Drilling small screw holes?

[devnulljp]

I'm going to replace the crappy machineheads on my Danelectro, so I bought some Gotos but the screw hole placement is different. So, I need to drill at least one extra hole per tuner. What's the best way to do it? I have a hand drill but it's kinda huge. A Dremel? (I don't have one -- would it be worth it to buy one? Is it something you use often once you have it? Seems a bit excessive for 6 screw holes...).

[fraser]

i use a dremel for drilling a lot of small holes- its definately a great tool to have, so many uses. i consider it indispensible.
if there is a princess auto near you, they sell a rotary tool just like a dremel, for about $25. ive got one of those too and after a couple years its still going strong.

[geezer]

There are sets of micro drills and chucks available that you can use in a standard drill.

[Stratin2traynor]

if you have a standard electric drill, just use that. That's what I used to replace some tuners on an old Yamaha I had. Worked just fine.

[devnulljp]

Thanks all -- I'll see if I can scout out the micro bits for my drill...
$25 doesn't sound too bad for a dremel-like tool - closest I've seen it $60ish and then only with a couple of attachments, whic hseemed excessive for a couple of holes. Never heard of princess auto, so maybe not BC thing? I'll have a look next time I'm in town though.
Ta!

[Stratin2traynor]

There are a number of Princess Autos in the LMD. One in Langley for sure

[WannabeGood]

Canadian Tire has a house brand clone that often goes on sale. I think I bought mine for like under $10.00 for a kit with some accessories as well. Does come in handy on occassion. Surely you have a CanTire store near you.

Regards,

[Rumble_b]

if there is a princess auto near you, they sell a rotary tool just like a dremel, for about $25. ive got one of those too and after a couple years its still going strong.


We got them on sale right now for $15 and it comes with a bunch of bits(I run the Newmarket store). There are 4 stores in B.C. Kelowna, Langley, Prince George and Coquitlam. You can have it shipped to you too. Just call a store and order it, part number is 8116824. Any questions feel free to PM me.



Jon

[washburned]

Princess Auto has an online store too; just google them and order online.

[Milkman]

A conventional drill or drill press will work just fine. The trick is to ensure that you don't drill too deeply. I do this by putting a piece of tape on the drill bit marking maximum penetration.

I suppose a dremel would do it as well. I have one but have never used it for this purpose.

[geezer]

I just thought I'd mention another useful trick (probably not applicable here but) If you want to make sure your drilling perfectly perpendicular ,you can drill a hole through a piece of dense wood on a drillpress then mark your hole with an awl,slide the guide piece on the bit,set the bit in the indent from the awl ,push the guide piece down firmly on the work surface and drill.

[fraser]

i probably should have mentioned that a regular drill will work as well in my initial post- sorry if it derailed things in the dremel direction lol-
i use a variable speed drill for a lot of things as well- for the little tuner holes and things tho, i like the control i get with a dremel. i use the same taped off depth gauge as milkman, but find with the rotary ive got more control over spin speed and direction- but indeed a regular drill is just fine.

We got them on sale right now for $15 and it comes with a bunch of bits(I run the Newmarket store). There are 4 stores in B.C. Kelowna, Langley, Prince George and Coquitlam. You can have it shipped to you too. Just call a store and order it, part number is 8116824. Any questions feel free to PM me.

yup thats probably the one im talking about- has a nice chrome clamping stand too which is super handy- keeps stuff out of the way nicely while you work

[Rumble_b]

yup thats probably the one im talking about- has a nice chrome clamping stand too which is super handy- keeps stuff out of the way nicely while you work


This one doesn't have the stand. :mad: I have the one with the stand too, it's pretty handy. But this one is half the price.

[Hamm Guitars]

We got them on sale right now for $15 and it comes with a bunch of bits(I run the Newmarket store). There are 4 stores in B.C. Kelowna, Langley, Prince George and Coquitlam. You can have it shipped to you too. Just call a store and order it, part number is 8116824. Any questions feel free to PM me.
Jon

You work at Princess Auto?!?! That's like my favorite spot on earth! I thought Fraser was lucky because he lived so close to one.....

I've waisted days and thousands in the Hamilton store.

[fraser]

You work at Princess Auto?!?! That's like my favorite spot on earth! I thought Fraser was lucky because he lived so close to one.....

I've waisted days and thousands in the Hamilton store.

lol andy- they moved to that location about the same time i moved here-
i go there first whenever i need a tool. lots of theyre stuff doesnt hold up to the demands of my day job, but its all good when it comes to guitar work:smile:

[Rumble_b]

Yep I work for Princess Auto. Have for almost 6 years. I'm the assistant manager at the Newmarket one. A lot of our tools aren't industrial/contractor grade stuff, but we still have some really cool and pretty good stuff for so cheap.

[devnulljp]

Yep I work for Princess Auto. Have for almost 6 years. I'm the assistant manager at the Newmarket one. A lot of our tools aren't industrial/contractor grade stuff, but we still have some really cool and pretty good stuff for so cheap....and the staff lurk around guitar forums waiting to help confused punters with hardware questions :D