Question on the drill chuck.

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Fay Prozora

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My drill chuck came today and I have the pen blank in the chuck on the head stock and the drill chuck in the tail stock with the bit in it. I tried to drill the hole and it was a no go. Do I turn the wheel on the tail stock or just move it to the wood. Only the wood is turning and the drill bit is not. Am I doing this right? there are no instructions for this that I can find. Thanks Fay
 
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monophoto

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That's the right setup. Lock down the tailstock to the bed but not the quill. Turn the wheel to advance the bit.

Hold the chuck as you are winding it out!!!!!!!


Fay - Dan's suggestions are very good. My one addition is that it is really helpful to hold the chuck with your left hand the entire time you are drilling.

The chuck is held in the tail stock by the morse taper. When the drill bit bites into the spinning wood, the wood will put a torque on the drill chuck that can cause the taper to slip, with the result that the drill chuck spins along with the wood. Holding the chuck while drilling will keep that from happening.

As Dan said, you must also hold the chuck when backing the bit out of the spinning wood. Again, the issue is that the chuck is held in the tail stock by the morse taper, and if you don't hold the chuck, reversing the tail stock ram can cause the taper to uncouple, leaving the bit in the wood and the drill chuck suspended in mid-air.
 

Fay Prozora

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Happy dance,, happy dance,,, It worked! I did hold the drill chuck both while drilling and backing out but to keep my fingers away from the bit. First I measured to find the center and then used an awl and a mallet to mark where the bit will enter and it worked. Only thing is the bit did not go all the way through so I turned off the lathe and then put the bit in the hole just a little way and move the tail stock up a little more and then locked it down and let her rip and it worked real well. I just love it...Thank you every one for all the help. I really appreciate it... Fay
 

Dan Masshardt

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Oh Fay, forgot to say, and I don't know if you did this or not - back the bit all the way back out fairly frequently while drilling. You do not want the shavings getting compacted in there and producing more heat and possibly stalling the blank.

I wind the tailstock quill back a little but every time or every other time I pull the bit out. I don't wait until it bottoms out.
 

Fay Prozora

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Yes, I did that .. I find it that the drill will go in better too not to mention that when you go and back out every now and then it cleans out some of the wood or acrylic, what ever you are working with. I saw a vid just now about turning the pen blank around to drill on the other end if the bit doesn't go all the way through. I had no idea I was going to get good straight holes drilled on the lathe. The more I learn the more I love it.. Thank you again every one... Fay
 

monophoto

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Fay

Glad to see it worked for you.

There are two big problems when drilling on the lathe - one is heat, and the other is keeping the hole centered. And they are related.

If you drill too fast, or as Dan mentioned, you fail to back the bit out periodically to remove the swarf, you will get friction that causes heat. And heat can destroy a blank - the excess heat causes residual moisture in the wood to flash into steam, expanding rapidly and cracking the wood.

The centering problem comes about because you are drilling wood, and wood has grain. The grain reflects the annual growth cycle of the tree - winter (slow growth = harder wood) versus summer (fast growth = softer wood). The drill bit will naturally want to follow the softer wood. Obviously, that tendency is more of a problem if the hole you are drilling is very small so that the drill bit is more flexible. I've never had a problem with a 7mm pen bit, but this is a perpetual headache with the 5/32" bit used to make '12 cent' pens using Bic refills.

The secrets to overcoming both problems are:
1. Drill far enough to fill the flutes in the bit with swarf, and then back the bit out and clean it off. How far that is depends on the size of the bit - with small bits, those flutes are very small so it's not very far - DAMHIKT.
2. Advance the bit into the wood very slowly. Allow the rotation of the wood against the bit to cut the wood ahead of its travel - if you force the bit in too fast, it is more likely to veer off course into soft grain.
3. There is a 'sweet spot' in rotational speed. Too slow and you can stall the motor. Too fast and the friction between the bit and the wood causes too much heat. The perfect speed is fast enough that the edge of the bit has a chance to cut the wood as fast - or faster - than the bit advances into the wood.
4. If you are using a small bit and are not going to be gluing something into the hole, putting a lubricant in the hole helps. I've seen recommendations for both BLO and mineral oil - I keep a block of ordinary canning paraffin next to the lathe that I used to lubricate the bit. But again - DON'T DO THIS IF YOU PLAN TO GLUE SOMETHING IN THE HOLE! Also, be aware that using a lubricant causes the swarf to clump into a hard mass, so clearing the swarf is much more important.
5. Use sharp bits. A Drill Doctor would be nice to have (I don't have one), but you can do a decent job tuning up you bits with a diamond hone.

