Anyone Using Their Lathe To Drill Blanks?
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jimmyers
Member
You will get alot of responses on this one.
I use it now to drill and I get the holes perfectly centered now unlike the drill press.
I use it now to drill and I get the holes perfectly centered now unlike the drill press.
jleiwig
Member
Yup...I do. My setup is almost identically the same as TexDurango's in this Tutorial.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=54760
I would venture to say that 9 times out of 10 you are going to get superior results with the lathe, unless you have a very high quality drill press/pen vice/drill press table combo.
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=54760
I would venture to say that 9 times out of 10 you are going to get superior results with the lathe, unless you have a very high quality drill press/pen vice/drill press table combo.
bitshird
Member
I've always used a lathe, I use a Barracuda four jaw chuck, and always get dead centered holes.
jleiwig
Member
I don't know if it was addressed to me, but I turn the blank round first before mounting in the collet chuck.
Two reasons for this:
1.) You can see what's hiding in the blank before drilling, and then cut to be most advantageous positioning for your blank.
2.) The collet chuck allows for greater control and tighter drilling tolerances.
I've never liked using a scroll chuck for drilling blanks, because 1.) you usually have to buy the pin or #1 jaws to hold a pen blank, and 2.) I just don't think they offer the same tolerances as a quality collet chuck does.
BobBerk
Member
I had picked up an old drill press for $30 on craigslist to get me started. Then when I purchased my Talon chuck and HF mt2 drill chuck immediately started drilling on the lathe. My drill press only had a 2 inch throw, so that got old quick. I am very pleased with the results of drilling with the scroll chuck, and yeah, I do drill them while square.
wolftat
Product Reviews Manager
There is also an article in the library about drilling on the lathe. http://content.penturners.org/articles/2009/lathedrilling.pdf
jleiwig
Member
It's a good article too. It's one of the ones I used to change my methods on drilling on the lathe.
ed4copies
Local Chapter Manager
Rarely is a 3/4 x 3/4 actually dead square. This means a scroll chuck will grab in one direction and not in the other (largest dimension will hold, the other side is not supported). Now, you CAN clamp that sucker in and it won't move. BUT, you have not assurred yourself it is dead center. So, this can result in slop.
Rounded blanks are a better choice.
I actually do it both ways, and I have "Missed" a few times when I hurried and used the "just clamp it and drill it" method.
Collet chuck is easier and more reliable.
I just don't get it
All this talk about drilling dead centre on a lathe...if the tail stock is centered with the headstock then surely it makes no difference what kind of chuck you hold the blank with? (As long as it is held securely.) Once the hole has been drilled then the hole itself becomes the centre.
Now I often round a blank first too, but mainly to see what it might look like. But if I have any doubts that the blank will be big enough then I will cut the blank exactly in half first.( not to suit the tube lengths ) Then while still in the squarish I'll drill for the body tube first. If the hole exits in the centre of the blank then cool, I'll put it back in the chuck ( same position ) and re-drill for the cap size. I want as much material as possible supporting the blank while drilling, so if there may be doubt I'll leave it square:tongue:
All this talk about drilling dead centre on a lathe...if the tail stock is centered with the headstock then surely it makes no difference what kind of chuck you hold the blank with? (As long as it is held securely.) Once the hole has been drilled then the hole itself becomes the centre.
Now I often round a blank first too, but mainly to see what it might look like. But if I have any doubts that the blank will be big enough then I will cut the blank exactly in half first.( not to suit the tube lengths ) Then while still in the squarish I'll drill for the body tube first. If the hole exits in the centre of the blank then cool, I'll put it back in the chuck ( same position ) and re-drill for the cap size. I want as much material as possible supporting the blank while drilling, so if there may be doubt I'll leave it square:tongue:
rjwolfe3
Member
I don't know Skip but I have a hard time getting a square blank to hold right in a chuck but maybe that's me. I just found it so much easier to round first and then stick it in the collet chuck especially with segmented blanks that need drilled down the center. But that's just me.
gwilki
Member
I don't quite understand the emphasis on being in the exact centre of the blank. As long as there is enough material all around the hole to turn the pen to its final dimensions, why does the hole need to be in precise centre? When I'm doing burls, I frequently do not want the hole in the centre. The same is true for antler. I want to find the best features of the blank. Those features may not be suited to drilling in the centre of the blank.
ed4copies
Local Chapter Manager
So many pens, so many methods.
And, for me, a few hit the "skip"!!
And, for me, a few hit the "skip"!!
LOL, well chuck them towards the 'Skip' before you attempt to drill them!!:biggrin:
areaman
Member
I have a baracuda chuck and use the small jaws that came with it, since doing this I have not blown out any blanks. When I was doing them on the drill press I wasnt so lucky.
rjwolfe3
Member
It doesn't unless you are doing a segment with a design that needs to be drilled directly in the center.
worknhard
Member
I do my entire pen blank drilling on the lathe… both square and round stock. I don't bother to mark the center either, I just eyeball it. However, if the surface of the pen blank end is not square to the drilling axis, the drill bit sometimes snags on the surface and pulls the bit off at an angle, especially if I'm using brad points.
thewishman
Member
I drill the square blanks and have rarely had a problem. Since most barrels are less than 2.5" there would have to be a major problem to be so far off center that the blank would not be usable.
