Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm building my first classical and need a Headstock Slotting and Drilling Jig...
I know LMI has a nice one but I don't want to spend that much for one guitar only. Does anyone have a good jig or a used one for sale?

Any help would be great!!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

If I had one, you would be more than welcome to use it, but I don't. I slot them by hand and it is a bit of work. Lining up the tuners is also a pain.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

[QUOTE=Joe Beaver] If I had one, you would be more than welcome to use it, but I don't. I slot them by hand and it is a bit of work. Lining up the tuners is also a pain.[/QUOTE]

I know its a pain...thats why I want the jig!

Thanks Joe!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Look into the luthiertool jig for that. It's even more expensive than the LMI one, but it seems to me to be a more useful tool. I have it, but I've not gotten to the point where I can use it yet. The quality is impressive, and I think it's a good design, too. Plus, even if you don't build classicals a lot, you'll want to make some 12-fret slot-head steelstrings, right?

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Wow, that sure looks like a nice one!! But too expensive at this time... maybe I can build one?

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

thanks todd. that is a very nice solution to the slotting problem. using the plastic gives a much clearer view of whats happening than my old plywood version; i may just have to make a replacement.

I do quite a lot of slotheads and after building several jigs and fighting with them constantly I decided to buy the luthier tool setup shown above. It works great and I highly recommend it. I know it's a little pricey but look at the thing. It isn't easy to make this thing and it is definately worth the money as it takes all the pain out of this job.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Here are my solutions for shaping classical heads using a laminate trimmer and flush trim bit.

First I cut the head profile by screwing the headstock to the jig through two holes drilled in the slot region. The machine screws come up from the underside of the jig. Note that the head template can be unscrewed from the base so that I can position the template to the headstock and mark the placement of the holes for drilling. The bolts go into the headstock but don't protrude above surface of the headplate.


Next, I drill the roller holes using the Gilbert jig from LMI. Sorry, I don't have a better or cheaper way than this.

Then I rout the slots with a jig that secures the head with dowels that fit snugly into the roller holes. Like others, I drill the bulk of material out of the slot region prior to routing. Because the system is acually three pieces simply clamped together, it is very flexible and can accomodate different size/shaped heads and slots.

Gary,
very nice jig!!

Thank you!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

I had a machinist friend make my slotting jig. I used
his CAD program to design it (took about 1/2 an
hour) and then he ran it off on his CNC. Don't know
what it would cost to have a shop do it but I doubt it
would be more than a minimum charge (maybe give
John Watkins a call). It can be used for both slotting
and routing the outline.
The drill jig was easy, just a block of steel and a hobby mill. You could even use a regular drill press to do one.

As has been mentioned above, it's possible to make a jig for the rollers just using a drill press.

For the slots, however, for most of the classicals I've built, I used a modified Cumpiano approach: I have an old bit brace with a sharp 5/8" bit, and I used this to drill the holes at the end of each slot. Then I cut the slots out with a jigsaw, making sure I stayed within the lines of the slots. I used rasps, files, and sandpaper to remove material to the edge of the slot lines. This doesn't take all that long to do, plus it's cheap!

I also have a milling machine, and I finally wised up, bought a 5/8" router bit, and I route the slots with the mill now. I'm probably not saving much time, but the slots are more exact in measurement, and look a bit cleaner overall when compared to ones I've shaped by hand.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live