Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi Guys,
Is there a jig that would help me drill tuner holes for a standard
6 string Martin style head ??
I believe the spacing is 1 5/8",
I just cant seem to get a perfect row of holes drilled,
Very frustrating.

Gregg

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Gregg

Have you tried laying out the holes & marking the centers with a punch, nail or some sort of pointy object that will help center the bit?

Are you using a brad point bit? Traditional split point bits will wander when you start the hole and typically require you to rigidly clamp the workpiece when drilling. I also wouldn't try drilling with split point bits without a drill press.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I don't believe that Martin tuners are in a line. Both E tuners are offset slightly toward the edge.

Gregg,

I made a headstock template out of 1/4" masonite. I laid out and drill 1/4" holes in the template. I then use double sided tape to stick this to my headstock. With this template I can route my headstock shape and drill the tuner holes. Stewmac's bushing reamers work great for enlarging 1/4" holes on the faceplate side of the headstock to accept bushings and to enlarge the back to Schaller style tuning machines.

If you don't want to go the template route, lay out the locations on the headstock and using an awl to mark the location, drill a smaller hole then follow up with whatever size hole you need.

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

Kevin,
I did a lay out with a punch and a clear template I bought on ebay, the template worked great and I thought the layout looked good, your right, my holes did wander a bit even using my drill press.
I made two mistakes, I used a split point bit not a brad point bit and now that I'm racking my brain I realized I didn't clamp my headstock !! I just held it with my hand.
What a rookie !!
With my drill press, a brad point bit and clamping the headstock there should be no wandering ??
The holes I'm drilling are 25/64" (10mm), can I use that sized brad point and just drill one hole ?? Or should I drill a smaller hole and size up ??

David,
I just looked at my template, you are correct, the Martin tuners are not in a straight line. I would need a specific jig for that, probably not available.

Thanks guys for the help, once I find a brad point bit I have another headstock to drill, I'll let you know how it turns out.
Gregg

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Gregg

Filippo,
Thanks for the tip !!

Gregg

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Gregg

At the risk of being pedantic the term split point is being bandied about and I think incorrectly in most cases. The common ubiquitous drill bits are chisel points not split points. And split points are or can be used in metal with out a dimple. They have that advantage over chisel points. I think most of you mean chisel point not split points.
Carry on.
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Yet another way. I made this jig in 1997 and although crude looking it has never failed to produce perfectly symmetrical tuner holes in a Martin style headstock using a hand drill.
The bushings have interchangeable sleeves so you can do different sized tuner holes with the same bushing. Simply align it against the stops to the side and end of the headstock, clamp with a backer board and drill. flip it over, screw the bushings in the other side and do the same. If your headstock is symmetrical the holes will be as well and no drill press needed.





Here's one I made for an archtop headstock and it works equally well.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

And perpendicular too. Where did you get the bushings ?

Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Lee Valley has them.
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... ,180,42311

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Very clever jig Terence, I love the interchangeable bushings.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Terence,
Thanks for the tip, I'm definitely gonna build one.
I just checked lee valley the largest sleeve they have is 3/8,
I guess I'll buy the 3/8 then ream up to the correct diameter.
Gregg

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Gregg

The fancy jigs will surely do the trick, but I've never had a single problem with a brad point bit in a drill press. Even if it's a slotted headstock it just takes some careful alignment and a couple of clamps and it's pretty easy!

Come on Filippo! The most dangerous tool in the shop is obviously... the human mind!!

I use the awl method of drilling and if the point drifts due to grain I'll make the correction by reestablishing the point and drill to a smaller diameter first. This makes it easy to drill from both sides which helps from blowing out the exit on the hole.

Terrence thats a great setup! If I had set patterns to follow, bushing are great!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

If you are using a brad point bit, then drift shouldn't be a big problem although you really should do this on a drill press (even a $50 dollar drill press works for this purpose!) if you are not using a guide. If you are NOT using a brad point bit, then you should drill a pilot hole first.

If you don't have a drill press, find someone who has a drill press and drill a hole in a piece of scrap plywood with the diameter that you intend to use. Then you may use that as a guide at home using your hand drill.

Bosch makes a really good set of metric brad point drill bit, good for not only tuner holes but also inlay dots. These drill bits are made in Germany, and they are not too expensive either. They also sell another set of non-brad point bit but they are made in China, so I don't think they are nearly as good.

Do not drill a pilot hole if you are using a brad point bit! A normal drill bit can center itself pretty well with a pilot hole but a brad point bit will not center itself if the pilot hole is larger than the center spike!

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Terence,
I ordered three inserts and three 3/8" Sleeves from Lee Vally,
I plane to copy you jig
Thanks for the tip !!

Gregg

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Gregg

Good luck. A forstner bit and drill press is good for drilling the holes for the sleeve.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I meant the threaded sleeves you install in the jig to thread the interchangeable drill guides into.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Yes, you install a threaded insert into the jig at the proper location that is flush or below both surfaces of the jig. It takes a 5/8" hole I believe which I've drilled with a Forstner bit. You can then screw various sized drill guides into that insert from either side which makes it possible to flip it over to drill the holes on the opposite side of the headstock as a mirror image. I have 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8" guides. You can see the setup in the pictures I posted.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Filippo,
With your jig do you get any tear out at all on the back side of the headplate?

Also, you had a previous post of your drill press table set up ... do you have any plans available for it? It was very slick!
Rick

Here is my headstock jig. It does the headstock profile, alignment for centering through the large holes and established tuner holes via the 1/4 inch dia. drill bushings. Final diameters for various tuners are done with the appropriate 1/4" piloted reamer or I can continue on to do a slot head if required. All very slick.

Oops...forgot that the photos come up in reverse order here, but you get the idea.

Note: for a slotted headstock I only drill the 4 corner tuner holes to locate the jig for headstock shaping. Then use the LMI style slot jig to finish the routing and side holes for tuners, which removes the 4 guide holes during the slot routing.