TellicoTurning
Member
I just don't get it
All this talk about drilling dead centre on a lathe...if the tail stock is centered with the headstock then surely it makes no difference what kind of chuck you hold the blank with? (As long as it is held securely.) Once the hole has been drilled then the hole itself becomes the centre.
Now I often round a blank first too, but mainly to see what it might look like. But if I have any doubts that the blank will be big enough then I will cut the blank exactly in half first.( not to suit the tube lengths ) Then while still in the squarish I'll drill for the body tube first. If the hole exits in the centre of the blank then cool, I'll put it back in the chuck ( same position ) and re-drill for the cap size. I want as much material as possible supporting the blank while drilling, so if there may be doubt I'll leave it square:tongue:
I think along your lines Skip... I have a little chuck that I got from PSI that 4 little bars... that will pretty much hold any shape blank...I set the blank in the chuck, and align the center of the other end with the drill bit... then drill... once the tube is glued in and the blank put on the bushings... it will center... only time this would be a problem might be on a segmented blank that needs a particular alignment of the segments.... I can even drill a curved piece of antler on this chuck and generally get a pretty well centered hole.
I do round my pepper mill blanks before drilling, but mostly because I can't put a 4 or 3 1/2 inch square blank in any of my chucks. I round them and make them about 3 or a little less diameter... it's just easier to drill them that way.
I have a JET 1014 VS lathe. Will this collet chuck work for holding the blank after I get it turned round?
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/20...ck-1-x-8-tpi.aspx?tab=information#information
Thanks!
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/20...ck-1-x-8-tpi.aspx?tab=information#information
Thanks!
Texatdurango
Member
NO! This chuck expands to hold an item such as a small box or bowl
You need a collet chuck that wraps around and squeezes the blank.
Have a look at the photo of this chuck and collets... http://www.pennstateind.com/store/LCDOWEL.html , the collet slides into the chuck then the blank slides into the collet then the large "nut" is tightened which squeezes the collet tight around the blank.
Two collets are widely used, the "Beall" brand chuck and the "PSI" brand along with several chucks sold on ebay and other sites.
I have the Beall chuck http://www.bealltool.com/products/turning/colletchuck.php complete with a large set of collets purchased on ebay BUT if I were to do it again, I would probably buy the chuck from PSI simply because I have used both brands and prefer the knurled nut on the PSI model. After several hours on the lathe, cutting, drilling and tapping, using oil to lubricate threads and my hands and the Beall nut getting a bit oily, gripping the smooth surface to open and close the chuck becomes a bit of a chore.
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jleiwig
Member
Good point George. I rarely ever had to use the tommy bars with my PSI collet chuck. I was thinking about buying the beall just because it looks longer to get things spaced away from the headstock, but I forgot it's not knurled, which is very nice to have.
KenV
Member
I try to keep in mind a quote from a guy called Eagle -- the objective is to drill the center of the pattern.
If that happens to be in the center of the piece being drilled, that makes it easy - if it is not in the center, the objective is still to put the drill into the center of the pattern.
One of the masters of segmented turning (Malcolm Tibbetts) makes reference to lamination trickery - where offset centers give a different effect.
Point is that the center of the wood and the center of the turning may not be the same -and that thinking about the outcome is part of the process -
Of course, production processes tend to make for a more process oriented set of choices.
If that happens to be in the center of the piece being drilled, that makes it easy - if it is not in the center, the objective is still to put the drill into the center of the pattern.
One of the masters of segmented turning (Malcolm Tibbetts) makes reference to lamination trickery - where offset centers give a different effect.
Point is that the center of the wood and the center of the turning may not be the same -and that thinking about the outcome is part of the process -
Of course, production processes tend to make for a more process oriented set of choices.
jrc
Member
Drill ing Blanks
This is how I drill blanks on a drill press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT6puSCu-Iw
Drilling deer antler,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEEaF8z2jM
This is how I drill blanks on a drill press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT6puSCu-Iw
Drilling deer antler,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAEEaF8z2jM
intillzah
Member
Not with the lathe I have...
jskeen
Member
I drill almost all blanks on the lathe with my little bitty psi csc500 chuck. Most will go in as is, a little irregular or not. Except for antler which I tend to take the time to round down first. Reason for that is not so much to drill centered, but I find that turning between the points of the centers gives me the opportunity to spin the antler piece on as many different points as it takes till I find the right combination to let me get the size cylinder I need out of the piece. By watching the shadow of the off center, irregular piece of antler as it spins at high speed, I can tell how large the rounded blank will be if turned using those particular points as centers. This allows me to adjust one end or the other to give me as much or as little bark showing in the finished blank as I want, or to tell before turning if a particular piece can be turned large enough to accommodate a particular size drill bit or not. this is particularly handy on smaller or curved sections, that would otherwise probably end up having the bit break through one side.
mapletree
Member
I used to use my bridgeport milling machine, which makes a pretty nice drill press, to drill pen blanks but was never satisfied with the results all of the time. The lathe works great. If the blanks aren't square just line up by eye as you turn the piece by hand. Be careful not to tighten to tight for I have cracked dymond wood a couple times. And I always use a center drill.