Drill Bit Selection

[timberbits]

Have you had that annoying moment after you've drilled a blank and found out the brass tube doesn't fit?

You're not alone. I've have a few customers commenting on that issue so I made a very short video to help explain.

Hope you enjoy.

Here is the link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pukg76vOaXg

 

[sbwertz]

LOL...I just had that happen yesterday! I drilled two blanks with the same bit, same kit, different wood, and the brass tube would fit easily into one of them and not the other. Now I know why.

 

[Ed McDonnell]

I liked the part where the smoke / steam is pouring out of the wood blank as you ram that big bit through it. :biggrin: Very good visual effect.

Your suggestion to redrill the following day will work if the wood has contracted as it cooled, but if the wood has gone oval or distorted like the picture you showed, then redrilling will give you too large a hole at one (or both) end.

Seems to me it would be better to solve the problem on the front end of the process. Don't overheat the wood while drilling. If the wood is green, then drill an undersized hole (not overheating the wood) and then wait for the wood to dry before drilling the the full size hole. This has the added benefit of not having the wood blank crack in a couple of weeks as the wood finished drying out on the pen.

Ed

 

[edstreet]

Or you could just drill it right the first time and not have to redo it.

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Or you could just drill it right the first time and not have to redo it.

Excellent advice in metal, plastic and other stable materials. Less than excellent advice for wood, especially wet wood.

Ed

 

[edstreet]

Or you could just drill it right the first time and not have to redo it.

Excellent advice in metal, plastic and other stable materials. Less than excellent advice for wood, especially wet wood.

Ed

So with wood it's OK to *NOT* do things right the first time. I got it, thanks for the sage advice. Isn't this also called half-assing?

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Or you could just drill it right the first time and not have to redo it.

Excellent advice in metal, plastic and other stable materials. Less than excellent advice for wood, especially wet wood.

Ed

So with wood it's OK to *NOT* do things right the first time. I got it, thanks for the sage advice. Isn't this also called half-assing?

Ed - Untwist your panties and restore the blood flow to your brain. Wood moves. Wet wood moves a lot. I've read enough of your posts to know you know this. Are you in a cranky mood and just looking to pick a fight tonight?

You can drill the most perfect hole using the most perfect technique in a wet piece of wood and that perfect hole will be a lot less than perfect in a short amount of time. Redrilling after your wood has stabilized is a perfectly valid approach to dealing with the realities of wood.

And sure, you could just only use dry wood. But drilling and redrilling can really speed up the drying process. And releasing any stress in the wood (especially some highly figured woods) won't happen with any amount of waiting.

So, what's your problem?

Ed

 

[sbwertz]

The piece I drilled was mulberry crown, and it was dry, and didn't overheat, but because it is all scar tissue, drilling it sometimes allows the wood to bow due to internal pressure from the peculiar grain.

 

[LL Woodworks]

What was the hurry ?

Good video - but a horrible display of drilling practice. Doesn't matter what I'm drilling, I always keep the bit as cool as possible. Drilling acrylic I keep water & soap solution handy; wood - I use denatured alcohol on a Q-tip (it evaporates quickly and doesn't swell the wood) to cool blank and paper towel on the bit- if they get hot.

My philosophy is this, my fingers can feel heat over 100 degrees F. If I can feel heat on the bit when I retract - which is every 1/8 to 1/4" - I cool things down. It may take 15 - 20 minutes - or longer to drill a blank - so what. That is just my way of doing it.

 

[randyrls]

I always test the brass tube in the hole before I remove the blank from the vise. I also mark the blank so I can return it to the vise I didn't drill it properly. I find that many times the drill bit specified isn't the one that produces the best fit. The video is correct that the same bit will drill a larger hole in acrylic than wood.