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I have an older 80/s aluminum overholtzer slotted headstock / drill jig its cast aluminum and very sturdy. But it was made to fit only certain types of classical/ss headstock designs. with a lot of shimming involved if you deviate much from the jigs dimensions. Have been looking at the other offerings, and wondering which one is suitable for our work. I primarily build classical /flamenco an ukes and the occasional SS.What are your thoughts and experiences using all the different brands out there, FYI . I bought the drill sander from chris ensor, and have found it a very useful timesaver. TNX to those who made that suggestion. Thanks in advance for sharing.!

Ernie,

I spent months looking at what was available while doing the same shop around for a slothead fixture. The luthiertool persuasion won hands down for me. It was the most intelligently designed one I found, very professionally done, with signs of a background in industrial machine design. Talking with Chris at a guitar show and seeing his products sold me. One feature I liked is the modular design that allows different slot layouts and for paddle heads, though with the purchase of extra parts. No regrets here.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Another thumbs up on the LuthierTool slot head jig. Lucky for me, I bought mine used. Price is the hurdle with this brand, but quality is excellent.

I use the LuthierTool slot head jig. The current one is great. If you get the first version and you make a classical guitars the holes are a 1 mm too close to the front side. I fixed that with a shim and used it for awhile. I ended up buying a revised version and love it.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

I have made a couple of these jigs, but they just didn’t satisfy me. I spent a while shopping around like Pat above and also settled on the LuthierTool jig. I am very happy with it. It costs a bit more, but I get rewarded every time I use it. It’s easier to get everything lined up and to do a good job. It’s cleverly designed, easy to set up, and it works. Remember to use an oversize router template guide to rough out the slots and change to the right size only for your cleanup pass—cutting a very small amount on the last pass leaves a much cleaner cut.

I have the luthier tool one… it is a VERY nice tool. Recommended


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What type of router and template collars are you using to get the slots an drill holes that you are after?. I have a older bosch 2 hp fixed base router with a set of template guides

I’m using a Makita 1.25hp (the laminate trimmer 700) with a plunge base. The plunge base isn’t necessary, but it is nice. The template guides are generics that fit the router. Your Bosch should be fine if you drill a starter hole for the bit so you don’t have to tilt the router to get started. Don’t be too aggressive. Take small bites. Many shallow cuts are better than a few big ones (and less teeth clenching as you work).

I don’t remember if a drill bit came with the template. Taking into account the diameter of your tuners, you want to use the biggest bit that will turn cleanly within the drilling guide. Drill before you cut the slots.

I have had the Luthiertool for years and for steel strings it has never failed me.

One caveat, it relies on a guide bushing on the router base and as bits are rarely perfectly centered it is important that the side of the bushing that touches the side of the slot be the same on both sides.

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

TNX terry . I have a bosch centering guide, that is used to align the router base to the 1/4 in colett. I have an older PC that has a plunge base. I will centre that as well an talk to Chris next week. I have been looking at brass bushings on amazon and trying to figure out which style would go well with the luthiertool templates. Some bushings are only 1/4in in length and others much longer ? What are your bushing lengths ? and what type of routers are you folks using ?? tnx

My guide bushings are 1/4” deep. As I stated earlier, I’m using the Makita rt700c laminate trimmer. I would use one with a little more mass if I had it, but my Bosch 1617EVS has more mass than I want to handle in this application.

The 1/4” spiral down cut bit and two bushing sizes came with my Luthiertool jig. You start with a larger bushing size and then switch to the smaller for the final width. At least that’s the way it was set up a number of years ago when I bought it. I use a big Porter Cable plunge router. You can clamp the jig in a vise after you drill the tuner holes to rout the slots.

E41B7E60-6670-4DA0-A3C5-A408E3D196C2 by Terence Kennedy, on Flickr

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

TNX terry ! for the info . I will also be using a pc6902 with a plunge base. Time to talk to chris.

I made my own from lexan and wood and am very happy with it.

I made my own from lexan and wood and am very happy with it.

We had a few shopmade templates CNC-milled for us by Mr. Verhoeven, but those were reserved for specific models. The more generally used jig was the Luthier Tool model mentioned above.

The router we used for this work, as well as most other template routing, was the DeWalt DWP 611 1-1/4 hp router... I just picked one up for my own shop, and they are lovely tools.

No plunge base is needed, and indeed the higher center of gravity and addition weight would seem unwanted in this application. We used the same approach for milling slotheads as we used to router-mill Modern Sporting Rifle (MSR) 80% lowers: drill a single 3/8" diameter through-hole in each slot after drilling the tuner holes, start the router with bit in that hole, then mill the slot. For difficult timbers, it would be an option to swap out the router bushing for one of slightly smaller outside diameter for the final full-depth pass, but I don't recall that ever being necessary for a smooth finish. Squaring up the slots for a nice look is a neat bit of handwork that remains right up there in my 'favorite things' list along with top carving and voicing.

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For the times they are a changin'

- Bob Dylan

The "obsolete" Rockwell 64 series router is in between the size and mass of those two models and can sometimes be found on eBay. Some of them have a slightly larger base than the typical laminate trimmer.

Woodie wrote:
" Squaring up the slots for a nice look is a neat bit of handwork that remains right up there in my 'favorite things' list along with top carving and voicing."

Using a hollow chisel morticer will give you square ended slots, but that might take some of the fun out of it!

Waiting for the template order from Luthier Tool. He,s on holiday.Have an older fixed base rtr PC . 1.5 hp router circa 1976 purchased in spokane wash. Has only had1 switch replacement. Only problem is with depth regulation, which requires fiddling with a dial, and a large screwed wing nut attachment, that must be done with extreme exertion. I like the ease/ convenience of a plunge base. A big thank you for all your explanations. It is much appreciated

Ernie,
I've got that same router bought in 1973 when I built waterbed frames. I just bought new bearings for it today (they were starting to squeak) cost $58 for the two. Some time in the past I picked up a PC plunge base that fits it, look for PC base 6931. Used it to make some road signs last month.
Might be time for me to look into slot head jigs.

We had a Powermatic square chisel mortiser in the shop, but never thought to use it!

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For the times they are a changin'

- Bob Dylan

Carl . I have another PC rtr with the plunge base, an woodie I spent hrs looking for my delta mortising bits ? Hopefully they will turn up someday.