How necessary is a drillpress?

I'll soon be starting my first "assembly". As the neck and body are pre-drilled for neck mounting and the string holes and ferrule holes are drilled; I was wondering how necessary a drillpress was for installing the pickguard, bridge, tuners, etc.?

I was thinking of using a manual hand crank drill.

cheers

I always use a hand drill on sheet metal and wood craft projects. Much better control.

I even bust out the old brace and bit for big holes in wood....inherited it from my grandfather.

Some guys can run an electric drill at a straight 90 deg angle, but not me!!

I picked up a European ergonomic mini-hand drill with a pistol grip a few years ago...think it was a Fiskars--and I think I actually for it at Radio Shack. Don't know where it is now but that was a fine drill for light work.

On the other hand, the old school type with the crank wheel in the middle gives a nice vertical reference line.

A drill press is great to have if you have space, but I'm with you on the hand crank drill.

You don't need a drill press. I have done a lot of various project just using a hand drill. However, I disagree with mojos comment. I find I have much more control using a drill press, but you can't always get material under a drill press, so I like to plan ahead and drill holes before my projects get assembled.

.......I was wondering how necessary a drillpress was for installing the pickguard, bridge, tuners, etc.?

cheers

I use my drill press for MANY things, but the things you describe are not one of them.

Pickguard
I actually use a cordless screwdriver for drilling the pilot holes for the pickguard. It is a 5/64" bit with a 1/4" hex apex base that slips into the screwdriver. This Technical Note (http://terrydownsmusic.com/technotes/pickguard/pickguard_hole_drilling.htm) shows my method of filling holes that don't line up correctly, but it also shows how to use pop-rivets to accurately drill the pickguard mounting screws.

Bridge
Those pilot holes can be simply drilled with a hand drill. If you did use a drill press, you would need a big one because of the distance of the bridge mounting holes to the edge of the body.

Tuners
I assume the tuner holes are already drilled and you just need to drill the pilot holes for mounting screws in the back. That is another good option for a cordless screwdriver. The big deal with those is not drilling too deep. :oops:


Here is the type bits I'm referring to. I don't like using my big 18V drill over the top of a nice Tele body or neck. I simply use a set like this in a small cordless screwdriver for the pickguard and tuners.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImage/ac814ab2-a8f7-45a6-b01e-f7668df829af_400.jpg

I'll advise you to listen to the experienced builders here (I am not one of them) but I've done all the things you said you'll be doing without one. I'd like to have one, and won't try any serious builds without an adequate woodshop, but I'd assemble anything with the jack cup, string through holes and neck bolts already drilled for.

Good tip there Terry on the cordless screwdriver and those hex shaft bit. I started doing the same just last week.

Good tip there Terry on the cordless screwdriver and those hex shaft bit. I started doing the same just last week.

Somehow I feel like I'm at peace with the world if I'm doing a jwells-type practice before I actually know jwells is doing it. :razz: Life is good.

A drill press is a nice thing to have (I have two), but if I had to give up one tool in the shop, the drill press would be it.

A drill press is certainly not manditory for building a guitar, but I find it handy for many things. Mine's not big enough to drill mounting holes or string through holes in a body, but I can use it to make a jig so I can keep a hand drill at 90 degrees. Or any other angle for that matter.

I have done a lot of various project just using a hand drill. However, I disagree with mojos comment. I find I have much more control using a drill press, but you can't always get material under a drill press,

Well that is the dilemma. I had a drill press with an extendable head that could drill 15" in from the edge. I also had a Craftsman 4" drill press. Even though the big press weighed about 100 pounds, it was not as precise as the small one. Maybe if I bolted it to the fine hardwood floor in my lab, but that was not an option.

Mostly drilled sheet metal for electronics and I mostly ended up using a manual crank drill due to the fact that chassis want holes in the middle of the top, which were out of range of my small press. For hole saws or a fly cutter, yeah I used the big drill press.

I found that a manual drill and a nice sharp punch awl (followed up with small pilot holes) got me what I needed.

I bought a De Walt electric hand drill and that thing would invariably catch the material and go astray. Some guys can do it, but I am too many cups of java and packs of cigarettes over the line, I guess.

Anyway the question was : Do I need a drill press?

My answer was NO, a hand crank drill will do the job (better than a contractor grade electric in my hands).

