slothead help

[Woody OKeefe]

I'm finishing up on the Ditson and getting ready to install the tuners. Any tips or caveats (which is Latin for "warning Will Robinson") would help.

[pete nardo]

when drilling the screw holes, put a depth-stop (tape works well) on the drill bit to avoid drilling thru the peghead.

[darren]

Make sure the screws are not longer than the depth of the wood you are going to screw them into, shorten them if they are.

The slothead is already slotted and drilled, right?

[deadedith]

For a slotted headstock, I've used a block of hardwood in which I've drilled the holes in the spacing I need. I taped that block very very securely to the outside of the slot; inside the slot I had strip or two of blue tape to aid against tear out, as well as a very solid block behind the tape. I started with small bits and worked my way up to the size I needed. Worked well for me/

[Woody OKeefe]

Hey guys thanks for the tips, yes a little more information would be helpful.

I'm concerned more about how to measure for the tuner holes. I have a friend who has a Shopsmith system with a horizontal borer or we will use his drill press.

The peg head has been routed, I have some oak pieces that will be put in each slot. By the way do these pieces need to be tight to the inside of the slot or can they be taped in place?
I'm using Goto vintage slot tuners from LMI. The slots are 10 mm and the tuners are 3mm long so it will be tight.

This is my first slot head and I want to do it right the first time. If I had the budget I would buy a slot drilling jig. Not yet!

[tippie53]

a good method of clamping. To help avoid tear out you can make a filler block that will just press fit into the slot .

[David L]

"Warning Will Robinson" that's hilarious, however, you just dated yourself Woody.

David L

[kencierp]

I apologize for not having a tutor on the KMG web site for this process. I recommend that you use a drill press to make a drill guide using 1" wide hard wood, I am not in the shop to check the spacing I know I've given the dims to several forum members maybe they'll have them handy. Anyway make the guide the same thickness as the head-stock -- attach a stop to keep it flush with the head-stock surface and make sure you drilled the holes in the center of your guide. This is a simple device similar to what LMII and Stew Mac sell. It allows you to keep the drill bit in alignment and perpendicular. Note the this type of guide will wear quickly and is only good for a couple of guitars. The tuner screw will be a fraction long so file off the tips.

[kencierp]

Here's the gizmo -- there's a spacer to center the holes and the piece with the holes is a filler that fits tight in the slot to prevent chip out. I hope this helps a little.

[gitnoob]

I saw this thread while I was lurking and I couldn't resist delurking to make my first post.

Rather than buying or making a specialized jig for my slot-head tuner holes, I used an off-the-shelf dowel jig. It worked very well for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Wolfcraft-4641404 ... 147&sr=8-1