How To Drill String Through Holes Into An Electric Guitar Body. The Oak Guitar Build Part 11.
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- It's not hard to drill perfectly aligned string through holes in a guitar body as long as you have a drill press, some brad point bits, and a template. This video explains how I do it.
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Small tips and tricks for a luthier, but giant leaps in production techniques!
Have always respected and appreciated your advice this on is particularly pertinent to me at the moment as I’m trying to put a simple liteweight guitar together for myself to re learn to play after failed surgery has left me in a mess. The section on the circular add on to the drill press will doubtless cause me some head scratching and re running of the video. Because I also have some memory problems. But thanks again
You're amazing! Those templates and homemade jigs you make are brilliant! Thanks for all your knowledge and experience... It saves the rest of us so much time inventing things to make this stuff happen!
Actually, out of all guitar building, that's just about the one job I dread. As you say, no matter what you do, with tiny drill bits like a 3mm, they ALWAYS wander, and if you're even about 0.1mm out with your alignment with the ferrules it shows up like a sore thumb. I would make up one of those jigs, if I had a drill press. Good idea that!
I do prefer Forstner bits for the ferrules themselves on this. I found them to be the most predictable and consistent (no wander). Honestly it's been years since I did a class and everybody did a string-through. I remember using Melvyn Hiscock's "Make Your Own Electric Guitar" as the class textbook. He has a slick method in there. I am not the most creative when it comes to jig making.
Excellent craftsmanship!
I was avoiding through-body bridges...until I watched this!
Very cool!
So instead of a beloved pin router, a beloved pin drill press. Great idea!
Great tips Chris. I thought you were bonkers with that jig to center up the front string holes to drill the ferrule on the back. But after watching how you used it to find, drill, and it help hold the guitar on station without clamps. Brilliant. Also the setting punch will be one I make right away as I have some ferrules to set next week. Thank you.
That was a really nice video learned a lot thanks Chris.
Awsome, I am building guitars for me and my son and I couldn't figure out a good way to do this.
Can't wait to try this out.
Thanks for showing me how to do this.
This pin alignment jig is brilliant, thank you for sharing tip! 🤯🤘🤘🤘
Brilliant idea with the pin alignment
Smaller size brad point bits flex quite a bit or will offset with porous wood like Oak. I just got a $5 centering pilot hole bit. Like someone else mentioned Forstner bits are a good choice, just allow the waste to clear.
Another way to press in the ferrules with your installation tool you made from a bit shaft is to put it in your drill press and just use the press portion of the drill press to press the ferrule into the body. It seems a bit safer and provides the ability to apply slow, even pressure.
That’s how I broke the table on my drill press. Use an arbor press instead. That’s what they are designed for.
I wish I had watched this BEFORE my most recent project.. lol… nice explanation and fixture for aligning the front and back holes… I almost always get one or two of them out of whack…
Very cool tip and trick on making sure the back side hole lines up with the smaller front side holes. BRILLIANT!!!!! Also learned how to make a table for my drill press that has a broken table.
This is a great idea. I think I need a version of this. Well Done!
I am just about to do this and loved the video. Thanks for the knowledge :)
Good video
Thanks that's a good ones
Look at mm brad point bits
Very Cool!
Awesome thanks 😊
Thx U for the tips👍
Some excellent tips there, thanks!
Genius!
man, i was hopin for a drill pressless solution lol. i got a drill press but its not big enough to fit the body far enough under it to drill the string through holes. i can use it for bass guitars since their bridges are closser to the edge, but for most other guitars, the bridge location is too far away from the edge to reach.
im currently looking through top loader bridge options and alot of them are either cheapy/tacky or their well made but use inferior design like the tele inspired barrel saddle bridges where you have to compromise intonation between two strings per barrel. yuck! i DONT compromise intonation!
Thank you!! You ROCK!!
You too!!
Thanks! This will be most helpful
I bought the bits to support ya! Now let's collab!
Great info, many thanks,
Glad it was helpful!
génius!
The jig seems over complicated at first, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that’s the way it’s gotta be
Haha, as I watch video I keep saying "my way works fine...my way works fine..."...but at end, I say,"...okay...my way is not fine...now I have to make pin jig like Highline Guitars." 😂 It is great that he shares his techniques like these! 🤘
Building my first guitar and wondering why you couldn't just drill 90% of the way with a brad point and then flip it over and use the hole from the brad to finish from the other side?
There's reason to flip. You can if you want to, but it's just an extra step that isn't necessary..
Hi, just out of curiosity - is there any advantage to the ferrule holes being drilled at an angle through the body?
I thought that if the strings were straight after the break angle they may tolerate TOM adjustment a little more?
None that I’m aware of.
@@HighlineGuitars thanks for clearing that up for me 👍
I must be missing something here. I can see that the locating pin ensures the correct spacing but with only one locating pin I can't understand how you get the ferrule holes in a straight line. When lifting the guitar to move on to the next hole it surely must be more than possible to wander off from a straight line?
Well, there is some skill involved. I watch the tip of the drill bit to ensure it stays reasonably in line as I move the body.
Wouldn't it be easier to just drill all the way through with a smaller bit then enlarge the holes as needed for the ferrules? I can't understand the extra effort. Even if the hole was a bit messy the ferrules would cover it.
Similar to what I thought. Set the depth on the drill press just to let the tip of the drill break through, turn the guitar over and open up for the ferrule.
That was my thought as well. If its already aligned doing the first cut then what's the point messing around with all that other stuff and potentially scratching the finish
Do you perform this step earlier in the build process if your guitar has countours on the rear side?
No. Contours on the back won't make any difference.
Genuine question cause i may have somehow missed it entirely but, why not just use a scrap piece under the body and set the depth stop to just let the point of the drill bit poke thru then turn the guitar over and finish from the other side. The jig seems redundant in my head. As I said, it's a genuine Q. just trying to learn :)
You can try that as a test on some scrap, but watch out for bit wander. Even with a Brad point bit.
@@HighlineGuitars even going slowly in and out with a pillar drill?
Take a shot every time he says "brad point bit"
Hi Chris, great video. Quick question, what do you put on the holes on the front side? No ferrules?
No ferrules.
what do you use for the ferrules on the topside?
I don’t use ferrules on the top side. I use string through Fender-style hardtail bridges.
if you want to finish the guitar with a high gloss finish, do you drill the holes before or after the finish has been applied. If done before, how do you prevent the finish to clog up the holes both in front and in the back of the guitar? Thanks a lot
I drill the holes before I apply the finish. I’ll be posting a video on this topic on October 5, 2021.
@@HighlineGuitars thanks a lot for the reply. Looking forward to your next video!
No, no, no, no! That procedure for the 'ferrule' holes is overkill and not in the least a guarantee for better precision. JUST DRILL STRAIGHT THROUGH FROM THE TOP WITH THE SMALLER DRILL, but proceed slowly taking small 'bites' with the drill-bit. It will be every bit as precise as that over-kill home-made jig!
DON'T USE JOHN D'S APPROACH!!! IT WILL FAIL, GUARANTEED!! TRUST ME!!! I KNOW!!!!