make your own spool clamps | RATTLECAN GUITAR RESTORATIONS by James O’Rear

[@jvin248]

Hole saw partial cut idea is a good one since both center hole and OD is cut at the same time. Building on that... glue the cork/felt to the board before hole saw drilling.

[@BobZed]

One possible improvement: Buy a couple feet of 3/8 clear vinyl tubing, cut sections that are an inch long. Disassemble your clamps, slide a piece down to the middle, and reassemble. Actually, it would probably be better to get twice as much and put one piece at the top and another at the bottom. That way you keep the bolt threads away from the side of the guitar.

[@luckyrai69]

Your video made more sense than a hollywood movie Loved it

[@nomercadies]

Understated humor. Jeb Bush energy level ... which adds to the humor. Nice job.

[@aBluegrassPicker]

Thank You! - Great Video - just finished my set of Clamps. I used a 1-1/4 inch Bosch bimetal hole saw to cut 1/8" cork into circles. It has a spring inside which helps eject the cork.

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

I'll have to look for that bit, thanks for the tip.

[@commish99]

Good video! I used the router jig that you showed to round off the spools - worked like a charm!

[@richardlaplante2750]

Curious if there is a good reason for sticking to a traditional round shape. Wondering if they would be just as functional with holes through a piece of 3/4” plywood’s and then the plywood cut into squares of the desired size? Or perhaps a slightly tapered, more wedge shape.

[@thefreese1]

I got a metal Lathe ..so for me its just a matter of chucking it in the lathe , drilling the hole as deep as possible , then parting off each spool .. my question was the bolts.. how long are they ? I'm guessing 6" to handle a full size guitar.. I was going to make them from allthread and tack weld the nut on ..but I am liking the bolt idea.

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

I’d say 6” is probably right. Lots of ways to do it. Thanks for stopping by.

[@zapa1pnt]

Well, I am Obviously late to the party, but I would like to add, to make the disks, just use a 1-3/4 hole saw, in the drill press (or by hand). It will produce a 1-5/8 disk, with a, centered, 1/4 hole. If you want to use 5/16 rod (a wise thing to do), all you need do is bore out the hole. By hand, with a pair of pliers works. No need for a center jig. 😁✌🖖

[@catdumpling]

I've got a bunch of spool clamps I made too, but I used threaded rod instead of carriage bolts. Only takes a few seconds to cut it to length with a hacksaw, but you'll need an extra wingnut and washer per clamp. Still ended up being a bit cheaper than the carriage bolts. Either way, they're very useful and you can use the same basic idea for a few different clamp styles (I've got some that are square "rods" about 8" long, with a rod through each end. They're good for laminating, and I call them "sandwich clamps" because I have no idea what the actual name for them is and "sandwich clamp" sounds funny.) For future reference, I thought of another way to drill centered holes on the spools. You'll need a hole saw (or spade bit or Forstner bit) with the same OD as the spools. Clamp a board to your drill press with a piece of scrap wood under it...so, like, two boards. Then drill a hole through the _top_ board only with the hole saw/spade bit/wood-destroyer, but not through both boards; -throw the wooden plug at your dog- discard that wooden plug. Now, _leave those boards clamped in place_ but swap the hole saw for the proper drill bit to drill your spool bolt holes; now you can just drop the spool into the hole, drill the bolt hole in the spool, rinse, repeat. The holes will be perfectly centered because you never unclamped the board from the drill press.

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

I'm starting to find all kinds of uses for this sort of thing. Not enough free time!

[@georgescarlett2320]

Bolt Depot is another great way to save "MOOLA"!!

[@ironguito]

your so fun =D keep up the good job friend!

[@nomercadies]

Seating carriage bolt ... Radio Show !! A DIY Video with no Video !! Perfect! Listen to me work the wood !!

[@jlondon53]

Probably been said already a million times, but buy, and cut to length, some clear rubber hose/tubing that fits closely over the bolts between the two ends to protect guitar sides. Needs to be shorter that the thinnest guitar build obviously or clamp won't close. Just needs to be long enough to create a protective pad/distance between bolt and guitar side.

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

It has but that's ok, helps anyone who wanders into this at a later date. Thanks for watching.

[@randyharvey9960]

Not to put a damper on the saving money thing, but how long did the project take and what is your time worth?

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

As a hobbiest I have much more time than money. Even ones for sale on eBay are 3 times the price. It all depends on which you have more of to spare I guess. Today I could make 30 of them in a couple of hours.

[@luckyrai69]

Randy Harvey a message from India his time is Priceless in my opinion as it Inspires People like me a Million Thanks to James O Rear for making a beautiful video Hats of to you James o Rear

[@Kane-Roman]

This guy reminds me sooo much of my 8th grade shop teacher that is shocking!

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

Thanks I appreciate that!

[@darinhart]

What length of bolt did you use? sorry if I missed that

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

Seven inch carriage bolts.

[@blackbirdpie217]

I went through the whole video just to find out how long are the bolts you use.. 6 inch? 8 inch? But you never said it or I never heard it.

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

Mine are 7" long as I need the length for the Jimbo sized instruments. You can pick the length based on what you work on. If you build mandolins no need for a huge clamp. Thanks for the question and allowing me to answer.

[@TreeFiddy350]

Great video! How long are the carriage bolts?

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

Thanks, they're 7 inches long.

[@bykergus]

The thin cork ... use cork rings ... like the ones I use ... to build my fishing rods.

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

+Rick Gustin Good idea. Do you have a source?

[@nomercadies]

Loves = Kitty Litter Bucket ... Television Remote ... Peg Board with almost nothing on it ... Quite Fan Good stuff!

[@danielspada1685]

It seems that it can work, but the most interesting thing is not in the video: to show how it is used and to describe how efficient the device is.

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

I hadn't thought of that. Most people I have talked to about this know what they are and are looking for a cheaper alternative than buying them. You can see them in action here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXTJkIKneMx6nZY

[@danielspada1685]

First of all, thank you very much for your quick response. I thought it pertinent to make a constructive criticism without any bad intentions. I could see them in action in the other video. I do not speak English, this is translation from Spanish to Google translator. Thanks again, greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

No hay problema. Gracias por ver. También traducido por Google.

[@jlsamarcenaria2422]

Show de Bola,Blz!!!,

[@АлександрРу-э5с]

очень долго и нудно

[@richardlaplante2750]

Curious if there is a good reason for sticking to a traditional round shape. Wondering if they would be just as functional with holes through a piece of 3/4” plywood and then the plywood cut into squares of the desired size? Or perhaps a slightly tapered, more wedge shape.

[@RattlecanGuitarRestorations]

My guess would be ease of manufacturing from a production point of view, but if we make them ourselves we can do what we think is best for us. Making your own tools is great!