2.5itim Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Ok I just ordered my 2 low profile dual action truss rods from stew Mac with the router bit they sell for them. I am trying to see if anyone has used these and had an alternate way for reaming the hole for the adjustment area. Stewmac sells a reamer for this but I just couldn't bring myself to spend $50 for such a simple tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Most times I have enough headstock angle that I don't open it up at all. When I do, I do a little carving with a palm gouge and clean it up with a round rasp/file. I know one guy that used to put the round rasp in his drill. I'm interested in what other responses you get too. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted February 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 22 minutes ago, ScottR said: Most times I have enough headstock angle that I don't open it up at all. When I do, I do a little carving with a palm gouge and clean it up with a round rasp/file. I know one guy that used to put the round rasp in his drill. I'm interested in what other responses you get too. SR I'm sorry I should have specified, I was planning on putting the adjustment end in the heel for simplicity. If you think that I should do it differently I am open to opinions. This is just my first time doing it and I felt that the heel would be the easier choice. Heres somepics from stewmac a website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Looks like a brad point drill bit would do the job. Drill the access hole before you rout the channel so the point has some wood to bite into and maybe clamp some scrap to the board to prevent blowout since you are drilling so close to the edge. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 I'd just run a slightly larger router bit up the last inch or so of the neck to allow for the truss rod adjuster clearance. I can't see any real reason why the retention of an extra handful of cubic millimetres of neck would justify reaming the adjuster access like Stewmac suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Also consider the trade-off as to which end of the neck you place the truss rod access with a rod like that one. Placing it at the nut means that you don't have to remove the neck or most of the strings to make adjustments. Placing it at the heel may be easier to execute from a construction point of view, but you'll either need to allow clearance behind the neck within the body to fit an allen key, or remove the neck every time you need to tweak the truss rod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted February 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 I do have a scrap neck that I'm making along with the other 2 so I can try the brad point drill bit idea out on it. If i was to put the adjustment end at the nut would it be pretty much the exact way I'd be doing it with it at the heel? Or is there more involved in doing it there? I know Scott, you mentioned headstock angle. My headstock angle is 12 degrees if that matters any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted February 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 While I have y'all here, would y'all mind posting up your jigs for routing the slot? I'm not sure how I want to go about it just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Piece of Perspex with a slot cut up the middle. Router has the template ring installed that rides inside the slot: Here's a lower-tech alternative: http://www.bluestoneguitars.com.au/html/Craigs_Bent_Sides_Semi-Hollow.html#50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 When I did mine I just used a router side fence & some careful measuring - obviously while the neck side was still square Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted February 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 13 hours ago, curtisa said: Piece of Perspex with a slot cut up the middle. Router has the template ring installed that rides inside the slot: Here's a lower-tech alternative: http://www.bluestoneguitars.com.au/html/Craigs_Bent_Sides_Semi-Hollow.html#50 Wow I really like this one!! I'll run down to the plastic company tomorrow and see what I can come up with. Mind explaining the template ring on the router? I'm thinking I could make a new base out of aluminum here on the lathe that has a ring coming off the bottom side of it but if you have an easier solution in interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 I use a router table with the fence to cut my truss rod channel and rarely widen it at all. Here is one where I stopped short of completely running it out. And here is one where I just let it run out. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted February 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 4 hours ago, ScottR said: I use a router table with the fence to cut my truss rod channel and rarely widen it at all. Here is one where I stopped short of completely running it out. And here is one where I just let it run out. SR I took a look at those just now! I wish that I had a router table, I think that would make things so much simpler. Also, you really do some amazing work man!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Thanks. Some folks use an edge guide on their router for this, for another option. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_picker Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Here,s how i do it on a jig I cut from MDF using a table router. See below - The jig is screwed to the neck blank. I dont like perspex as it is fragile and damn expensive round here. Obviously The router rides on top with a 1/4" bit through it to cut the slot, For what it's worth that stewmac truss rod is not applicable to a front adjust neck as too much wood is lost at the adjustment point. This is a very vulnerable spot and where most head stock breaks happen. As a heel adjuster its fine but ensure you cut tele style channel in the back of the neck pocket for access with an allen key. To cut that larger hole for the adjuster head a doweling jig is the way to go. I bought a couple of them when they came out as they looked like a great idea for heel adjusters but felt the weld at the end opposite the adjuster looked a bit dodgy and I would have had to strip off the plastic to inspect it. I could have re wrapped them in shrink wrap I suppose but knocked them out for not looking quite right in a critical area. I have not bought them again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 6 hours ago, ScottR said: 6 hours ago, ScottR said: I use a router table with the fence to cut my truss rod channel and rarely widen it at all. Here is one where I stopped short of completely running it out. And here is one where I just let it run out. SR I use a router table with the fence to cut my truss rod channel and rarely widen it at all. Here is one where I stopped short of completely running it out. SR That's how I did it for years before I switched to CNC. It's faster than CNC, WAY faster, if I wasn't doing other CNC stuff up top as well like carbon fibre slots and pocklet carves etc I'd still be using the router table for the truss rod slot, as by the time I've setup one neck and routed the truss slot on the CNC I could have done half a dozen on the router table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 7 hours ago, 2.5itim said: Wow I really like this one!! I'll run down to the plastic company tomorrow and see what I can come up with. Mind explaining the template ring on the router? I'm thinking I could make a new base out of aluminum here on the lathe that has a ring coming off the bottom side of it but if you have an easier solution in interested. The template ring is usually an accessory supplied by the manufacturer of the router that screws into the base. A metal cylinder protrudes from the base allowing it follow the edge of an object, and the router bit pokes through the cylinder to cut the workpiece. There are universal template rings offered by third party companies that are supposed to fit most makes of router. Do a search on 'router bushing ring' or 'router bushing guide'. Only bother with Perspex if you can get it cheaply. I get mine from the junkyard recycling shop. Sometimes it masquerades as other things - the piece I used to make the jig in those pics was a shelf from some kind of shop display. Cutting the slot itself, and working Perspex in general can be tricky. MDF works just as well, as @old_picker shows, and is easier to cut. The only disadvantages are that it's not transparent so it can be difficult to line up on the neck, and that it isn't as hard-wearing. If it were me, for a one-off or first attempt I'd go the cheapest route and just do something along the lines of the second link in my earlier post - ride the side of the router along some kind of straight-edged reference, such as some kind of metal extrusion or the factory-cut edge of a piece of MDF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted February 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 7 hours ago, ScottR said: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted February 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 (edited) ^^ sorry I don't know why it did that!! this is my first but by no means will it be my last, I have two friends that together want 3 guitars made. While I'm nowhere near ready to build and sell guitars I am going to make them for them and they will pay for materials. This will give me a bit more experience which will be a good thing in the long run. I do have a coworker that has a router table, he said I can use it whenever I need so that is the way I think I'm going to go. I don't have a whole lot of tools so just trying to work with what I got and by what I can on paydays. So him letting me use his stuff is a big plus! @old_picker , thank you for all of that! In that case I will do the heel adjusts and do the tele access, I will take a look at my tele tonight and see exactly what I need to do. That dowling jig looks like the ticket, I'll go ahead and make one of those this week at work. Edited February 11, 2016 by 2.5itim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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