Drilling tulip wood

[dalemcginnis]

Tonight I drilled a couple of tulip wood blanks. I was drilling a 15mm hole with a new brad point bit. As soon as the bit started cutting into the wood I got a lot of steam and I had to use a lot of pressure to drill. I took a lot of very short bites clearing the bit often and even got a spray bottle and kept spraying the bit and wood as I drilled. Still the bit and wood got very hot. I was able to drill the wood successfully, but when I was done even the outside of the blank was very warm and the drill bit has some dark spots like it overheated.
Is this normal for this type of wood or was it because I was trying to drill such a large hole?

 

[hrigg]

I'd guess size of the hole and the speed of your drill press. I've done a few tulipwood pens and never had that problem, but the holes were half that size.

 

[dalemcginnis]

I started at 620rpm but was having to press so hard I thought a faster speed might work better even though there was the risk of even more heat from the higher speed. I moved it up to 1720rpm and it did drill easier. Amount of steam seamed to stay about the same.

 

[gerryr]

My question is where did you get the drill bit. I recently got a brad point bit from PSI and had exactly the same experience drilling a piece of wood. The worthless thing is totally dull.

 

[Pipes]

I never had a problem with the 5 or 6 Tulip wood blanks I have drilled . I drill all wood at HI speed thou and never use a brad point I had to many blanks FAIL using them I use reg bits and split the points . I do back my bits out a LOT to clear them and cool the blank and bits with air . []

 

[Dario]

Not sure but I would NEVER spray anything while drilling wood...especially water. Spray is okay with acrylics, etc.

Sounds like a dull bit to me.

 

[txbob]

If you got steam, and not smoke, I'd say the tulipwood was way too wet, and needs to dry for a year or so. If what you got was smoke, the drill bit is dull.

txbob

 

[Rifleman1776]

I'll echo the wet wood theory. Probably not the type of wood so much as moisture content. Steam is moisture. I'm puzzled why you added more moisture. All drilling creates heat. A dull drill bit will exacerbate the situation also. With a really soft wood, like tulip, if that problem presented itself, I would have stopped immediately and given the drill bit a sharpening. Your initial slower speed is the most appropriate.

 

[dalemcginnis]

As I said the bit was new, first time I used it. Got it from my local Rockler store and never had any trouble with any of their other bits. I had never worked with tulip wood before and did not know it was a soft wood. With the difficulty I had drilling I thought it was a hard wood and did not think about the possibility that a new bit might be dull straight out of the package.
I do not believe the wood was green so it was probably smoke not steam I saw (white). As for spraying with water, the bit was getting very hot and I was doing what I could to keep it cool. I do not normally spray anything when I am drilling wood. It did drill better at the higher speed though and I could find no damage to the blanks from it so I guess, no harm no foul.

 

[mrcook4570]

New bits are not always sharp bits.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Whatever works for you. Unless you could smell burning, white means steam. And, as stated, new doesn't mean sharp or properly sharpened.

 

[ctwxlvr]

It can be steam from moist wood, and would be consistent with a dull bit, especially with a low speed starting the hole.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Originally posted by Rifleman1776
<br />I'll echo the wet wood theory. Probably not the type of wood so much as moisture content. Steam is moisture. I'm puzzled why you added more moisture. All drilling creates heat. A dull drill bit will exacerbate the situation also. With a really soft wood, like tulip, if that problem presented itself, I would have stopped immediately and given the drill bit a sharpening. Your initial slower speed is the most appropriate.

I believe he is talking about the Tulipwood of the rosewood family, which is close to woods like Cocobolo and has a smell like tulips when working it. This wood is a bit oily, quite hard and should cut and drill like butter with a SHARP tool, drill bit etc.
The tulipwood you are talking about is a type of poplar.

 

[woodwish]

If it's the tulip wood of the rosewood family is also very fiberous and stringy, which makes it hard to drill from end grain. I bought some to make kaliedoscopes with and it is a pain to drill compared to most other woods I use. Also takes REALLY sharp tools to turn successfully.