How to enlarge holes for guitar tuners 

Nice one mate, that's helped me a great deal. 👍🏼

I ran the drill in reverse and now my guitar is left-handed. I'm going to need your contact information so I can sue you.

Sir,you are a genius. Used this method yesterday,worked a treat.thank you!

Brilliant! Just installed new Grover tuners. Drilling in reverse worked like a charm...thank you!

Get a stepped reamer for RC airplane props and go from 8mm to 10 mm holes simply using a drill or drill press from the back of the headstock. A drill press is precise and perfectly square to the rear of the headstock. Do NOT use a hand drill since you cannot hold it steady or drill perfectly square to the rear of the headstock. The 8mm holes need to be 10 mm diameter from the rear side of the headstock and about 9mm deep. A 'reamer bit' is tapered and you need the rear of the headstock holes 10 mm diameter for 9 mm deep and the 8mm holes at the front to remain. A drill press makes it easy with the bit mentioned...

This got me thru installing new hipshot locking critters where the pot metal squire stuff had failed to keep tune! THANK you!

Drill in reverse worked perfectly - thanks for the tip!

Great explanation mate.

I have used the reverse drill bit method also it never hurts to do a practice run on scrap wood so you get a good feel for how the bit grabs and reacts in reverse.

Worked a treat. The wood did start cooking but I ran it a little slower and stopped in between. Thanks dude!

I didn't want to have to buy a reamer for a job I was gonna do exactly once, thanks!

thanks! this was excellent advice. worked perfectly.

I did this to a cheap Charvel I wish I had done like this I chipped it a little but I put lock tuners that kept it in tune much better . For it to be Maple I have no idea where it was made I traded it for a looper station I asked if the neck was straight so it's actually a descent sounding guitar now

The guys touting fancy reamers are missing the point. This is a perfectly good working man's fix. Just be careful with veneered headstocks like Gibson. I went very slow, it worked. If you go too fast it's easy to split the headstock towards the edge. Ouch!

thanks! I just ran into this issue. Glad I didn't start without doing some research. Reverse drill it is!

Either run the drill in reverse or use a stepped drill bit (that also self centers to an extent). But I think without a drill press it is a gamble

I get the same outcome if I cover both front and back with masking tape. I forgot which is better - drilling from the top or the back of the headstock.

Nice bit of info there. Fixn to do this on a rebuild I'm doing and have been working through how I might avoid goober'n up my headstock seeing how this will be the first time I've fit a non-direct replacement tuning machines. This is brilliant.

I use a 10 mm reamer it has a little taper but will not ream over 10mm, if I am drilling new holes I use a 9mm bit and finish with the 10mm reamer

You are doing it the hard way! I just completed this job in just a few minutes with a great tool from a company named Mcmaster-Carr part # 3141A65. It's an adjustable reamer that does a fantastic job in just minutes. And you don't have to bother with adjusting your hole size to compensate for the taper on other reamers.

You can also use a tapered hand reamer, which is what many luthiers use.

Nice video mate.. were you using a metal bit or a wood bit for drilling ?

Guys i know it look reeeeaaally bad but i just did it cuase im stupid... It turned out very very good actually. Just take it really slow. And you need to make sure the drill i fairly strait then you are god to go, SLOW.

What size drill bit would you recommend for fender locking tuners

I ran the drill in reverse and now my guitar is on fire, what should i do

Wish I had watched this before going in... I started with a 10mm wood drill, 1 second later: had to put some filler in to get the splintered wood replaced. Well the tuners cost almost more than the guitar so what the hell :P Also a great idea to go from 8mm to 9mm to 10mm.

start off with a smaller drill bit then move up to that one

I wish I'd watched this first. Now I'm sad, and using wood filler.

Why not use a reamer tool that looks bad to me .

Don't use a drill. Here is the right tool: www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Tuner_Installation/Peghole_Reamers.html