How to make a slotted headstock...

Pete Howlett said:
Video is currently loading. Should be available soon. Now the secret is out, I expect those nasty flat headstocks to be consigned to the bin...:biglaugh:
Click to expand...

Pete, thanks so much. This beats my jigs on slotted headstocks hands down. Should save me a bit a time on future slots. You always were quite clever..e.lo..
 
Thanks for sharing the video.
 
It took me 5 years to get to this point and further 9 before I got the proportions right for a 4 string tenor. The wide bit at the top is to accomodate a fancy logo...

Thank goodness the 'Jake effect' forced me to look at this again because I love this style. My early jigs for the 6 & 8 string tenors I used to build were so cumbersome and prone to inaccuracy. Despite the utter simplicity of these, they are acccurate and easily reproduceable.

The only problem is having to use clunky guitar tuners and I intend to look for an alternative. Don't think I would ever put Gilberts or Rodgers (the British equivalent - my mate has a $800 solid silver guitar set!!!!) on them.
 
Pete,

I am amazed at how similarly we shape neck profiles. Our production necks and most of my customs are now CNC shaped, we did do the rough shaping/profiling for our necks for years. You would love my dad. He's all about the jigs. I hate making jigs, so I do a lot by hand, until I get fed up and make one.

Anyway, thanks for the video. I'm about to gear up to do slotted head stocks. I've run away from the requests long enough. We actually have an in house build going on. It's a three way unofficial challenge between me, my brother, and two of my journeymen(same team). They've learned almost all of my tricks, so I need to bust out some new ones. Well, not new to the stringed industry, but new to me.
 
Pete Howlett said:
Thank goodness the 'Jake effect' forced me to look at this again because I love this style.
Click to expand...

Pete, I was staring at two ukes I built recently; one with a slotted headstock and one with a regular headstock. Then I started thinking about all these protests from builders not warming up to the slotted head requests from newer players. To me, the slotted head ukulele (visually) is a closer kin to its classical (nylon stringed) guitar cousin than a standard steel stringed acoustic guitar. It makes more sense (to me) that a ukes headstock would reflect its nylon stringed precessor...e.lo
 
Oh Great...now everyone will do them. Sheesh!!
The trick now will be to figure out the next trendy headstock

I wish someone would come out with a slot head tuner for ukuleles. Those guitar tuners sure require a thick headstock.
 
Thanks for the AWESOME video, Pete! I hereby promise to put slotted headstocks on every uke I make. Whenever that is :)

I've actually been getting antsy to try making my own uke and had already decided that once I do, it'll be slotted. Only having seen them in pictures (until my Kala gets here), it's great to be able to see the mechanics of the slots themselves.

Pete Howlett said:
The only problem is having to use clunky guitar tuners and I intend to look for an alternative. Don't think I would ever put Gilberts or Rodgers (the British equivalent - my mate has a $800 solid silver guitar set!!!!) on them.
Click to expand...

That's something I've been wondering about - the tuners. What is the difference between a tuner for a slotted peghead and, like, a Grover 18:1 Sta-Tite for a regular peghead? Is the shaft of the tuner longer on a meant-for-slotted tuner, or are the string holes in a different place to make the strings angle correctly?
 
:smileybounce: Chuck! You are much cleverer than me and an hour spent with a bit of 1/4" ply and you have done it. BTW - I had just the one router for about 13 years - an Elu now branded Dewalt DW625E - it's the one I am using in the video to cut the slots. This is one tool I would recommend investing in because it has enough power to do some template routing (headstocks not full necks - you ned a 2 1/2 horsepower job for that) and is a brilliant all rounder if used with care.

The original Elu was Swiss - ! recommend you get one off eBay and will just go on year after year. They are precision tools which work well freehand or in a simple table. And while you are at it, get a decent bandsaw - 6" under the guides is enough for ukulele anmd if you are clever, you can get an extra inch and a quarter out of this with a slight modification... Make sure you buy second hand - cast iron and get the motor replaced with 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 horsepower.
 
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Headstock thickness is not critical if you get the profile right. Most makers seem to favor the Kamaka solution which I think is a bit clunky. However, if you take the 'Martin' or early catalogue guitar designs as a start point you will make them quite slender thus reducing weight and that 'bloated' appearance. The thickness can be as little as 17mm if you use Waverly's but would have to be 18mm if you are using Sta-tite repros. What you must get right is cheek thickness - some of the recent headstocks I have seen have what appear to be, unless it is ny eyesight, rather thin cheeks. As it is, I have to clip 3mm off my screws so they don't burst through.

