Making custom bobbins using a $20 Grizzly hand punch and a simple jig.

I've come up with a simple way to make consistently spaced bobbins cheaply. Obviously, for standard designs having the bobbins manufactured is much easier, and if your time is worth anything it's cheaper too.

Here's the jig. The filluster head screw was turned down to fit the punched holes in the forbon. Two different spacings are availiable on any one jig (the outer holes are non functional). This one has spacing that matches telecaster bridge and neck pickups.

Here's the jig installed in the press.

Using the depth guage and with one straight edge on the forbon, the holes are punched very straight and uniform in spacing. First a single hole is punched, then that hole is placed over the filluster head screw and subsequent holes are punched. After the holes are punched the perimiter of the bobbin is trimmed to shape.