Question on Drilling

[bluesky]

I have been having a problem drilling the larger holes in blanks. When using a drill press the end of the hole at the top (first drill entry) seems to end up larger than the hole at the bottom of the blank. The drill bit seems to ream a larger hole because it is in this portion of the blank longer. Consequently, when I glue in a tube one end fits fairly well while the other is very loose and I ususally have to fill in the gap with CA glue. Any suggestions?

David

 

[Dario]

Start entering the blank slowly...if the bit "drifts" at entry this may happen. Usual culprit is dull bit.

Another usual cause is improperly mounted bit. A wobbly bit can wreck havoc to your holes.

 

[randbcrafts]

I had the same problem too for a while. I have since started drilling the larger holes using my lathe and a Supernova II lathe chuck and and havent had much of a problem since. It works great at keeping the hole centered throughout the whole blank. If you don't have that option you might try sharpening the bit that you are using and making sure that the piece is securely clamped down to the press. I beleive the problem comes from the blank moving around while drilling. I'm sure others here have a lot more knowledge and experience than me and can help you out more if those ideas don't work. Good luck.

 

[vbatwork]

For me, the answer was to clamp the blank in a jig to the drill press table. I didn't have a steady enough hand to hold the jig/blank still as you may have seen done. I also have a nice new drill bit (Norseman) from BB thats doing a super job on El Grande blanks. I seem to get really nice consistant holes now. My only complaint would be my home made jig/clamp setup...its tough to make sure everything is aligned on each blank. I'm on the list for a Paul Huffman vice which I think will make that easier.

- John