[BT55]

Originally Posted by jackstrat

As a long time woodworker I would never use a spade bit on a guitar. Never. For one, it will blow out like crazy on the inside of the guitar.



Also, what good is the reamer if the endblock in the guitar is more than a 1/4" thick? The Stew-Mac reamer will work because it has 1/2" diameter flat. That will work as long as the endblock is thinner than the reamer's flat diameter.



I have drilled for endpin jacks and here is my method:



1. Drill a 1/4" diameter hole with a sharp brad point bit.



2. Enlarge the hole to 1/2" using a sharp standard drill bit.



Period, end of story.



Work carefully, and you should have no problem.



Also, here is a trick for feeding the endpin jack assembly through the hole. Insert a guitar cable that will mate with the endpin jack through the hole into the guitar body. Connect the endpin jack to the cable and pull the cable back through the hole. Voila! Done. Simple.



jack

Totally agree. Stepped bits do not have enough depth to properly drill end blocks. I have them but would never drill a guitar with one. I tape the end and use smaller to larger bits to make a the hole. I’ve never had a problem using this method.