Hosco Steel 2-Way Dual Action Truss Rod

12/11 R&D notes PHosco Rods are problematic for several reasons. They require a dedicated template or several manual repositioning and bit changes steps. Adjustment Nut is .267" wide and .370" deep - deeper than anchors Anchors are .345" while most of rod is only .315 Rod tapers into anchor 4 separate routs/steps are required 1. Main rod and bar rout > 6mm ball end .320" deep tape to attempt taper 2. Adjustment nut > 7mm ball end . 380" deep requires one of 3 options 1- bit change to 7mm with same template 2- 6mm bit + template with wider bushing path in this area only 3- 6mm bit rezeroed + reposition template manually twice off center in either direction .5mm 3. Anchors > 6mm straight bit .360" deep QA issues - Welded slightly out of square -so bar stock top plane is not parallel to top of glue plane Protrudes higher on bass than treble side 12/11-12 NF03 with on the fly adaptations as explained in R&D notes above MOP revised for Hosco 10/27/2023 As observed on NS03-5, when running router heel to headstock rout will skew slightly to bass side because of climb cut on that side Attach template 1/128" east of centerline to compensate This is the LMI process - Adapt this for PLTS Hosco unsheathed rods HOSCO specs 18.125" long with nut Block ends = .350-.355" deep Res of rod = .315-.330" deep Block width = .235" (6mm) Bar stock with = .226" side Need to chisel .375" at heel end Rout Truss Rod Channel Allied Truss Rod template is designed for the ideal 17.75" overall length which may vary. a. If overall length is shorter than 17.75", add a stopper inside the heel end of template b. If overall length is longer than 17.75", chisel the additional length away rather than trying to shift the template which will not change the overall rout length Adapting the Allied MOP for last LMI non sheathed rod Since end needs to be chiseled square anyway Plunge router setup - see sidebar ----> 1. Attach Guide Bushing template to neck w- ds tape shifted .007" east of centerline to account for climb cut on bass side 2. Manually draw end of truss rod and shift template south to match 1. With 1/5 but end of cut is 6/32 from end of ,5/8 plunge channel 3. Attach headstock end stopper 4. BIT CHANGE - 6mm SH x 6mm OD ROUND bottom upcut bit 1. Note since this bit is shorter it must be chucked out 1/8" for proper depth of cut 5. Adjust depth per Plunge Router Depth Adjustment dial >>>dial 2 1a 3 4 5 6 truss rod 0.380 2 0.880 0.130 0.190 0.380 0.630 0.880 6. For this template which is +.005" add strip of brown tape to the bushing to give a snug fit 7. Set the router to Dial Setting #2 8. Lower the bit to the top of the work surface and lock it 9. To reduce to .360" at stopper #4, add two strips of masking tape to both depth stop and depth rod 10. Lower the depth rod to the stopper and lock it in place 11. Set depth gauge to 2 and work down 12. Trace rout with router off to ensure centering 13. All Cuts at full router speed from heel to nut 14. Cut A - dial 3 - .180" deep heel to hs 15. Cut B -dial 4 - .360 deep heel to hs 1. P22 was .344 which was a little shallow - rod measures .338 to 348" variously along length 16. Cut C if Cut B wasn't deep enough 17. Remove tape 18. Cut D Adjustment nut only - .380" 19. Remove template 20. Chisel Nut and Heel end to ensure fit and proper depth of cut I posted before about the 6mm vs 1/4" issues. Because of that I didn't use them for over a year. I recently got the proper metric router setup and installed them. Man was it a pain. The anchors are .345"(8.75mm) deep but the rod tapers to only .315"(8mm) deep in the center. The adjustment nut is .268" (6.8mm) diameter and sits .370" (9.4mm) deep relative to the top plane of the bar. All this means you can't just do a single long slot. What I did was use a round bottom bit , deepen and widen it for the nut, then change to a straight bit for the anchors. Maybe with a CNC this would not be a big deal. With a handheld router, getting 4 connected cuts precisely dialed in to the tight tolerances required for a truss rod not to rattle is really difficult and tedious.

Bought these rods as a budget friendly alternative to LMI and Allied 2 way rods which are $35 and up. They look well made but the sizing is an issue. They need a 6mm wide channel. 1/4" is too wide and 7/32" is too narrow. 6mm bits are only made with 6mm shanks. No one makes a 6mm bit with an imperial 1/4" or 1/2" shank to fit a US model router. So to use these rods, I need to invest about $60 in a 6mm bit plus a 6mm aftermarket router collet router. For just a few necks this negates any savings versus buying the pricier US made rods..