problems with drilling my blanks...

[Dutra]

Is it normal for the hole drilled in a blank to wander? Some of mine do and some don't. I have been using a 7mm colt drill bit and it works good other than the wandering.

Also, on my drill press i can only drill a blank that is 2 and 1/4 inches, which is fine for the slimelines ive been doing, but id like to do some pen kits that have a sinlge tube and the blanks really wont fit under the bit and still drill throught the hole way. I know there are drill presses with cranks to make the table go up, but i dont have one...:frown:

... so am i just stuck with slimlines until iI fork out the cash for a better press?

(sorry for being so long winded)

 

[renowb]

Do it on the lathe

 

[Akula]

keep the hole clean

I'm not sure what your talking about on the longer blanks. If they will fit, you could drill like you do your slimlines, then remove and put a scrap block under then go back into the blank and drill

get the stuff and drill on the lathe

 

[Dutra]

ok thanks!

 

[Russianwolf]

wandering can be cause by several things.

1) if the wood you are drilling is cut on an angle. the drill will want to follow the path of least resistance as much as it can. So it will try to follow the grain as much as the runout of the quill will allow.

2) if the bit is slightly dull, one flute will start cutting faster than the other and allows the bit to start going in that direction again.

you can mitigate this somewhat by drilling a pilot hole with a smaller bit and coming back to drill the final hole with your regular bit. Depending on the material, I may drill the pilot and enlarge it three or four times before drilling the final hole.

This may seem slow, and when you are working on a $2 blank it may be tedious. When you are working on a $100 blank, slow and tedious is good.

 

[terryf]

Wandering usually happens on acrylics when they get too hot!

If you want to drill through a 4 or 5 inch blank, use a small mobile vice and clamp it onto the base plate of your press, once your quill travel has been reached, loosen the base table but leave the clamps in place and move the hole lot upwards. The drill bit should enter the hole cleanly. Tighten the base plate and continue drilling.

 

[ctubbs]

Dutra, drilling on your lathe should be more accurate. You will need some kind of chuck to hold the blank and a Jacobs chuck for the tail stock to hold your drill bit. The Jacobs chuck can be found at Harbor Freight on a #1 or #2 taper. You will need to know which you need for your lathe. For a chuck to hold the blank, you will need either a scroll or collet chuck. My preference is the scroll for two reasons; 1) It will hold other things for turning, bowls, spindles, legs 2)the collet chuck must have the blank turned round before being inserted into the collet. As always, this is just my $0.02 and your millage will vary.
Charles

 

[JRay8]

If you need an inexpensive press I am really happy with my Ryobi 12" bench top press from home depot. it has all the same features as a floor model only its shorter. it has 3" spindle travel and costs about $170. it even has laser sighting.