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I'm sometimes slow on the uptake for ideas, but I finally tried Robbie's little simple cutter for cutting out a headstock shape. It's amazingly simple and it works like a charm. I was just trying it out on a scrap of HOG with worm holes in it, but cutting out my headstock shape has given me problems on every guitar, so far. Not any more! I used a 3/16 drill bit and ground a 30* angle on the base of the bit, flipped it around and chucked the original cutting end in the drill press chuck. I had to fiddle to make sure it didn't wobble, but got is chucked to run smoothly. Here is the bit.

It cuts very smoothly, but you do have to clean out the channel after every pass. I found that, if you take small passes, you can go pretty fast, and do two in about the same time it takes to do one deeper pass. It makes chips, not dust, so does not make a cloud. Goes very quickly, and once some depth is established, it follows the channel almost without effort. Here are some progress shots.

Just a little sanding to smooth things out, and some minor file work to establish the sharp corners at the shoulderrs, and done. What a great tip that was. It's smooth, easy, and simple! Can't wait to use it on my next headstock - tomorrow.

Thanks Robbie!

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Thanks Waddy! I am glad you liked the tip. It is the safest method I have found to cut out the peghead and it allows you to do intricate shapes as well. Party on!

That IS a good method! Thanks Robbie.

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This is the first I am seeing of this method. A few questions:
At what speed do you run the drill press?
I assume the shank of the bit acts like the bearing on a pattern bit, does it build up heat and damage the template?
Other than grinding the angel, is there any trick to sharpening?

I can't wait to try this.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Neat - a simple one fluted cutter!
I suggest you cut off a bit of the drill so that you can get more of it in the chuck, and have less sticking out.
This will make the cutter stiffer.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Bryan,

Here is a video that will probably answer your questions

I was running mine at about a medium speed on the press. Too fast might cause too much heat. I ground mine using an eclipse holder like you would a chisel, then I honed it to a sharp and polished surface. The shaft does work as the guide. I started mine with a cut deep enough that some of the shaft was running on the template. Once a pass is completed, it's very smooth. As I said though, lighter cuts make for smoother and faster progress. A smaller bit would make for tighter corners, but might also bend a little if you push against it.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Great vid!

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Thanks guys!

Robbie, I didn't recognize your name. . . I have watched many of your videos; they are just great. Thanks.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Wow!
Thanks!

I saw this video the other day! I had to show the guys at work, they loved idea! Thank you Robbie

+1 for this method. I subscribed to Robbie's classical guitar building videos and this was one of the first ones I watched. It was a revelation to me - I'd been trying to pattern route my headstocks but had all kinds of problems with tear out - Robbie's method solves all the problems I was having and is MUCH safer also! Thanks Robbie!!!

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Wow! What a response. This video has been available for a couple of years at least. I thought every one had learned this trick by now.
Glad to hear you are enjoying my online classical guitar building course Dave!
Happy Building!

Hi Robbie,

In your video one can also see on the template the slotted pegheads.
Do you think one can use the same method to do this on the guitar?

thank you
Antonio
.

Antonio,

Yes, I also use this method to cut out the slots on the pegged.

This method looks awesome and I hope to use it when I have a drill press of my own one day. Waddy did you make that template yourself or buy it somewhere? I have always wished to be able to buy a set of 4 or 5 different templates with the slots cut out but have never seen anything for classical guitar that I liked.

I made the template, Matt. Actually, Robbie uses one made from wood or MDF or something that is a little thicker. Thicker than what I used would be a little better, but it's what I had made.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Only issue I can see is that with a taper fit chuck you should be very careful not to go too fast or cut too much at a time (which Robbie covers in the vid) and generate too much sideways pressure. Otherwise you could risk the chuck (and bit) coming off.

Possible. Also keep in mind that the bearings on most drill presses are not made for a lot of side pressure. However, at a fast enough RPM and low enough feed rate, I wouldn't expect many problems.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I do like it. I always seem to have some blow-out with my router. I will definitely give this a shot.