Newbie..please bear with me..

[sinnerboy61]

Hi everyone

I've built a few guitars now, and after buying pickups for so long, I'd like to wind my own. I'd much rather build a winder than buy one from stew-mac. I figure it'd be cheaper, and it be much more satisfying. I was thinking of using a small rechargeable drill with some sort of counter. I'm somewhat confused however as to set up a proper counter for a drill-type setup. I've seen pictures, but have no idea as to how to go about setting up a winding setup.

I've searched, but had trouble finding anything

Thanks

[London Customs]

Me Too!!

Hey man,

Good to see another NewB out here!! I'm a first at this as well, hope we learn a lot and create nice things!!

Here's a couple of sites I checked out.

http://www.guitarattack.com/winder.htm
http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~gmarts/pick-var.htm

Also check out www.haeussel.de. Makes great things, he built me 2 humbuckers with wooden tops. ANyway, have a good time here and ttyl!

Peace

[sinnerboy61]

That sewing machine idea looks good..but it says you'd have to have a regulator on the machine to prevent an uneven wind, and I'd like to have a counter on it as well.

Any ideas...anyone???

[London Customs]

Did you check out hte plans in the beginning of this forum? I think it's at page 8 somewhere. I just downloaded them, didn't get a chance to check 'em though...

[sinnerboy61]

naw, can you send a link mate?

[London Customs]

I'm sorry man, it's on the second page!!! Not on the 8th!!! It;s 5 am where I live, so I'm not that sharp anymore!!! There's part one to four.

Also I found a subthread (at the top where the threads and maps follow up) with equipment.

[London Customs]

It's a subforum actually, on coil winders

[NightWinder]

Damn sinners

Hi everyone

I've built a few guitars now, and after buying pickups for so long, I'd like to wind my own. I'd much rather build a winder than buy one from stew-mac. I figure it'd be cheaper, and it be much more satisfying. I was thinking of using a small rechargeable drill with some sort of counter. I'm somewhat confused however as to set up a proper counter for a drill-type setup. I've seen pictures, but have no idea as to how to go about setting up a winding setup.

I've searched, but had trouble finding anything

Thanks

Hello Sinner! Welcome to the forum! Nice to see guys doing their own things. You'll feel rewarded at the end.
Here's a few Ideas and No-No's: Look for a Plug in drill.....Rotation and RPM are essential to a proper design, and IF your battery starts draining in the middle, you will alter your travers (or layer) resulting in inconsistancey in your design, and ultimately drastic differences between models. Keep your rpm constant as possible. NO-NO #1. a POWER DRILL IS ABSOLUTELY acceptable for learning how to wind, learning how to cotroll your coil shape manually, and overall a great way for beginners to learn, but....your shaft will not be centered.....and you will have to work for your coil shape control. Consider a drill a temporary learning tool, and nothing more. If you want great repeatable results you will have to get something a little more stable. No worries, lathes are cheap, and a good investment for making other things too.NO-NO #2. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Relax and find a good sitting position when you wind the coil. This will relieve alot of unnessisary stress and help you concentrate on whats at hand....consistantly. It will take some time to get used to the proper tension and yes, you will break the wire many times, but theres that magic spot you'll find.....and you'll be good.
Dont worry too much about a counter right now, and I really don't think a counter can be consistantly accurate with a power drill anyway. Maybe a Drillpress...Fill "em till their full! Check you dcr.
For what its worth....I still use a power drill on 2 of my models because I can Choke up on the wire, fingers are about an inch away from the spinning bobbin.

[Ruel]

Hi everyone

I've built a few guitars now, and after buying pickups for so long, I'd like to wind my own. I'd much rather build a winder than buy one from stew-mac. I figure it'd be cheaper, and it be much more satisfying. I was thinking of using a small rechargeable drill with some sort of counter. I'm somewhat confused however as to set up a proper counter for a drill-type setup. I've seen pictures, but have no idea as to how to go about setting up a winding setup.

I've searched, but had trouble finding anything

Thanks

I also started with guitar construction before I ventured into pickup winding. Luckily, I was able to get a hold of Jason Lollar's book before it went out of print. I have wound several humbuckers already. They sound better than the DiMarzios I have. I know, it's nothing to crow about since DiMarzio's are not that good anyway, as pointed out by some members of this forum. But at least it is a start.

[sinnerboy61]

wow! Thanks for so many good tips! Seems as though I have some research to do. When things like school let up, I'll have to start putting something together

Thanks!

[corduroyew]

Dont worry too much about a counter right now, and I really don't think a counter can be consistantly accurate with a power drill anyway. Maybe a Drillpress...Fill "em till their full! Check you dcr.

A digital timer like those that turn on and off your lights when you are on vacation are a great tool if and are quite cheap. I've tried a couple types of counters and I find that I get results that are just as consistent by calculating how much time it will take to get the number of turns that I need.