Another way to drill for bolt-on necks

[Ken W]

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.

 

[Pete Howlett]

Brilliant idea - you need some drill bushes to increase the life of this... I am going to make one and see if I need to retire my horizontal borer!

 

[Tarhead]

I like it! First thing I make in the morning.
Thanks!

 

[BaldEagle5556]

Wish I had done this with my first build. Thanks for sharing.

Tom

 

[weerpool]

lol, funny, i thought i was crazy but i have been using a similar jig for awhile now

 

[Ken W]

- 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.

 

[Pete Howlett]

So my solution just to see if I can work with it:

Off to order some inserts now.

 

[Ken W]

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?

 

[Pete Howlett]

Insert company here in the UK! Google it

 

[Matt Clara]

Anybody know what Ken's set up was...?

 

[lauburu]

I'm also interested if anyone can retrieve the relevant photo(s)
Miguel

 

[Chris_H]

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.

 

[Pete Howlett]

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

 

[Kekani]

Damn Zombie threads

I actually used jig like that myself, until I went to a Mortise and Tenon bolt on - completely different animal.

 

[Wildestcat]

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.

 

[Sven]

And here's mine, which I made after reading this thread: