
an online portal for guitarmakers, guitar enthusiasts, and students
following Natelson & Cumpiano's treatise, GUITARMAKING: Tradition & Technology

Chapter 14 - Making the Bridge
Authors' commentary and additional suggestions
[SS] Bridge-pin-hole slotting saw and reamer
Luthier supply houses supply a specialized tool consisting of a short, aggressive saw blade joined to a small wooden handle and which fits in the palm of the hand which is designed for steel-string guitar builders to saw the string-relief notches into the bridge pin holes in the bridge. Our instructions show the procedure done using an ordinary coping saw blade, but this specialized tool makes the job quicker and allows for greater precision.
Also available are small tapered reamers which precisely match the taper-angle of bridge-pins. These are nice to have because they can improve the consistency of the fit of the bridge pins in their corresponding holes