Drillin dowels

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clapiana

clapiana

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2011
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596
Location
Merrimack, New Hampshire
Any good jigs to drill a dowel vertical on a drill press? The dowel is usually 1" round by 6" tall and I am using a 1/2" bit. Holding it by hand didn't work well with the torque produced off the 1/2 bit. :)

I am using a hack....a piece of 2x4 with a 45deg notch cut into it nailed to a base that I clamp down and I use a clamp to hold the dowel to the 2x4 but I am hoping for something better.

What do you use which works well?
 
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navycop said:
Have you tried drilling on the lathe like a pen blank?
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Have you tried drilling on the drill press like you would a pen blank?

Lock it into your fave clamp and drill away. Drill like you would a Zen, except go an inch and 3/4 deeper.
 
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How about a DIY clamp? Drill a 7/8" hole in a couple inch long piece of board. Split the board in 1/2. Mount 1/2 half permanently to a base, clamp the base to your drill press, then use squeeze clamps to hold the other 1/2 to the 1st half. The hole being slightly undersized should hold your dowel pretty well... especially with a clamp near the top and one near the bottom?
 
thanks all for the input....

pinch jaws might work i need to look into getting a set of those and i would need to get a larger tailstock piece that would hold a 1/2" drill bit.

its faster for me on the drill press in that i dont have to tear down the setup on the lathe which i am using at the same time making other pieces.

my pen vice cant support large pieces

alphageek that is what i have now pretty much except i created a 45 deg cuts to capture the dowel. i dont use the 2nd piece but have been directly clamping the dowel to the section that is screwed to the base which is clamped to the dp table.
 
clapiana said:
alphageek that is what i have now pretty much except i created a 45 deg cuts to capture the dowel. i dont use the 2nd piece but have been directly clamping the dowel to the section that is screwed to the base which is clamped to the dp table.
Click to expand...

Is that not working well for you? I was under the impression you were having issues. The 45 degree way is ok but you only have 3 points of contact (2 on the piece and 1 on the clamp). If you size the hole right, you'll get much more contact between the clamps and the piece.
 
How about making a jig that has a wood block with a V cut in it attatched vertically to a flat piece clamped to the table. Making sure the V block is parallel to the quill and just use a c clamp to hold the work in. Easy in easy out!!!
 
Try a block of wood (like a 2" x 4") that has a hole bored into it that is the same size as the O.D. of your dowel. Then cut up the length of one side (with the grain) right to the hole to form a notch the width of the blade kerf. The table saw would make a nice kerf, but you might have to clean it up a bit. You can clamp it to your drill press table on the side of the jig without the relief cut. Now all you have to do is put your dowel in the hole and clamp the relief cut closed. It's a one piece jig with one clamp operable with one hand, and you have a MUCH larger contact surface!
 
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Use a the 4 jaw with the pin jaws. Drill 2" hole 1/2" deep in the center of a square piece of 2x12, then drill through with a 1" bit. Next using a short 1" bolt mount the 4 jaw on the 2x12. Next mount this on the drill press table. Center the jaws with the drill bit and clamp it down. It works better with tommy bar chucks, on the key chucks the table keeps getting in the way.
 
First, glue up a block to hold the dowel, about 4 inches thick should do it. I would plane a 2x4 then cut off a 6" length (or longer), then cut anther piece and glue up on one end. This will give you a flange that you can clamp to your drill press. Then on the glue-up section, center and drill a hole that matches the diameter of your dowel. You can drill all the way thru, but then you'll need to add another piece of stock over the opening to keep the dowel from dropping thru, so I'd not drill the last 1/4" or so. You can awlays screw a piece of scrap over the opening as a sacrificial plate. Now you have your jig. Center your jig on you drill chuck (use the drill bit as a centering pin), drop in you dowel, and drill out the dowel to whatever diameter you want. If the dowel is too long, then swing your table over and clamp your jig so that it hangs off the side of your table. You can create a different jig for whatever outer diameter dowel size you want. Using the matching drill bit as a centering pin when clamping jig to table.
 
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Add a couple strips of adhessive sand papar to your v-block, then recenter your setup. That may give you a little better hold on the dowel.
 
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Mack C. said:
clapiana said:
Sorry i didnt mention i want to crank out a bunch so it needs to be quick setup and tear down.
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I'm curious, what is it about the DP that makes the setup and tear down faster than the lathe?

That isn't my opinion, btw!
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I all ways drill on the lathe, but I bet you 10 to 1 I can beat you on a D/P any day of the week. Hands down D/P is way faster.

Lin.
 
clapiana said:
yes it is working but i was thinking maybe there was a better way to do this? good point i will look at updating my block which currently has the 45 deg cut.
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Go get a precision V block (steel) and hold it in your D/P vise. It will be perfect every time as long as the D/P bed is set right.

Lin.
 
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