Enlarge tuning hole on roasted maple, safe?

[gil_mor]

Hi folks,
I just received my Warmoth roasted maple neck, and it looks great! It arrived in under two months, which isn't bad!
I ended up ordering a neck with 14mm tuner holes but later decided to buy the carbon fiber Gotoh tuners, which are 17.6mm in size.

Given the fragility of roasted maple, I’ve decided to take it to a luthier for installation.

Is it safe to enlarge the holes from 14mm to 17.6mm, or should I get 14mm tuners instead?

 

[bholder]

Should be safe enough if they use a proper drill press and the right bit. Is the roasted maple really that delicate? I've done it (on regular maple) with a hand drill, but really ought to have used the press, I was lucky I got minimal tear-out (all covered by finish washers) winging it like that.

 

[gil_mor]

In this thread https://www.talkbass.com/threads/up-sizing-tuning-peg-hole.1586386/ @Bruce Johnson said

"The best tool for the job is a custom piloted reamer"

I'm just not sure if making such a big change is safe for roasted maple.

Should be safe enough if they use a proper drill press and the right bit. Is the roasted maple really that delicate? I've done it (on regular maple) with a hand drill, but really ought to have used the press, I was lucky I got minimal tear-out (all covered by finish washers) winging it like that.

Reading here, it seems roasted maple is prone for splitting. No personal experience (yet)

 

[Bruce Johnson]

In this thread https://www.talkbass.com/threads/up-sizing-tuning-peg-hole.1586386/ @Bruce Johnson said


I'm just not sure if making such a big change is safe for roasted maple.


Reading here, it seems roasted maple is prone for splitting. No personal experience (yet)

I've personally drilled and reamed tuner holes on roasted maple necks hundreds of times. Roasted maple is more brittle than unroasted maple, so you have to be more careful. A piloted reamer is the best tool for the job, because it doesn't push outward as it cuts. A large drill bit pushes outward, which is what causes the cracking.

Enlarging tuner holes is a common subject here on TalkBass. There are some long threads where we Luthiers go over it in great detail; different tools and techniques.

Here's one:
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/idiot-proof-tool-to-enlarge-a-tuning-key-hole.1503746

 

[gil_mor]

I've personally drilled and reamed tuner holes on roasted maple necks hundreds of times. Roasted maple is more brittle than unroasted maple, so you have to be more careful. A piloted reamer is the best tool for the job, because it doesn't push outward as it cuts. A large drill bit pushes outward, which is what causes the cracking.

That's all I needed to hear! Thanks for the seal of approval!

 

[JLS]

Hi folks,
I just received my Warmoth roasted maple neck, and it looks great! It arrived in under two months, which isn't bad!
I ended up ordering a neck with 14mm tuner holes but later decided to buy the carbon fiber Gotoh tuners, which are 17.6mm in size.

Given the fragility of roasted maple, I’ve decided to take it to a luthier for installation.

Is it safe to enlarge the holes from 14mm to 17.6mm, or should I get 14mm tuners instead?

I'd use a reamer for that.

 

[Davebass77]

One note about a roasted maple Fender neck. Definitely ream out the holes because I once tried pressing the tuning grommets into the holes and managed to put a crack between the E and A and A and D holes. A luthier was needed to fix the cracks with some cyanoacrylate glue. Can’t even see the cracks anymore.