Cedar will hold it soft, spruce will hold it a bit stronger, yellow pine stronger yet, and oak the strongest. Purple heart might not let go of it. Just sayin…
I finished the mod. Much nicer than my other mini-mag with a nite-ize LED. I messed up on my reflector when I drilled out the center hole too big; created a big dark spot in the center of the beam. I then used my other reflector removed from my nite-ize upgrade and didn’t drill it out. Looks much better. A bit ringy but I haven’t any clearcoat to spray it with, yet.
I’m using clear maple.
Get a nice tight fit and when you squeeze it you’ll have syrup for your morning pancakes. 
But seriously, like with all things there are compromises. I was merely trying to point out that even the selection of wood makes a difference in the project. Bore the same size holes to hold the mag head and some will hold it, others will let it spin. Some won’t hurt the finish, some will mar it up. A hard wood can be used, the piece can be sawn in half through the hole, and then screwed together like a clamp so as not to damage the finish. Doing this would also allow the use of tape, to further protect the anodization.
It also is less dependent on a precision-sized hole, which I can never seem to make. :~
Here we go. I gave it to my dad on the first of June, 2012 and he uses it regularly. The QTC still works fine but he had to swap batteries a few times (obviously).
Does anyone have a 25/32 bit i could maybe borrow? I’ll gladly pay shipping or send some 17mm gitd tailcap buttons when I return the bit.
Just found this old mod thread, and its one of the best mini-mag mods i seen yet. 
i have several MiniMags and definitely going to try this.
This is one of the threads that got me into making lights. Match did so much.
You can also just use a 3/4” bit and then wrap tape and 200 grit around a 5/8” bit to ream it out a little more. I use a step drill first and then a 3/4” hole saw that leaves a flat bottomed cut. Ordered a set of 3 step drills dirt cheap on fleabay.
Thought I would give a bump to this great old thread as my first post with some simple questions:
Given the wide availability of hosts nowadays (that don’t require drilling out), is this still a worthwhile mod (other than for labor-of-love and learning)?
If so, any suggestions for the guts? seems that most of the links for supplies in the thread are now dead, and obviously new items have come to market, etc. How about some ideas for budget, mid-level, and premium mods. Thanks in advance.
We build lights from scratch in our shop. BUT... when I found this post it made me want to do a mini-mag mod. I did. And to this day, we keep some of these on hand finished out & ready to give to the kiddos of our customers. Match, you have made a lot of smiles with this post. Just last week, we gave one away and the little boy lit up as bright as the light itself!
Many Thanks for the smiles you have helped create!!
This post should be a sticky somewhere!! TL
Welcome to the forum. It’s just another area of customization. People just refuse to leave well enough alone. At this point boring a Minimag is mostly for triples since smaller drivers and DTP boards make it possible to build a single emitter light engine that fits and single optics fit without boring. Brass p60 pills are still available most anywhere as well as 20 mm reflectors so the links aren’t all that necessary except for those identifying better reflectors. Mtnelectronics is a great place to look for drivers in lots of sizes, many with customized ui’s available. Build one. There’s something particularly satisfying about it.
Hi and welcome Mnr3. Go for it I say.
Still a great mod to do. A light without a clicky switch is a reliable light in my opinion!
Welcome to the forum Mnr3.
As previously stated, you can get everything you need for a single LED Match Mod from MTN, an XP-L HI with a boost driver running off 2 AAs is still a big jump in output from the stock light. And an XP-L HI triple running at 3.0+ amps off a Li-Ion in a cut-down shorty Match Mod will blow your socks off, albeit for a very short time. Again most of the parts can be found at MTN.
I think what I like about this mod is everyone is familiar with the mini-Mag, or at least they think they are. Hand them a triple shorty and the first thing they think is it’s cute. Then they turn the head the wrong way to try to turn it on. After you tell them to turn it the other way the next thing you hear is WOW!
This mod just never gets old, you’ll understand once you’ve built one.
I figured as much wrt the mod still being current but not familiar enough with the hardware currently available. Been a lurker long enuf, just dont know the terminology well enough yet. That also makes using the search function harder; I did one for mini mag for more recent stuff, but didnt find too much. Will “triple shorty” yield more results? Guess I want to do what every newbie on every forum wants: skip to the answer without wading too much into the nitty gritty (read: learn the basics). Lazy, I know 0:)
Anyway, thanks for the replies. I was just happy to give this thread a bump (without asking for tools!). Cheers
Check out this thread for an idea of what’s possible, or search micro mag. Many of us have made them one way or the other. There are also a few folks that have made MT-G2 mini mags (something I’ve been meaning to do myself, have all the parts sitting in the basement but never seem to get to it).
Anybody know of a site where I can pick up some spare time?
You can also peruse theBLF Modding Links Thread I post most of my mods there and many of the classics are listed there as well. It’s stickied in the DIY modding and parts sub forum.
Wow, those are cool. I’ve read enuf now to answer my own question above (in case anyone like me stumbles upon it without seeing the very obvious Sticky of past mods ). I’m gettin a little nervous already about a possible addiction!