Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello folks, just pondering a question here about drilling out for my tuning machines on my current build. Is there a rule of thumb as far as strength is concerned with how close to the edge of a headstock you are willing to get to when drilling the holes for the tuning machine stems? I'm installing some planet waves locking, cutting tuners this weekend, and they require a ten mm hole. I know as a general rule of thumb for construction and engineering you want the minimum distance to the edge of a hole to be the same as the diameter of the hole. Obviously they need to be located where the buttons have full range of movement for practical purposes so the max distance is limited, but do I need to adhere to the minimum distance in this situation? Or could I say get to within eight mm of the edge and be okay? (I'm also planning on using a brad point ten mm bit with a block at the exit of the hole and clamps on the edge of the headstock to avoid a pressure blow out).

Thanks!

Do what thou wilt...

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depends on the wood. with maple you could get away with as little as 4-5mm; tuner hole splitting and breaking out is pretty uncommon which makes me think that the standard/tradition is deep within the boundry of safety.
the addition of a face plate/back plate would add strength to a mahogany peghead.
in short, i dunno

Depends on the washer I would say, unless you want it hanging off the edge.

Oh really...show me were it is written, and decreed as truth or employed as practice.

Ya, me agree with you...you don't.


@John Sonksen the distance from the center line of the tuners shaft to the edge of its frame where upon you will start to expose the frame hangin over the edge...now John ...me gotta ask you ....did you actually measure and study your tuners or just fire off a question? Right!

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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i was addressing the concern that the material might not be strong enough, not whether or not it might look funny. and besides, what happened to your "no rules/do what thou wilt" pholosophy" you speak of in every post?
your crystals must be vibing you some bad shakra or something today eh

Yeah padma, I did look at my tuners. I've long had them placed as far as string path and I know the body as well as washer will fit within that space. The problem arose when I did an asymmetric head stock shape and got a little closer to the tuning peg center point on one side than the other. I'd like to maintain my string path, rather than jog the tuner over slightly due to structural concerns.

I could have been more detailed, but was only really concerned with any structural considerations, so I kept it short and sweet.

Thanks for taking the time to help!

Yo nyazipp

Me would have taken a few things up in private with you ...
but me see you don't receive PMs.

Please be so kind as to change that setting in the users control panel.

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Yo John

thank you ...me thought there was an missing element.

This is a bane of us dudes who go through the trouble to think through someones question
trying to help them only to find our time has been wasted because of not enough information from the original poster.

Please, anyone reading this, again please supply us with all the details and pics if at all possible...especially if you want answers worth listening to. If you don't, you questions will tent to go unaswered leaving only the b.s. comments from them that should be paying attention instead of babbling crapola.

non the less
blessings

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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