Andy40's TLA-1R Build

[andrewdosborne]

You've nailed the string through Andy. Great job and love the contraption. Works a treat

Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk

[tonyw]

@ tony...no worries, you can wind my pickups lol

nothing like a good barter

Actually i need to stop playing with guitar finishes and get back to coil winding and wiring.

[gavinturner]

Great work on the string through Andy, looks the business!

cheers,
Gav.

[FrankenWashie]

Further scrap tests...
Attachment 8413....errrr....no

Attachment 8414...nope...

Attachment 8415..awww cmon...NO

Attachment 8416..No, no NO

Attachment 8417...close...buttt...NO

Im glad to see you sorted it out, one question I have in mind is, did you try drawing a central line and then pin punching reference marks to start each drill hole on? Your test pieces look as though you were close but perhaps even the test wood itself pulled the drill head this way and that a bit?

Edit: I should add that your cataloguing of the issues you faced is wonderfully instructive, thanks for sharing the experience and the trials.

[Andy40]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Frankenwashie, I used the Wilkinson bridge as the template to mark the holes (after measuring it in position with the neck attached to also get the scale length correct. The holes were then punched and "contraption" used to drill from the top very carefully. On the back, the string through holes were relatively ok but certainly not perfect or in a line because of the shortcomings of the "contraption". Really its a $30 drill guide, not a proper drill press. I marked out the holes for the ferrules with the "cross hairs" in place and made sure of two things 1. they were in line and evenly spaced and 2. the string through hole was within an acceptable tolerance of the ferrule (ie theres no point in it being on the side of the ferrule), then I used the contraption to drill the ferrule holes at the cross hairs.

I didn't measure properly when drilling on the scrap as I was more an exercise in honing my skill and tweaking the "contraption" to get it to drill as straight as possible.

[dingobass]

And that just proves my theory correct.
There is always a workaround.

Nice work, Andy

[FrankenWashie]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Frankenwashie, I used the Wilkinson bridge as the template to mark the holes (after measuring it in position with the neck attached to also get the scale length correct. The holes were then punched and "contraption" used to drill from the top very carefully. On the back, the string through holes were relatively ok but certainly not perfect or in a line because of the shortcomings of the "contraption". Really its a $30 drill guide, not a proper drill press. I marked out the holes for the ferrules with the "cross hairs" in place and made sure of two things 1. they were in line and evenly spaced and 2. the string through hole was within an acceptable tolerance of the ferrule (ie theres no point in it being on the side of the ferrule), then I used the contraption to drill the ferrule holes at the cross hairs.

I didn't measure properly when drilling on the scrap as I was more an exercise in honing my skill and tweaking the "contraption" to get it to drill as straight as possible.

That's a really thorough run down Andy, good data for the knowledge base and some very helpful information for a build currently in the planning phase. Thanks for taking the time to lay it out.

[robin]

Great work Andy. Looks the biz.

Thanks for the detailed "tute", I always find these handy. I just got to remember who posted what when I'm in trouble. Getting old sucks. lol.

[Andy40]

@DB - Thanks mate...thats a real vote of confidence for me!

@Robin, no worries, yes getting old does suck. I've found an increasing need to use my glasses to check my sanding efforts!

[wazkelly]

@DB - Thanks mate...thats a real vote of confidence for me!

@Robin, no worries, yes getting old does suck. I've found an increasing need to use my glasses to check my sanding efforts!

And as you get older you may need to take them off for close up inspections as I now find myself doing.