1st slotted headstock & method

[jread]

I like your volute! My attempts to carve one haven't turned out particularly well.

thanks! This one is rough but mine turn out pretty well in the end. I can't seem to do it any other way. They are all a little different. Here's 2 from last year.

[jread]

Good idea on a plug cutter and using the same material. My holes are quarter inch. Will be an easy fix. I’m on it. I’m very happy with it otherwise.

[Stray Feathers]

I was referring to a dowel cutter - not tapered - but in your case a plug cutter (which is tapered) might work better to give you a tight fight for both sides of the slot, if you press the plugs in from inside the slot.

[saltytri]

The tuner screws need some depth of rail or they will stick through. Better quality slothead tuners will come with shorter screws than the regular 3/8" tuner screws. If your screws end up being too long, you can always nip the ends off and shorten them.

As has Bob, I've also 1) accidentally drilled through (Arrrgh!) and 2) have nipped the ends off the usual 3/8" screws. For perfectionists, another solution for the screws is to buy the 1/4" screws that Stew-Mac sells.

[jread]

Thanks for that on the screws. Will do.

I used plugs and it went fine. You can see if you look in the photo. Maybe post angles are off by a bit. I’ll post finished build down the road. Success!

[Diane Kauffmds]

It looks a lot better. Good job!

[jread]

Head is done. Just what I wanted. The build is nearly done. The finish needs some work but it’s coming out nicely. Thanks again for the advice.

[Oliver1]

This has been very helpful, I'm starting down the same path. Wish me luck!

[Jhunt]

Are a different type of tuners required for a slotted headstock?

[jread]

Yes, the slotted headstock tuners have a slightly different post. The ones for solid headstock have a shaped tip which guides the string and the slotted ones are a straight post which inserts into the hole. Some brands have rollers. Some brands have different length posts which can be important depending on the thickness of your headstock