Another way to drill for bolt-on necks

Ken W

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I made this fixture to align the holes in the neck for the barrel connector. It's pretty simple but it does the job. I've dedicated these two drill bits to this operation, so the stop collars stay on and there is very little setup involved. Just clamp the squared-up neck blank into the fixture, chuck the bits into a cordless drill one at a time, and drill until the stop collar hits the fixture. Careful use should keep the guide holes tight and accurate, but if I had access to a machine shop it would be even better made out of metal.
 

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- you need some drill bushes to increase the life of this...

Yep...I think that would be a good idea. This has been used to drill 6 or 7 necks at this point and it is still tight, but I'm guessing it will eventually get sloppy.
 
So my solution just to see if I can work with it:

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Off to order some inserts now.
 
Looks good, Pete. I'll be interested to see what it looks like and how it works with the inserts. Are you making inserts or are you able to order to the size you need?
 
I believe that the photo that Pete posted is what is being discussed. I use a jig like that too, learned it from Pete. It works great.
 
2 years on and it is still in use every week. Use hardened steel bushings and you will get a lifetime out of a tool like this :)
 
I use a jig like that too, learned it from Pete. It works great.
+1! I got my 6mm & 10mm hardened steel bushes as part of a set from Axminster power tools here in the UK. I use it on all builds - never fails to achieve perfect neck alignment.
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