Over size drill size?

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

If I am going to make some cigar pens with Bill B's hardware and the wood has a tendency to split. I know I can use Poly glue and drill the hole a little over size. What drill should I use?

 

[Dario]

The next size to 10mm (0.3937") is the "X" bit (0.3970"). Not sure where you can get it though. 13/32" (0.4062") might be too big.

Why not try to drill with 10mm and if you want to have a bit of play, run a rounded file through the hole? I use the one I use to sharpen my chainsaw...works very well [].

 

[ctEaglesc]

Don't know about exact bit size, mine are so chewed up that I can't read the numbers.
I take the butt end of the bit and put it next to the tubeIf it slides into the tube that's a dead give aawy the bit is too small.I keep trying different bits until I am comfortable with the "feel" of teh difference between my fingers .
The tube and the bit.
The more I "measure" the more chance of a mistake I can make.
One tip you might stry is dripping thin CA inside teh blank after you drill it and then run the drill throughthat hole after it has droed.
Kind of like stabilizing from the inside out.
I use only thick CA for the tubes and don't have many problems.I do "scuff" them on my bench sander.
There used to be a video or a web site explaining that but I haven't been able to find it.

 

[vick]

Get a cheap drill press and use the correct bit. The hole should be plenty oversized[]

 

[Old Griz]

Let's go in a different direction here and try to find out why the wood is splitting so that you can use the 10mm bit....
1. What kind of wood are you drilling
2. What speed are you drilling at
3. What type of drill bit are you using... bradpoint, splitpoint, bulletpoint
4. When is the splitting occuring

I have made a whole load of cigars from all kinds of wood and acrylics and have yet to split a blank, unless I did something I was not supposed to.

 

[DCBluesman]

I use the 10mm bit, Mac. You'll have enough room for the poly to expand and set up properly.

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

Tom, Say snakewood or ebony and buffalo horn, all known for splitting no matter what you do. Speed, moderate. Type of drill bit will depend on size and what can reasonably be had in that size. How long before splitting, two days to two months after the pen is assembled.

 

[Old Griz]

Originally posted by Mac In Oak Ridge
<br />Tom, Say snakewood or ebony and buffalo horn, all known for splitting no matter what you do. Speed, moderate. Type of drill bit will depend on size and what can reasonably be had in that size. How long before splitting, two days to two months after the pen is assembled.

Have done all but the snakewood so far... with no splitting...
The splitting problems you are having are after the pen is assembled so I doubt very much it has to do with your drilling unless you are heating up the blank too much when drilling... I always drill materials like that at slow speed, clearing the bit every 1/4-3/8". The ebony and buffalo horn are heat sensitive, you need to drill them in a way to keep them cool. I always use brad point bits... CSU now has a nice set from 1/8-1/2" in 1/64" increments for about $30 a good buy... I have a similar set and love them.
I would venture to say your splitting problems stem from one of a couple of sources...
Snakewook - notorious for splitting no matter what anyone has done.. do a search on site for the various "tricks and ideas" that have been discussed, I do not have first hand knowledge on this yet

Ebony and buffalo horn - very heat sensitive. DO NOT use friction polish on these items. You are asking for them to split... in fact on ebony and horn I generally just sand to 12000MM followed by plastic polish and leave it at that...
Agressive sanding will build up heat and cause cracking on these.
Another trick is to sand the insides of the tubes after turning so that instead of a hard press fit you have a fit that needs just a drop of CA to hold the parts in place.. this should also eliminate an internal pressure on the material that might cause cracking.
This is about all I can tell you based on what you have said... I hope it helps and please remember these are only based on my personal experience... it is not gospel...
But also remember.. this craft is not rocket science...

 

[Fred in NC]

I totally agree with Tom. Keep ebony from heating at all costs. I use PolyCrylic to finish my ebony pens, and it seems to hold the wood together.

 

[Dario]

Mac,

To some degree, I am in the same line of thinking as you. I will be working on a snakeskin this week too...challenged by all the "crack" stories. my plan is to make the hole a bit bigger and use gorilla glue. Hopefully it will give some cushion if the wood shrinks a bit.

The reason I haven't started yet is I am "seasoning" the wood for more than a week now. My tool is the microwave [][]. My only blank (the other one is cracked when it arrived) has been through so many cycles and hopefully have dried enough. If only I can decide what kit to use on it [].

Good luck!!!

 

[Fangar]

Snakeskin seems to have a very fiborous grain as it dries out. I did that Snakeskin a while back and we all remember that the cap cracked. The body of the pen (Baron) is still intact. Looking closely at the body, there are small fissures in the grain in areas. They don't appear to be cracks, just fine lines that follow the grain. The CA finish I used did not crack. I just made a new cap for it out of black acrylic after trying about 4 different contrasting woods. For some reason, people really like the wood / plastic combos in my neck of the woods... uh or plastics. [] A Nice contrast.

I have two more Snakewood blanks. I will try and try again. I think the press fit was what got my cap. I will likely use the method Griz mentioned when pressing the next one.

Cheers,

Fangar