Dear Tom

There’s a simple answer to your question as to how deep the tuning pins must go in your wrestplank holes, if you are not after an exact mm measurement.

Each tuning pin must obviously hold the tension of its string, and to do that, a certain amount of the full diameter of the tuning pin must be firmly seated in the hardwood of the wrestplank, not just the soft wrestplank veneer (if any). If your pins have a radical or lengthy taper at their base, there must be relatively more of the pin in the hole, otherwise it will tend to pull and elongate the hole, particularly in the bass. The wrestplank holes should angle back slightly, ie towards the keyboard, to reduce this tendency.

The pins must be able to rotate smoothly, so the fit between the pin and the hole is crucial. That is something you should experiment with. It can also vary when you hit a softer part of the wrestplank, and some pins may not be as consistent as you think.

Downbearing was also mentioned: I see many instruments where the maker has not worried about this at all when stringing, but that’s another issue entirely.

Regards

CB

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