get the first scratch where I wanted it, then press with an awl, then this little jeweler's drill:

I also have a few of these, cause tuner screws aren't NEAR that nerve-wracking:

This is your most important tool:

(i tried to take a picture of my brain too but it crawled off somewhere)

 

[jackthehack]

Any hole not pre-drilled on a Warmoth body or neck can be drilled "free-hand" with a hand or electric powered drill. You just need to be real careful with tuner peg holes as not to drill through the peghead, I have a dedicated drill bit painted to the proper depth.

 

[jalguitarman]

really, you should dump the idea of using a Dremel tool for this - the grip is all wrong to properly control a clean hole, and you're simply asking for disaster in my biased and very experienced opinion

you should really, really, really, really be using a powered hand drill (electric or battery) to drill these pilot holes for the pickguard and pickup mounting screws ... really

all the best,

R

O.K. point well taken. I think it moves a bit too fast as well probably. Thank you for your help. :icon_smile:

 

[dmraco]

I may be reading too much into this but the only holes I really needed to drill where those for my strap holder and Kahler.  A small nail to "tap the hole" and an electric drill with the bit taped to mark the desired depth was all that was needed.  For pickup covers and pickguards, a small dimple with a nail was all I needed to get the screws going.  All went in perfectly strait even in the hard maple.