I would also not worry about the post length; you will have to cut this down anyway and if the hole was in the wrong position, I wouldn't hesitate to relocate it - it is not a difficult procedure and could be done in most workshops. Trick is to make a block into which the post fits and you can hold it to guide the drill through I pilot hole at 90 degrees and central to the post. I'll show you in the next few days with a video.

BTW - as usual, it all looks very simple. Remember, I've had a lot of time to develop these jigs and they are precision tools where just 1/2mm out can cause major problems. You must work to a dimensioned drawing and make sure you check your tolerances.
 
I was kidding Pete. I have the slotted headstock jig and templates but I haven't used them in a very long time simply because I enjoy doing inlay work so much. I really appreciate seeing how you do it however. And maybe you've inspired me to upgrade from my old Craftsman plunge router.
 
Ooo ek - you have one of those :eek: I'd like to see you do a workaround inlay on a slotted headstock because it would be great to see how you resolve the visual issues. I think because of the formality and symmetry of a slotted headstock you are forced towards a traditional abstract design (like the banjo stuff which I quite like in its place) rather than those beautiful pictures you produce Chuck. That is the reason I haven't squished the slots right up to the top - my inlay design fits neatly into that area and when it is there, it 'lightens' up the apsect.

And of course I knew you were joshing me :rotfl: and you fell for it!

I wish I had the money to visit Hawaii and your workshop. It would be a real blast for me to actually meet yourself, Bob, Paul, John and my old friend Collier who got me started in this business but short of a flood of comissions coming in next week, it ain't going to happen soon.
 
Pete Howlett said:
Ooo ek - you have one of those
Click to expand...

Perhaps you didn't realize that I'm on solar power out here. And although I have an enormous photovolteic system and I can run several tools at the same time (plus my air conditioner for my building room) I like to limit the HP of my motors to 2hp. Luckily it's sunny here most of the time so electric power is seldom an issue. Still there are times when I need to plan tasks; inlaying on rainy days and resawing and sanding when I'm fully juiced up.
I find inlaying vines and such to be tedious and it doesn't hold my attention but Aaron pulled off that particular inlay beautifully. It's hard to inlay to little pieces in light clored wood.
And to everyone else, please order some ukes from Pete so he can get his butt out here!
 
The 625 is 900 watts - don't know the horses.

Can't imagine how you live Chuck - I like my juice on tap but understand that you model your life around your lifestyle. It's like that other heretic in Hawaii who makes tha Xaphoon pocket sax. You guys really do have the creativity don't you? Must be because you have to. Hats off to you and all who are making good use of this planet's resources- I could not do it!
 
Alloominium sanding post. Gotta love it.

Watching someone who is really good at something doing what they are really good at is one of life's many treats. Thanks, Mr. Howlett.:worship:
 
Pete, thanks for the vid. I was looking forward to it. Seems like you took the LMI one and bumped it up a few notches (or they took your's and dropped it down). Either way, very clean.

I made a phone call today, and of all things, looks like a certain Paul Okami is going to make me a jig to do those slots. While he's at it, I'm ordering a M&T template - to experiment with a bolt on M&T, and possible floating (cantilever) fretboard a la Rick Turner. I may as well get this out of him, its going on his instrument anyway! How's that for participating in your instrument being built? Also, you can be sure I'll be taking your design as a base.

As for "liking" slotted headstocks, I can still tell you that its a pain. So much more involved, and so much more to go wrong. I agree about the cheeks, and I'm with Chuck as well - doesn't leave a whole lot of room to inlay. Unlike you, I'm actually not one to go for vines and such, but, I'm going to try a narrative inlay on Paul's, and of course, the slotted headstock. We'll see how that goes.

So, the going rate for slotted headstock is, what, $300 or so last I checked? That should curb the requests. . .

-Aaron
 
It took me an hour and a 3/4" and 1/4" router cutters to make the jigs from stuff I had lying around... I'd really like them precision made from Tufnol but a haven't the tooling to do that.

My upgrade for slotted headstocks is $180...
 
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