drilling blanks with a bench top drill press

[chartle]

My press has about the minimum travel you can get.

Any tips on how to get all the way through? With the long drill bits I can't use the table and have to start on the base. So I go as far as I can go and then have to lift up the drill guide and then slide scraps underneath and try to finish the hole.

Note I dont have the space or the need for another drill press.

 

[jttheclockman]

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f14/need-more-travel-drill-pen-blanks-127972/

 

[its_virgil]

Drilling on your lathe is you best option. Using a spacer to raise your dlank holding vice after initial drilling is another easy option. I drilled with a bench top drill press with to little travel for 4 years. Drilling on the lathe is a great way to drill pen blanks

Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[chartle]

Yea this would be great but I've already invested too much in this hobby that I started just to do some graduation presents.

Right taper and threads. PenPal Drilling Chuck Accessory Set at Penn State Industries

 

[Edgar]

You can actually get started with drilling on the lathe a lot cheaper than that. Harbor Freight sells a tang-style drill chuck like that for $15 regular price. Sometimes you can find it on sale & also use a discount coupon to get the cost down to $10 or so. Get two of them - one to hold the drill bit in the tail stock and one to hold the blank in the head stock. You will need to first mount the blank between centers and turn a short tenon on one end to fit the chuck.

You can add to your lathe drilling arsenal as you can afford better tools, but this would be an inexpensive alternative to get started. You can also post a want ad to the Deals, Trades, Gifts & Wants forum to see if someone might have some extra lathe drilling chucks at a reasonable price.

As I'm sure you are finding out, this is not a cheap hobby. Welcome to the vortex & have fun.

Edgar

 

[jttheclockman]

Yea this would be great but I've already invested too much in this hobby that I started just to do some graduation presents.

Right taper and threads. PenPal Drilling Chuck Accessory Set at Penn State Industries

Your answer is in the link I gave you Ed tells you how.

For future though that pen drilling chuck set that is linked is money well spent. So much can be done with it if you are truely into pen making or other small lathe projects.

 

[Neededwill]

Cliff I have a pen pal drilling Chuck set like you showed that I bought a month ago. But drilling on the lathe is not working out for me too well so you can get it half price plus shipping from me if you like. For a mt1 though.

 

[chartle]

Cliff I have a pen pal drilling Chuck set like you showed that I bought a month ago. But drilling on the lathe is not working out for me too well so you can get it half price plus shipping from me if you like. For a mt1 though.

How's it not Working out?

 

[chartle]

Oh and I have improved my drilling a bit but only with long pen bits. Its when I use my shorter fractional bits I have an issue. Gonna have to buy real bits I guess.

 

[Neededwill]

I think it's more my lathe tail stock which has a very small amount of travel when locking down. So the bit seems to wobble a little can never seem to get it locked exactly straight. HF lathe but works for what little I turn. Tried a couple things but it just doesn't seem to work. So I still use my drill press.

 

[JimB]

You can actually get started with drilling on the lathe a lot cheaper than that. Harbor Freight sells a tang-style drill chuck like that for $15 regular price. Sometimes you can find it on sale & also use a discount coupon to get the cost down to $10 or so. Get two of them - one to hold the drill bit in the tail stock and one to hold the blank in the head stock. You will need to first mount the blank between centers and turn a short tenon on one end to fit the chuck.

You can add to your lathe drilling arsenal as you can afford better tools, but this would be an inexpensive alternative to get started. You can also post a want ad to the Deals, Trades, Gifts & Wants forum to see if someone might have some extra lathe drilling chucks at a reasonable price.

As I'm sure you are finding out, this is not a cheap hobby. Welcome to the vortex & have fun.

Edgar

I have that drill chuck from HF and it works great. I've had it for years and use it to drill up to it's capacity of 1/2 inch. It's a great deal.

 

[chartle]

I think it's more my lathe tail stock which has a very small amount of travel when locking down. So the bit seems to wobble a little can never seem to get it locked exactly straight. HF lathe but works for what little I turn. Tried a couple things but it just doesn't seem to work. So I still use my drill press.

Well I probably have the exact same HF lathe since they only have one that uses the mt 1.

 

[Rockytime]

I think it's more my lathe tail stock which has a very small amount of travel when locking down. So the bit seems to wobble a little can never seem to get it locked exactly straight. HF lathe but works for what little I turn. Tried a couple things but it just doesn't seem to work. So I still use my drill press.

If I understand your problem correctly, starting the hole with the drill bit will cause the bit to wander a little. Start the hole with a spotting bit or sometimes called a centering bit. They are cheap. They are short and stout so they will not wander. Then use your regular bit and it should drill straight. Make sure your tailstock is clamped tight and use the ram to do the drilling. Wen you have drilled as far as you can mpove the tailstock forward and continue drilling.