I'll soon be starting my first "assembly". As the neck and body are pre-drilled for neck mounting and the string holes and ferrule holes are drilled; I was wondering how necessary a drillpress was for installing the pickguard, bridge, tuners, etc.?

Nice to have for the string holes, but not needed.

I was thinking of using a manual hand crank drill.

Use an electric hand drill.

cheers

....

I'll advise you to listen to the experienced builders here (I am not one of them) but I've done all the things you said you'll be doing without one. I'd like to have one, and won't try any serious builds without an adequate woodshop, but I'd assemble anything with the jack cup, string through holes and neck bolts already drilled for.

+1 It's just a matter of operator fundamentals, hand tools are adequate.

Can you drill at 90 degrees to the surface? ...lay out the centers accurately? ...drill on center and control your depth?

I've always had an appreciation of the limits of my skills - I know when I'm passed the edge. Cminor7b5, since you are asking, I guess you don't know your limits. I'd suggest that you get some scrap lumber and practice. You will know when you are ready without asking.

Here is the type bits I'm referring to. I don't like using my big 18V drill over the top of a nice Tele body or neck. I simply use a set like this in a small cordless screwdriver for the pickguard and tuners.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImage/ac814ab2-a8f7-45a6-b01e-f7668df829af_400.jpg[/QUOTE]

Terry:

Thanks for your observations and the image of the drill bit set. I think I'll go in your direction. My heavy 3/8" carpenter's drill is great for drilling fence posts or cutting 1" holes in 2x4 studs for fishing electrical cable through, but I'm not sure it's the correct tool to put tuner screw holes.

Thanks everyone.


cheers

Lowes sells individual hex bits under the Kobalt brand.

The biggest thing (for me) about a drill press is it's reach. I'm 100% comfortable drilling screw holes by hand. The holes that really need to be exactly 90 degrees (e.g. string-through holes) are in a place that most drill presses can't reach.

It can be confusing, because drill presses are marketed by the DIAMETER of the circle they can drill, not the radius. In other words, a 15-inch drill press DOES NOT give you 15 inches of clearance between the bit and the support column. It gives you 7.5 inches of clearance. So, a 10-inch drill press will let you drill holes 5 inches into something.

String through holes need MORE than 7.5 inches, I think. This baby (http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-Speed-Bench-Top-Radial-Drill-Press/G7945) from Grizzly gives you lots of reach.

http://www.grizzly.com/images/pics/jpeg288/g/g7945.jpg

I want one in my shop eventually. Until then, I drill what I can by hand and don't do string-through holes.

I was thinking you could do string through holes with a 12" drill press, maybe a 10". I could be wrong though. There are guys here that know.

The biggest thing (for me) about a drill press is it's reach. I'm 100% comfortable drilling screw holes by hand. The holes that really need to be exactly 90 degrees (e.g. string-through holes) are in a place that most drill presses can't reach.


That's why you drill the holes in your jig with a drill press and use the jig to keep the hand drill at 90 degrees.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk34/karen32757/Guitar/P5230122.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk34/karen32757/Guitar/P5230122.jpg

Winner, winner,
Chicken dinner.

.......I want one in my shop eventually. Until then, I drill what I can by hand and don't do string-through holes.

For myself, I refuse to have an oversized drill press just to do string thru holes. That's why I use a jig. I went to a friend's shop to do my first string thru drill with his big drill press. I've started using a jig and never looked back.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/drill_jig.jpg

NOTE: The picture above was using the jig on a 3rd market top loader body I bought off eBay. I didn't want anyone to get the notion that I drill thru holes after finishing as a standard practice. This was a unique case.

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk34/karen32757/Guitar/P5230122.jpg


I wouldn't refuse having THAT in my shop!!

Hey Manitou...better watch your back!

I may be small but I'm WIRY!!:grin:

String through holes need MORE than 7.5 inches, I think.

I was thinking you could do string through holes with a 12" drill press, maybe a 10".

Just so we're clear, the minimum drill press size for drilling string through holes is 12 inches (6 inches between column and chuck centerline).

