What's the best way of fitting the studs for a TOM bridge?

Chris of Arabia

Senior Member
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I'm currently thinking of using my pillar drill (power off) with a small rod in the chuck to hold things upright, then pressing it it that way. Not sure I can build sufficient pressure that way, but I should be able to get it started.
 
Damn, I knew I'd forgotten to pack something last time I flew out of the UK...


Can anyone offer something more practical?
 
Spike recommended pressing it in with a drill press, so that should work fine.  (I don't have a drill press so I paid the $10 to have W do it.)
 
Unfortunately the Big W didn't offer the bridge I wanted, so that wasn't an option. Nice to hear what I was thinking works though.
 
Not entirely comfortable with that option unless it's more or less there anyway - past experience has shown that it's not too difficult to skew the bushing if not careful, especially during the first few mm of travel. Got hold of a 90mm M8 bolt earlier today though. If I remove the head, that'll be the rod I mentioned for the drill press and it should do to steady matters if I need to tap in the last little bit.
 
Chris of Arabia said:
Not entirely comfortable with that option unless it's more or less there anyway - past experience has shown that it's not too difficult to skew the bushing if not careful, especially during the first few mm of travel. Got hold of a 90mm M8 bolt earlier today though. If I remove the head, that'll be the rod I mentioned for the drill press and it should do to steady matters if I need to tap in the last little bit.

Yeah a hammer is pretty scary.  If you need to whack it with something at least make it a rubber mallet!
 
dbw said:
Chris of Arabia said:
Not entirely comfortable with that option unless it's more or less there anyway - past experience has shown that it's not too difficult to skew the bushing if not careful, especially during the first few mm of travel. Got hold of a 90mm M8 bolt earlier today though. If I remove the head, that'll be the rod I mentioned for the drill press and it should do to steady matters if I need to tap in the last little bit.

Yeah a hammer is pretty scary.  If you need to whack it with something at least make it a rubber mallet!

It's not really that scary. Use a SMALL hammer, like a 1 lb'er. Very carefully get it in straight the first couple of millimeters. Then cover top with a washrag folded in quarters and pound rightly. When you're down to a millimeter or two left you need to go back to very careful mode, and tap "around" larger items. I've installed all string and tuner ferrules and studs this way and never had an issue. If you have a Warmoth factory finish there may be too much residual finish in the hole to easily start it straight; you need to ream the excess finish until it's easy to get started in the hole, and need to do that anyway regardless if using a hammer or other method.
 
OK, all done. No way was the pillar drill idea going to work, much too lightweight for the task. Went with the hammer option in the end. Put the M8 bolt into the studs and pounded away like a groom on his wedding night... Went in in the end  :icon_biggrin:
 
I finess the holes a little bit with Mr Dremel and the smallest sanding wheel.  Be careful... mask everything, dont take too much off. 

Some wood - like maple is just REALLY hard to get bushings into, and you have to relieve the hole a little.  Wood like mahogany is relatively soft, as also is alder.  Ash a bit harder.  If the top of the hole is such that you can get a good start, then the small hammer is the way to go.

HINT:  Go over to the local hardware place and get a metric screw  to fit the bushing, make sure it screws all the way in but doesn't protrude (shorten the screw as need be).  Then you can hammer on the screw, and once the bushing is seated, just take out the screw and you're all set to put the stud in.
 
Here's an idea, maybe if you stick the studs in a freezer for a day or so, the metal will compress and make the studs smaller, effectively making them easier to press into the guitar. That's all I can come up with, I'm not sure of the effectiveness however.
 
UTSC said:
Here's an idea, maybe if you stick the studs in a freezer for a day or so, the metal will compress and make the studs smaller, effectively making them easier to press into the guitar. That's all I can come up with, I'm not sure of the effectiveness however.

This is an excellent idea!  Nice one, UTSC, and welcome to the forum.

Anyway, if all else fails...
sledgehammer.jpg

:icon_biggrin:
 
hold a wood block on top of the item and beat on the block.... I have some tack hammers and little ball-peen hammers that take the fear out.
 
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