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Wood Knobs Revisited

SDB Guitars

SDB Guitars

Commercial User
Jul 2, 2007
2,002
21
Coeur d'Alene, ID
Disclosures
Shawn Ball - Owner, SDB Guitars
#1
So, I haven't heard lately about people experimenting with wood knobs. Most people, it seems, just buy from Roger at THG (great guy, great products, use them myself), but I got a bug to make my own knob today, and in case you are interested in trying it yourself, here's how I did it:

I took a 1" hole saw, cut out a chunk of wenge, and glued a flat piece to the top. Smoothed the entire thing by using the set screw to attach it to a 1/4" rod, and chucked it into my hand drill. I used a a sanding block held stationary and perpendicular to the knob as the drill spun it around.

Finished by inserting a brass marker dot, and polishing the whole thing up with micromesh (still while chucked into the drill ;)).

Here it is, attached to one of those wonderful 4-way rotary switches... (it made a handy stand while photographing):

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#4
Curtybob said:
I bought my wenge knobs off eBay a while back, and I think I am gonna square up the tops and glue a capper on them (wenge endgrain showing now).
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've ordered from that same guy on eBay before. Sells flat top 3/4" knobs and also speed knobs, right? And lots of end grain... decent knobs, though

stringbass69 said:
Very clever! Thanks for sharing!
Click to expand...

Thanks, Matt! Necessity is the mother of invention, as I recall. Also, boredom. ;) I started looking at all these scraps I have that are too small to use on the instrument in any other way, and decided that maybe knobs would be the way to go. I like dot markers, and happened to have some 1/8" brass rod left over from making side dots, so I just went for it :)
 
#6
SDB Guitars said:
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've ordered from that same guy on eBay before. Sells flat top 3/4" knobs and also speed knobs, right? And lots of end grain... decent knobs, though
Click to expand...

Yeah, sounds like the right fella. Did a great job, though. And, he didn't charge me extra for a few nit-picky things I asked (like extra recess in the bottom for the locknut on the pot). He made two concentric sets for me as well. Everything is nice and square, tight gaps and no rubbing or off-axis wobble.

But, the endgrain was something I didn't think about. All is good, my buddy says he thinks he has some scrap bubinga, which sounds kinda promising (my Ibanez Prestige has a wenge/bubinga neck).
 
#7
Curtybob said:
Yeah, sounds like the right fella. Did a great job, though. And, he didn't charge me extra for a few nit-picky things I asked (like extra recess in the bottom for the locknut on the pot). He made two concentric sets for me as well. Everything is nice and square, tight gaps and no rubbing or off-axis wobble.

But, the endgrain was something I didn't think about. All is good, my buddy says he thinks he has some scrap bubinga, which sounds kinda promising (my Ibanez Prestige has a wenge/bubinga neck).
Click to expand...

Hi . Can you send me a link to the knob guy on ebay? Thanks!!
 
#9
Looks great Shawn.

I build mine with my metal lathe. It's still a work in progress getting them perfect. I turned the walnut/canary ones on the last bass I completed. I used the scraps cut off from the body when the shape was cut out. The walnut was a pain to work because if you went too fast or deep while cutting the wood would tear out. I also built a stacked knob on that bass which was quite an experience.

Picture008-4.jpg
 
#11
SDB Guitars said:
Yeah, Scotty, I really need a lathe... but I'm saving up for a new drill press and a big belt sander, so a lathe I would probably only use for knobs gets pushed further down the list...
Click to expand...

Honestly here lately the knobs are all I've been using the lathe for. It's not worth buying just for that. The drill press method works pretty good, I did that before I got the lathe. I really want to buy a nice set of plug cutters and use those. Much like what your already doing.:D
 
#12
The only problem with the hole saw is that it punches the hole clear through the plug, whereas a plug cutter doesn't do that. Fortunately, the drill bit is 1/4", so I just put a cap on the top of the knob, and problem solved!
 
#17
FunkyFlashFive said:
would it be possible to use a bit of fret on the side instead of your dot of brass on the top?
Click to expand...
It sounds possible, as long as there's enough wood there that the fret slot doesn't leave too little between it and the shaft bore. Interesting idea. I've thought that you should be able to use fretwire for something else on an instrument.

[edit] You'd probably have to make an over-wide fret slot, or flatten out the barbs on the fret tang some, since the usual press fit used for frets night split a knob open.
 
#18
FunkyFlashFive said:
would it be possible to use a bit of fret on the side instead of your dot of brass on the top?
Click to expand...

I'm sure it would work, you'd just have to glue in the fret, instead of trying to seat it by compression. The wood would be thin enough that this pressure could (and probably would) destroy the knob.

pilotjones said:
It sounds possible, as long as there's enough wood there that the fret slot doesn't leave too little between it and the shaft bore. Interesting idea. I've thought that you should be able to use fretwire for something else on an instrument.

[edit] You'd probably have to make an over-wide fret slot, or flatten out the barbs on the fret tang some, since the usual press fit used for frets night split a knob open.
Click to expand...

What he said ;)

NKUSigEp said:
The wood doesn't crack or anything?
Click to expand...

I haven't had the wood crack from using a hole saw. In fact, I don't think I've *ever* seen wood crack from using a hole saw. If it came apart, I'd suspect that the wood wasn't stable in the first place, like maybe there was a fault in the wood you couldn't see before cutting into it.
 
#19
SDB Guitars said:
I haven't had the wood crack from using a hole saw. In fact, I don't think I've *ever* seen wood crack from using a hole saw. If it came apart, I'd suspect that the wood wasn't stable in the first place, like maybe there was a fault in the wood you couldn't see before cutting into it.
Click to expand...

Good to hear...but I was thinking more about installation...such as someone tightening the set-screw just a hair too much.
 
#20
Anyone ever notice that the end of a drumstick is domed on the top and about the right diameter?
Plus they're already finished!

Hmmm... (Takes a drumstick to the bandsaw)

Wow that makes a great knob, not the most ornate wood in the world......

I knew drummers were good for something....

(flame away, it was just an experiment...) They don't look half bad though...
 

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