I hate "it".

I may have complained about this before, but this time I've reached the end of my patience with it. It's messy. It creates dust. It's not the least bit fun. And the results usually require repair, filling, patching and touch-up. I don't do it that well to begin with.

What is it?

"It" is woodworking.

Oh, I can drill a hole or two in a headstick without too much fuss or error. But drilling multiple holes in a row, routing the wood along the line of holes to make a channel, and drilling precise axle holes makes me crazy. I sweat. I cuss. I cuss some more. (Take a breath, Kenny).

What's to be done? I'm thinking of switching to PVC pipe and developing controls that can be mounted on the outside with simple holes drilled in the right places. No routing. No excessive debris. (Less cussing). I've seen a few ideas from the Lovik figure I bought and refurbished. I've also noticed other methods with brass rods and tubes mounted on the exterior of a headstick.

Anyone with some tips and tricks for setting up such mechanisms would be appreciated. Meanwhile I'll be experimenting.

(Yeah, there will probably be some cussing there, too.)