Prostheta Posted August 8, 2016 Report Share Posted August 8, 2016 Forstner bit all the way for that. I do this on almost all of my instruments as it allows me to retain more mass on the headstock. It's all about getting it done in the right order and using good drill bits in a steady pillar drill. I usually use an awl to mark the location, drill it a few mm down past the recess using a small (2-3mm) bit as a pilot, then use the Forstner with a depth stop. After that's cleaned out, it depends on how the tuner is constructed for the rest. If it's a wide bushing that screws over a narrow collared tuner post housing, I drill that with a depth stop only as much as is needed, drill the central pilot hole through and then drill out the rest from the rear the same width as the collar. If it's a straight hole all the way through, I do half and half of the same size. I don't drill the pilot all the way through in case the thin bit deviates a little. It happens. The objective is that the bushing sits centrally and doesn't move around. The same applies for the tuner itself. It's simply a bit of headscratching and thinking out your order of work for what you have available. It can be done with hand drills, however you need to be very very steady at all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted August 8, 2016 Report Share Posted August 8, 2016 It's worthwhile. Apologies for the photo dump. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofteren Posted August 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2016 That is exactly what I was picturing. Those look absolutely fantastic, btw. That is the kind of work I aspire to. I will probably wait until I have a proper piece of maple to work with before I give that a go. This red oak is horribly splintery stuff. The grain is so open you can blow air through it (srs). It is remarkably strong though. The neck on my first build is holding up nicely with heavy gauge strings (Ernie Ball Not So Slinkies) on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted August 8, 2016 Report Share Posted August 8, 2016 Apologies....I was being a bit dense! For some reason, I got into my head you wanted to recess the BACK. Don't ask me why... Yes - this is worth it. Nice look and better break angle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofteren Posted August 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2016 (edited) After the glue on my headstock dried, I cut off the excess wood around the edges with a pullsaw and a shinto rasp, then I brought it down to the proper thickness with a router. This was sloppy as hell because the clamp holding the jig that I made to the table snapped and the router slipped pretty badly. So, I took it down with a planer which worked out perfectly. Then I filed the edges smooth (ish) and went to work on the volute with a half round file and a power drill drum sander, drilled the truss rod access hole and rounded off the drop off from the neck to the headstock the same way. There's still some work to do here but it appears to be coming along pretty well. Edited August 8, 2016 by Lofteren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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