Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

[DazH]

Ok so you've pretty much guessed it, the tele i've spent so much of my time on in the past maybe 4/5months I totally screwed up and I am GUTTED. Seriously.

I tried to drill the string through holes & done it badly, I fitted the bridge & drilled between the holes, figuring I could hardly be out by anything noticable, then tried al manner of corrections which i've now got to chuck a load of wood filler into.

So I dont particuarly want to get it wrong again, fortunately this guitar will have a solid colour on it afterwards and nobody would ever know.

Has anybody here drilled telecaster ferrules/string throughs neatly without the aid of say a drill press?

i'm in a small house in the UK, I dont have a workshop or any of those kind of commodoties.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

You've answered your own question. The only way to do it is with a drill press. Ask around, maybe a friend (or the friend's old man) has one. Maybe there's some local woodshop, or more likely machine shop or auto repair shop nearby that has one they'd be willing to let you use for a few minutes. Making guitars is "cool" and the novelty might get you through without having to pay.

If you end up in a shop that normally works metal, make sure you put a slab of scrap wood between your body and the drill press table. You don't want your wood to soak up machine oil.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

Yup, a drill press is the only "correct" way of doing it "right". There's some drill press attachments that can be purchased for hand drills. Look in to something like that if need be.

Rather than filling the holes with wood filler (bad idea), use wood dowels and wood glue instead. Just plug 'em up all the way through the guitar and cut off flush with the body, sand to smoothness.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

oddly i did my first guitar build without a drill press of my own... i spent a long time making that body.... i used a strat hardtail bridge which is simular to the tele string thru style... what i ended up doing is on a friends mini cheap drill press that he had in his garage.. i used a 1/2 piece of wood and marked out and drilled the string holes right thru the wood scrap... then what i did was locate the holes on the body and started them with my cordless hand drill slightly... Then i took the wooden block scape with the holes thru it and lined it up on the body... stuck it on there with double sided tape... then using my cordless hand drill i drilled the holes... since the holes in the scrap wood were drilled on a drill press they held the coldless drill at the right angle...

i had also bough some atachments for my hand drill that would hold it at a 90 degree angle.. it worked until i could afford a drill press.. i still do not have the drill press of my dreams but i have one big enough i can use on guitars...

 

[DazH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

Ok, as much as i'm probably making more and more gradual mistakes i'm gonna try some wood filler (got some heavy duty ronseal stuff that will take drilling etc) and I think i'm just gonna have to get a drill press really arent I?

if I pick one up second hand on ebay is there anything I should particuarly be looking for? I have no idea about these things.

 

[Redmist]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

For what you are using it for, you don't need anything fancy.
Whofan's idea of using a pre-drilled wood block is excellent. If you could make one of these somewhere, it would save you some cash on a press.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

Repeat after me, do not use wood filler. It won't hold when put under the pressure. Use a wood dowel that fits snug in the hole and wood glue. It will be much stronger and done correctly.

 

[DazH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

Aye, definately. unfortunately I dont know anyone with a press so there's not much else I can do.

There are only 2 on th ebay with delivery also.

One cheaper rusty one

One brand new

 

[DazH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

If I used dowells i'd have to invest in a saw to cut them to length and probably make a bigger mess than I already have heh.

I have some of this filler. Is this definately not advisable?

 

[MikeS]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

Make sure the distance from the chuck axis to the support column is deep enough to be able to reach the bridge should you decide to get a drill press.

And dowel the holes! A flush cut saw isn't that expensive, and worth the cost of doing the job right, IMO.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

I'm not familiar with that stuff but I wouldn't use it. A dowel will be much stronger. Think about it. You'll most likely be re-drilling the holes in the same spot. Once the strings are on the guitar and tuned to pitch, there's some serious force there. You don't want that stuff crumbling. You want a strong stable contact area. That, and who knows how that filler will affect the tone.

Find someone with a saw or have a woodworking expert fill them for you if you don't have the tools. Do it right and you'll be better off in the long run.

 

[DazH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

So i'm looking at probably having to get some of these
. I genuinely thought filler would be stronger, would the dowels not be looser if drilled partially out?

 

[ErikH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

The dowels will be stronger because they would be wood glued in. Two pieces of wood that are glues together with good wood glue are very string. Done right, there is no chance of them moving. You'll need longer dowels than that. Get off eBay, take the body to a hardware store and find some that will fit. Over here they come in 3-4 foot lengths and you can just cut them to length as needed.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

I wouldn't use a fluted dowel as a plug, either.

 

[DazH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

The holoes are'nt that deep, only the depth of a ferrule & 8mm in diameter. I would take it elsewhere but honestly there is nowhere to go with it.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

So you haven't drilled completely through the body yet? Just that little bit?

 

[DazH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

I drilled all the way through with small holes from the top (string width) and instead of stopping and thinking to myself (these are not horizontally perfect) I made them larger from the back (ferrule holes) with graduall increases (1mm at a time) of drill bit size. But yeah, basically the real "holes" are only a ferrules depth.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

Ok, so are you wanting to fill the ferrull holes on the back or those and the string holes all the way through?

 

[DazH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

Here are some images:

Basically I only need fill the ferrule holes & then re-drill it straight. the string holes are in the right place, they just wandered diagonally and come out in random points on the ferrule/back part. They're close to being straight, but theyre not perfectly in line & I know full well this will bug me when it's all done.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Drilling Perfect Perpendicular string-through holes

Ya know what, screw it. They don't look that bad. Pop the ferrules in there and leave it be. That's on the back so who cares. Nobody is going to see it. You're as deep as needed with those ferrule holes anyway.

If you feel you must fill the ferrule holes and redrill, still use a dowel for the strongest and most stable area. Just redrill through the dowel from the front to the back, then line up where the ferrule holes will be before drilling.