I've always used a drill press whenever possible. Jigs are great, but they can wear over time. I wouldn't drill string holes through the body with a hand drill, even with a jig, they just never come out perfect. And I want my ferrules to line up perfectly. I like my guitars to look Hand made, not Home made.
As for drill bits, check the big luthier supply places for their Brad-point drill bit sets. They drill right where they first contact the wood and don't drift due to heavy grain, and they usually have a set that includes just the right sizes for the most common guitar building needs.

Sorry, can't seem to remove duplicate post

Hey Manitou...better watch your back!

I may be small but I'm WIRY!!:grin:

Mojo:

This is the kind of high tech device I was thinking of using.

cheers

Mojo:

This is the kind of high tech device I was thinking of using.

cheers

I used a big drillpress when I did mine and they where still out when it got to the ferrules. I of course have never used one before (I have a small shop)

I got looking at my Dewalt drill and I think that I am going to make a jig to fit it that could be set right on top of the guitar.

For myself, I refuse to have an oversized drill press just to do string thru holes. That's why I use a jig. I went to a friend's shop to do my first string thru drill with his big drill press. I've started using a jig and never looked back.

http://terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/drill_jig.jpg

NOTE: The picture above was using the jig on a 3rd market top loader body I bought off eBay. I didn't want anyone to get the notion that I drill thru holes after finishing as a standard practice. This was a unique case.

That is a really really nice shade of Blue!

I used a big drillpress when I did mine and they where still out when it got to the ferrules.

This thread has gotten a little off the original subject but since we're talking drill presses and string through holes, if you want them straight take a look at Posts 38 and 39 in the following:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/97436-**hmmm-think-ill-build-thinline-**.html?highlight=build+Thinline

I had one of those radial drill presses like in Aunchaki's post. Like the "Grizzly," it was a fine Chinese-made instrument (cough, cough)

Two major drawbacks:


No way to lock into a 90 degree angle, which was ok for drilling 1/8" stock but for a tele body thickness a degree or two off vertical would be noticeable. Resettability was nil.

Vibration was a problem because all the weight is at the top and the legs are just bolt together thin angle iron. Ain't no substitute for cast iron.

I got the thing in trade for some electronic parts and I ended up giving it away. It was good for sheet metal chassis work, but that's about it.

The jig concept is the way to go for string holes, and maybe tuner screw holes too...but I'd make the jig on something other than a radial drill press from Guangzhou Province.

Somebody with the proper tools should make up a bunch of those jigs and supply us poor hand drill slingers!

check the big luthier supply places for their Brad-point drill bit sets.

YES!! Great advice! Major improvement.

This is what I use in my dinky hand drill. These are like a mini version of the wood bits from Grandpop's old brace and bit.

Well worth seeking out.

You can get brad point bits many places besides luthier suppliers. I got this fine 29 piece Chinese set on sale for under $7 at Harbor Tools. Regular price is $10.

......http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/35800-35899/35837.gif

In 45 years, between a metal lathe, the Shopsmith and its drillpress feature, and three or four manual drills, I don't think my Dad has ever had an electric hand drill. He's probably been given a few electric pencil type screwdrivers. And that guy builds a lot of stuff.

Whoops, there's also the pneumatic driver with the compressor; I haven't seen that thing lately.

We might have to get busy with the lathe and make some blocks like Taipan does, a jig like Terry's and some exotic saddles while we're at it next time.

I don't see how anyone could get a perfect 90 degree hole with a hand crank drill. The motion of cranking it would lend to getting it to wobble out of vertical. It's hard with an electric hand drill too, but not as hard.

I used a drill press for nearly everything.

If a drill press isn't in the budget, don't worry. Instead I would invest in a few "Vix" bits which work like self-centering punches except there's a drill bit inside. They place the hole perfectly for things like pickguards and, well, all the hardware come to think of it. Any good woodworking catalog will have them. Then you've just got to worry about the through-holes and of course the perfect solution of a shop-made guide jig has already been posted here (tdowns thinks of everything).

Once you do get a drill press, you'll use it for everything from drum sanding to buffing the finish.

When I started building guitars I purchased a 12" Delta drill press from Lowes for under $200 and it has been a great thing to have. But for smaller holes, like for the pickguard or tuners, I almost always use a Dremel.

A 14 in. Delta drill press was my first luthiery machine purchase. It actually may have been made in North America. :-) I use it with drum sanders, a wagner safety planer, twist drills, flycutters, and forstner bits for holes and hogging out waste. I will use an 18 V hand drill/ screwdriver for strap button holes, pickguard screw holes, and other minor operations. If you glue or screw two squared up pieces of wood together perpendicular to each other, they will form a right angle that you can use as a guide to keep your twist drill straight.