 

[Edgar]

I think it's more my lathe tail stock which has a very small amount of travel when locking down. So the bit seems to wobble a little can never seem to get it locked exactly straight. HF lathe but works for what little I turn. Tried a couple things but it just doesn't seem to work. So I still use my drill press.

Well I probably have the exact same HF lathe since they only have one that uses the mt 1.

Actually, HF sells both an MT1 and an MT2 lathe.

I have an MT2 that I bought from Rockler, but HF has that exact same lathe - just in a different color & under their own name.

 

[chartle]

Mine is mt1

 

[csr67]

Mine is mt1

I too had the HF MT1 lathe, and drilling on it gave me lots of trouble. The tail stock moved a bit even when locked down, and I'd get out of round holes. Since upgrading to a Rikon lathe I've had zero issues drilling on the lathe.

 

[chartle]

Mine is mt1

I too had the HF MT1 lathe, and drilling on it gave me lots of trouble. The tail stock moved a bit even when locked down, and I'd get out of round holes. Since upgrading to a Rikon lathe I've had zero issues drilling on the lathe.

Ok I now realize that If I use "real" pen long drill bits I can start the hole and get most of the way and then pull the bit out a bit from the chuck to complete the hole. Without moving the piece up.

My issue is when I'm not using a long bit the only real solution is to move the blank. Right now I only have a 7 mm long drill bit and I'm mostly doing slim lines and euros both using that bit. So for other kits, I'll just deal with it and if I make a lot of certain other type get the longer bit.

thanks

 

[chartle]

Also this was a bit of a panic, getting discouraged post, I needed to make a gift pen for my son with a deadline and after a half dozen or successes things started to go south.

Since then I have regrouped and kind of back on track I drilled a set of blanks last night with my improved homemade improved blank drilling jig and I was pretty spot on. I'm only about 2 or 3 mm off center at the other side of the blank.

Well off to my new adventure of turning something new, Black Palm, which I'm not even sure its wood. I've read the precautions mostly to hit it with CA before final sanding.

Wish me luck.

 

[JimB]

Also this was a bit of a panic, getting discouraged post, I needed to make a gift pen for my son with a deadline and after a half dozen or successes things started to go south.

Since then I have regrouped and kind of back on track I drilled a set of blanks last night with my improved homemade improved blank drilling jig and I was pretty spot on. I'm only about 2 or 3 mm off center at the other side of the blank.

Well off to my new adventure of turning something new, Black Palm, which I'm not even sure its wood. I've read the precautions mostly to hit it with CA before final sanding.

Wish me luck.

Being off center at the other end of the blank doesn't matter unless you are doing something that requires exact center such as a segmented blank. Otherwise, you are going to square the blank to the tube/hole anyway so off center makes no difference.

 

[KenV]

"Well off to my new adventure of turning something new, Black Palm, which I'm not even sure its wood. I've read the precautions mostly to hit it with CA before final sanding. "

Be prepared to have a steep learning climb with turning palm. Allow yourself some failures with it as you learn.

I like it, but it is more like turning as handfull of porcupine quills. Patience, thin CA glue, and sharp tools with shearing cuts working down hill give me best success. I like the outcome so I keep turning it.

Good place to have scary sharp skew and a light touch. Flat top carbide tools likely will not be your most successful choice.

 

[wyone]

Black palm is NOT something to try when you are having a bad time.. At least not for me. I have had WAY more failures on black palm than any other wood. A lot is ME I know, but still.. I think one of the most difficult I have turned.

 

[chartle]

Black palm is NOT something to try when you are having a bad time.. At least not for me. I have had WAY more failures on black palm than any other wood. A lot is ME I know, but still.. I think one of the most difficult I have turned.

Tell me about it

I would have rather shaved a ferret. :cat:

 

[KenV]

Never shaved a ferret --- or been around one. Must have been an interesting eperience.

 

[chartle]

Never shaved a ferret --- or been around one. Must have been an interesting eperience.

You know in the end someone's going to get hurt

 

[Kragax]

There has to be some place out the to get mt2 chuck that us poor guys can afford. I have been looking quite a while. I thought I had a winner at HF but it was MT1. If anyone sees or knows of one would you Please let me know?

 

[JimB]

There has to be some place out the to get mt2 chuck that us poor guys can afford. I have been looking quite a while. I thought I had a winner at HF but it was MT1. If anyone sees or knows of one would you Please let me know?

HF has an MT2 drill chuck (Jacobs chuck) for the lathe. I have one from them. Item 42340.

 

[Kragax]

I found the Jacobs chuck. I meant a chuck to hold the blank at the headstock. They are all kinda pricey for a fixed income.