Basically, all you need is a flat platform for the hammer tails to rest upon. Once you set our trials, set one mid-way and ones mid-way again. Fill in. A straight edge aligns shoulders and tails. I prefer to fill in the middles to avoid the bulge effect of hammers not always going all the way on the shank when place individually over a long expanse. This way you have shorter "runs". Spurlock's appartae (sp?) are superb but sometimes all you need is a good straight stick. Practice and experience counts Foremost. No "jig" will get the hammers hung straight (perpendicular to the strings, left-to-right), a jig will help with the tilt of the hammer front-to-back. Follow-up on your jobs, a year afterwards, numerous hammers will need rehanging (removed and glued back on) because the shank has warped/ twisted beyond the effectiveness of burning-in. -- Regards, Jon Page
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