They are not perpendicular

[Drcal]

What causes the hole in a pen blank to end up being at an angle---not pependiculwar to the drill press table?

I use a good pen drilling vise and have never had this problem until today when I drilled holes with a bit I had not used in a long time-- a 10mm for a Cigar pen. I mostly turn Sierras and the hole is always straight and perpendicular to the drill press table. Could it be the bit? It looks straight. I even remounted it in the chuck several times to make sure it was straight and even.

Any ideas?

Carmen

 

[Pens By Scott]

Great question! For me (still a newbie) I find that either I am "pushing" to hard as I drill, or not clearing the sawdust out as much as I probably should. Also, I believe that heat may play a factor, drill bit sharpness and the wood in general.

I have heard, and likely some of the more experienced makers here will comment, that using a drilling on the lathe prevents a fair bit of "wander". I am currently saving my pennies to buy a chuck and drill chuck for my lather to test this out.

 

[mredburn]

You can check to see if the drill bit is bent by putting a square up against the bit and slowly spinning the bit by hand. Do not turn the drill press on. IF you lift the drill bit off the table and put a piece of plywood under it with a pencil dot under the center of the bit you can see if the tip is wandering. 1 side of the drill bit may be sharper than the other. This will cause the bit to travel off as you drill. Wood blanks can be softer in one spot than another causeing the bit to wander if its half in a knot and the other half in softer material.

 

[jimm1]

Grain can cause this. So can dull bits. Try drilling at a slower speed and certainly plunge the bit into the blank slower.

 

[workinforwood]

Don't drill your blanks at noon...do it at midnight. At noon, the sun is directly overhead, causing the g-force of the planet to double, and in the summer time it triples, thus pulling the bit off to the side. :biggrin:

really though..could be a bent bit, more likely the bit is getting dull. then there's the grain issues and speed issues that also can cause it...as already mentioned. Happens to me once in a while, but usually not enough to matter much. Slowing down the bit and plunging in and out gently seems to help me a lot.

 

[IPD_Mrs]

Don't drill your blanks at noon...do it at midnight. At noon, the sun is directly overhead, causing the g-force of the planet to double, and in the summer time it triples, thus pulling the bit off to the side. :biggrin:

Talk about bent! :devil:

 

[CREID]

Don't drill your blanks at noon...do it at midnight. At noon, the sun is directly overhead, causing the g-force of the planet to double, and in the summer time it triples, thus pulling the bit off to the side. :biggrin:

If you drill it when there is a full moon, you're guaranteed a perfect hole!
:tongue:

 

[el_d]

I have had the problem with also.

My problem was a dull bit and a loose table.

I raised my DP table to accommodate the different bits and hadn't always tightened it up completely after set up. The dull bit caused extra "downward force" on the blank causing the loose table to flex a bit. I have a small benchtop ryobi that isn't that strong to begin with and the extra force would always cause the table to give a bit.
Now I tighten the table and place a " brace" underneath. It's helped....

 

[Paladin]

question...

Don't drill your blanks at noon...do it at midnight. At noon, the sun is directly overhead, causing the g-force of the planet to double, and in the summer time it triples, thus pulling the bit off to the side. :biggrin:

Doesn't this depend on whether you are in the Northern vs. Southern hemisphere? Close to the Equater vs. close to the poles?

Just wondering...

 

[THarvey]

Don't drill your blanks at noon...do it at midnight. At noon, the sun is directly overhead, causing the g-force of the planet to double, and in the summer time it triples, thus pulling the bit off to the side. :biggrin:

This if must be how you drill one of Jeff's scroll saw blanks. Cause with those you darn sure better be squared, centered and straight. They're worth it. His blanks make beautiful pens. :biggrin:


Regarding the drill: if you hole is straight, but just not perpendicular to the table, your bit may have a small burr causing it to grab the fibre of the blank.

 

[ctubbs]

The table may not be square to the chuck. Get a piece of coat hanger and bend it into an offset. chuck one end in the chuck and let the other end barely touch the table. By hand, with the drill press off and unplugged, rotate the chuck. if the table is square to the chuck, the wire will just touch the table all the way around. If it drags, that side is too close. If the wire lifts off the table completely, then that area of table is too low and must be adjusted. Not my idea, I stole it somewhere and forgot where, but it works every time.
Charles