DIY winding with a drill press?

[JohnnyCrash]

I've got a dead '75 RI Jazz bass pickup and figured I could start learning to wind my own - starting with it.

I've heard of people using a drill press to put the bobbins on and wind pickups that way. I certainly don't want to spend $400 on a Schatten winder if I can get by with using a drill press

Any tips? Anyone else do this?

 

[spankdplank]

I use an open faced fishing reel screwed to a 1 X 6. I took it apart and filed down the gear that raises and lowers the spindle. Then I taped an aerosal paint can cap on the top of the reel and snipped off the spindle about an 1/8 inch above the paint can cap. The pickup bobbin mounts on the paint can cap with double stick tape and the nub of the spindle centers the bobbin so it spins true. Crank the winder with your right hand and guide the wire with your left. Total cost zero. I have wound about 10 pickups with this rig and it works great. Primitive, but effective.

 

[gtrplr]

I use an open faced fishing reel screwed to a 1 X 6. I took it apart and filed down the gear that raises and lowers the spindle. Then I taped an aerosal paint can cap on the top of the reel and snipped off the spindle about an 1/8 inch above the paint can cap. The pickup bobbin mounts on the paint can cap with double stick tape and the nub of the spindle centers the bobbin so it spins true. Crank the winder with your right hand and guide the wire with your left. Total cost zero. I have wound about 10 pickups with this rig and it works great. Primitive, but effective.

Any chance of seeing a video of this?

 

[JohnnyCrash]

I use an open faced fishing reel screwed to a 1 X 6. I took it apart and filed down the gear that raises and lowers the spindle. Then I taped an aerosal paint can cap on the top of the reel and snipped off the spindle about an 1/8 inch above the paint can cap. The pickup bobbin mounts on the paint can cap with double stick tape and the nub of the spindle centers the bobbin so it spins true. Crank the winder with your right hand and guide the wire with your left. Total cost zero. I have wound about 10 pickups with this rig and it works great. Primitive, but effective.

I've already got a drill press and I figured I could just use a piece of cloth and my finger and thumb to maintain tension on the wire.

My only concern is the heavy wire spindle. I don't want to snap the wire under its weight.

 

[charlie chitlin]

I think it would take a little practice, and mistakes would only cost some wire.
The only thing that keeps me from doing it is a good way to count windings.
Any ideas there would be appreciated.
After unwinding a set of pickups to lower the resistance, I had pickup winding on the brain when I saw a $5 sewing machine in the Goodwill.
Variable speed via foot pedal!

 

[spankdplank]

No video, sorry. Tensioning the wire with your fingers works fine for me. Put the wire spool on its end, at least 3 feet below your drill/winder, with the spool facing up like a miniature table, so the wire is coiled on the spool parallel to the ground. I have found that with less than 3 feet between the spool and winder, the wire will jerk coming off of the spool and will break occasionally. 3-4 feet is optimal. The spool remains stationary and the wire will feed off of the spool as fast as you will need it to. Do not attempt to roll the wire off of the spool by spinning the spool like a roll of toilet paper. You will immediately break your wire. Good luck.

 

[podboy3]

Here is a page with someone that is doing it. Drill Press Winder