Jim suggested using a center bit. That's a great idea, but there are things you can do that accomplish the same thing. Basically, a center bit is a heavy (inflexible) bit with a very small tip that is use to start the hole. You are effectively doing the same thing when you start the hole with an awl.

You can also drill a pilot hole. That's just a small hole that you drill first so that the final drill has a path to follow into the wood. The problem with drilling a small pilot hole is that small bits are flexible and can be diverted off center by that hard wood/soft wood issue. I find that putting the pilot hole bit as far into the chuck as possible so that I have the shortest extension of the bit minimizes the tendency to wander. Once you get that pilot hole started, the hole itself will help the bit remain on axis provided you have the rotational speed and quill advance speeds right. If you plan to drill with a brad point, forstner or spade bit, the pilot hole MUST be very small relative to the size of the tip of the bit.

The other challenge is forcing the bit to start where you want it to and not skate across the wood. Using an awl to start the hole is one solution. Center drills and pilot drills also work. Brad-point bits tend to drill where you want them to if you mark the location with an awl. The same is true of both forstner bits and spade bits.
 

Fay Prozora

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I drilled another pen blank this morning and it was fine and I can't get over how much better the holes are. I use a 7mm bit for my slim line pens. I saw a vid last night about some of these things you all are talking about and will keep an old bottle brush on hand for cleaning out the wood residue from the drilling . The man in the video cleaned his out with the old bottle brush and it did a great job with out having to put any thing in the hole other than the brass tube. I think pipe cleaners might help too. I do go slow and so far I have been doing great with this... I just love that drill chuck. Thank you every one for all the help and answers to my questions... Fay
 

TonyL

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Drill Chuck Safety Question

That's the right setup. Lock down the tailstock to the bed but not the quill. Turn the wheel to advance the bit.

Hold the chuck as you are winding it out!!!!!!!


Hi Dan:

When you say, "winding it out", do you mean when withdrawing/removing the bit from the barrel/hole?

I think that is what you mean.

Do you also hold the chuck when it is making the hole?

Thank you.
 

monophoto

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Both - you should hold the chuck with your hand while drilling AND also when withdrawing the bit from the workpiece.

When you are drilling, the spinning wood imposes a torque on the bit and chuck. This torque can cause the morse taper fixing to slip. Holding the chuck while drilling keeps that from happening, and also helps absorb vibration that can cause the bit to wander off center.

When you are withdrawing the bit from the workpiece, you are imposing a force on the chuck that attempts to pull it out of the morse taper in the tailstock. Holding the chuck prevents that from happening. Also, the tailstock ram on my lathe gets stiff when it encounters resistance , and I find that if I hold the chuck, I can apply a force TOWARD the tailstock that helps make makes it easier to back the ram out.
 

TonyL

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Thanks! I have experienced both dynamics despite ensuring that the chuck was very secure in the tail stock after each penetration. I know wearing gloves is often frowned upon for all of the reasons that we are aware of. However, I may wear a snug fitting glove on my right (tail stock) hand to perform this. Thank you again.
 

larryc

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Thanks! I have experienced both dynamics despite ensuring that the chuck was very secure in the tail stock after each penetration. I know wearing gloves is often frowned upon for all of the reasons that we are aware of. However, I may wear a snug fitting glove on my right (tail stock) hand to perform this. Thank you again.

No you want to wear the glove on your left hand (and I don't recommend that you wear any glove) because you are using your right hand to guide the tailstock in and out. A glove is really not necessary if you keep a tight grip on the chuck.
 

monophoto

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If you grip the chuck before turning on the lathe, you can easily hold it while drilling or backing out the tailstock ram - no glove is required to protect your hand.

However, if you start the lathe and the chuck starts spinning, then grasping the chuck to stop in can cause minor hand scratches.
 

TonyL

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Thank you both. I can buy two more blanks with the money I saved on gloves and not compromise my safety. Thank you!
 
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