Getting back to your original question, I'd get a cordless 18 V drill. They aren't that expensive and are very useful for what you describe.

Marty

.......Jigs are great, but they can wear over time.

As for drill bits, check the big luthier supply places for their Brad-point drill bit sets. They drill right where they first contact the wood and don't drift due to heavy grain, and they usually have a set that includes just the right sizes for the most common guitar building needs.


My jig is made of stainless 303, so I think it will OK for a while.

+1 on the brad point bits.

NOTE: The picture above was using the jig on a 3rd market top loader body I bought off eBay. I didn't want anyone to get the notion that I drill thru holes after finishing as a standard practice. This was a unique case.


Dude, where is the masking tape??:shock:

You're a braver man than I.:lol:

Dude, where is the masking tape??:shock:

You're a braver man than I.:lol:


Dude,
I definitely used masking tape. I drilled the thru holes with the jig from the front (the small diameter). I used the Forstner bit on the back side, using the small diameter exit hole as a guide for the Forstner. I used masking tape there.

i got a cheap chinee drill press [1 hp floor type] as the 1st serious tool in my workshop - it is still one of the most used tools - i couldnt live with out it

the only thing i regret is not spending a lot more money on it to get a real good metalworkers drill press

a drill press is a very versatile tool and cunningly used can achieve some amazing stuff -

just as an eg i use it to make fingerboard radius sanding blocks

It can be confusing, because drill presses are marketed by the DIAMETER of the circle they can drill, not the radius. In other words, a 15-inch drill press DOES NOT give you 15 inches of clearance between the bit and the support column. It gives you 7.5 inches of clearance. So, a 10-inch drill press will let you drill holes 5 inches into something.


Not quite...

That would be true except the supporting column gets in the way. The real throat clearance of the drill is drill circle radius minus column radius.

Not quite...

That would be true except the supporting column gets in the way. The real throat clearance of the drill is drill circle radius minus column radius.

CIM ......... Everything aunchaki stated is true.

I don't know about how they size drill presses in the UK but you are wrong for this side of the pond. Here's my Delta 12 in. drill press.

......http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/jwells393/New%20Album/12inDrillPress.jpg

CIM ......... Everything aunchaki stated is true.

I don't know about how they size drill presses in the UK but you are wrong for this side of the pond. Here's my Delta 12 in. drill press.

......http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/jwells393/New%20Album/12inDrillPress.jpg

Apologies to both/all - I stand corrected. When aunchaki said "the DIAMETER of the circle they can drill" I made the wrong assumption he meant the circle made by the axis of rotation of the centre of the chuck when rotated round the pillar whereas he was referring to the maximum diameter of a circular piece which can be drilled at the centre (aka swing).

Just thought I'd tack on to this thread instead of starting a new one:

Can somebody give me the measurements for positioning the strap knob on the upper bout of a Tele? (I think I can figure out the one on the bottom.)

As for drilling the hole straight, I figured I'd use my multi-speed Dremel with the cutting guide. I don't think it would be deep enough for the string through holes but should work well for anything else. For the strap button holes, I'll clamp two straight pieces of wood to each side even with the point of the hole to give a wider platform for the guide to rest on.

http://www.acetoolonline.com/v/vspfiles/photos/DRE-566-2T.jpg
I'll still have to watch the depth by eye but it'll line up at 90 degrees to the surface.

Tuners
I assume the tuner holes are already drilled and you just need to drill the pilot holes for mounting screws in the back. That is another good option for a cordless screwdriver. The big deal with those is not drilling too deep. :oops:


Too deep is really bad, too shallow is bad too! I broke of a tuner screw in the headstock because the pilot hole was too short.

Back to the subject, a drillpress is great, especially for someone like me with unsteady hands. But it is definitely not necessary.

I was thinking of using a manual hand crank drill.




That is an excellent tool for what you're gonna be doing. My Dad has several of those crankers, and gets really nice results, more precise that I get with an electric hand drill. I probably could use a battery powered screw driver, I've owned and used quite a few, but I like the intimacy of the hand tool when I can get away with it, on a guitar.