Telecaster III - Making The Truss Rod

Well I had ordered a 2 way truss rod from China and was waiting for it to arrive so I can continue with this project but it never arrived so I decided to have a go at making my own.  I decided to make a single action truss rod.

I have some threaded rod and found some furniture hardware to turn into the anchor and adjustment nut.  My metal working skills are a little rusty to say the least, I haven't really done any metal work since I was at school so the first challenge was to make an anchor.  I cut a piece from the end of the metal rod above and then tapped the hole, threaded the rod into the hole and then hammered the end into the groove to keep the rod from turning while it is been adjusted.

That was the easy bit.  Next I cut another section from the furniture rod to make the adjustment nut.  I needed to drill a hole right in the middle of the rod and then tap it to accept the threaded rod.  My first couple of attempts at holding the blank steady whilst trying to drill a hole in the dead centre failed until I filed two grooves in the vice to hold the blank in position.

Much better result, I started with a pilot hole and drilled 30mm deep before moving to a larger bit.  I then used a countersink bit to widen the hole at the top to make it easier to locate the rod.  The hole was then threaded.

It's a good job I had a few spare blanks to practice on.  Next I cut the slot in the adjusting nut.  This will give  a substantial screwdriver enough depth to maintain a good grip whilst making adjustments.  I started the cut with a hacksaw and then widened it with my Dremel before filing the slot and then polished everything using a little buffing wheel on the Dremel.

Well it look the part, Ideally this should be made of brass as brass will wear out quicker than the threads on the steel rod and is easier to replace.  Next job it to route the channel for the truss rod but that is a job for another day.