Tips on screwing new tuner holes?

[Tesla]

Hey guys

I recently bought some new tuners but they're gonna need new holes drilled in the back of the headstock. Anyone got any tips on how to go about doing it? Problem is that they're tiny screws and I'm having trouble getting any leverage to screw them in with the small screwdriver it requires.

(I don't have any power tools at hand unfortunately)

Any help appreciated! Cheers.

 

[metaldoggie]

Drilling pilot holes is your best bet, directly screwing into a hard wood is likely to strip the threads.

If you absolutely can't borrow a drill for an hour, then after you have lined up your tuners and made marks where the holes should go, take the point of a sharp knife or maybe the point of a school compass and press hard at the point a few times to get a divot. That will at least get you started. Also try rubbing the screw on a bar of soap to reduce the friction.

 

[GuitarBizarre]

Drilling pilot holes is your best bet, directly screwing into a hard wood is likely to strip the threads.

If you absolutely can't borrow a drill for an hour, then after you have lined up your tuners and made marks where the holes should go, take the point of a sharp knife or maybe the point of a school compass and press hard at the point a few times to get a divot. That will at least get you started. Also try rubbing the screw on a bar of soap to reduce the friction.

Yeah. Screwing into a headstock without any sort of pilot hole also runs the risk of the wood splitting. Drill some pilot holes or have them installed professionally.

 

[seven_stringer]

Depending on the hardness of the wood you also risk breaking the screw off in it without pilot holes. Make sure the pilot hole is deep enough for the screw but be careful you don't drill all the way through to the face. A drill bit depth stop or tape wrapped around the bit so you know when to stop drilling will help. I drilled one too short in Hard Maple without using a depth stop or tape and the screw broke off at the surface which didn't leave me anything to grab for removing. It was a pain to remove so avoid it if you can. I now use the tape wrap method to control depth.

Jeff

 

[Tesla]

Thanks for the help guys, I'll try and find a drill from someone and do it on the safe side.

 

[weirdoku]

Line up your tuners if you can. Use a centre punch tool to punch a small indentation. That way the tip of your drill bit won't slip. Also use a bit of tape to mark on the drill bit how long your screw is so you don't drill too deep.

 

[Renkenstein]

The screw WILL break if you don't drill a pilot. I've had it happen and it sucks. I use a 5/64" bit, if memory serves me right. You may want to wrap a piece of masking tape around the bit to serve as a visual depth gauge so you don't go straight through the face of the headstock.

Install the tuners and tighten them to the headstock. Make sure they're aligned properly, then proceed with drilling your pilot holes(or you can center punch them like weird mentioned). When you install the screws, resist the urge to use a drill, and do it by hand with the appropriate sized screwdriver. The phillips head WILL strip if you deviate. Those lil screws are a pain in the ass, so a bit of candle wax on the threads before driving them in will help.