Tuner knobs

[JD]

I would like to replace the plastic knobs on some inexpensive tuners with hand made wooden ones. Does anybody know a good way to squarish holes to fit the tuner shaft?

[Murray]

Small (jeweler's?) files. There flat, round, square & curved shapes. Probably the square. The square ones can be <1/8" wide & if you find the right set, may taper from a point to the widest part.

Try C.B. Gitty. If you don't see anything like that, maybe Harbor Freight or other economical tool place.

Murray

[Murray]

I have more than one set, all 'disposable' quality, I think from a low-end import tool store that closed.

[JD]

Thanks, I was thinking it would be something like that.

[BrianQ.]

I learned an easy trick for this back in my days on the road: you hang the end of a gun type solder iron on the tuner & when it heats up , you press the tuner button on, done. make sure you drill a smaller pilot hole in the new tuner button, this makes it easier to Center & make sure to take the tuner off the guitar before you add heat? 

[JD]

Great idea. Will it work for wood?

[BrianQ.]

As long as it’s not glaring hot, it should. The metal will cool down rapidly if it’s not too hot? Another way I’ve seen, is to do two halves. One half has a flat channel & the other has a round channel. When they’re glued together, they make the perfect shape? 

[JD]