Drilling Blanks

[JeremyJ]

So I just got my kits to try in. I thought i would start with some slim lines. Now I have a question. If you don't have a drilling vise or a chuck on your lathe, what are some ideas to drill your blanks without a bunch of hassle.


Thanks

JJ

 

[NewLondon88]

You can make yourself a drilling jig with scrap wood. all you're looking to do is
make sure that the table is perpendicular to the drill bit, and then you want to
hold the blank perpendicular, too. You can make yourself a 90 degree corner to hold
the blank in, and as long as that stands up straight (all 90 degree angles) then
your blank will be straight. There's lots of different styles people have made. You
can probably find posts about drilling jigs if you do a search.

Sorry.. I forgot to mention that this advice assumes you have a drill press.

If your blank is longer than the quill travel, you can drill, stop and move up the
table for the rest of the drilling. If your quill travel is 2", that means you can
only drill 2" AT A TIME. But you can raise the table and drill deeper.

 

[jlord]

Do you have a drill press?

 

[JeremyJ]

Yes I have a drill press, I was curious on what kind of fixtures everyone uses.

 

[Sberger]

Even having a drill press sometimes does not do it. The quill travel will have to be over 2 inches for most blanks, and if not you can extend it a little by starting with the bit fully recessed in the chuck and then move it out a little to get a little more bite. Use a small low profile vise and a level to hold the blank plumb. Then use your drill press. Or, just burn $50 for a centering vise. Probably best choice if you plan on doing this very long.
Steve

 

[JimB]

I use the drill press vice from HF. It was less than $10.

 

[seawolf]

If you want to drill on the lathe HF has MT1 and MT2 jacobs chucks for about $20.00. You will also need a good lathe chuck.
Mark

 

[nava1uni]

You can use a wooden clamp to hold your blank upright and straight. Look in the library for suggestions. You can also make a blank holder with two pieces of wood hinged together, with a matching notch cut into the middle to hold the blank. When it is closed it holds the blank securely with it in the middle. Put a board underneath to protect the drill press table. I used something like this in the beginning and it worked well.

 

[sparhawk]

how about this

here it is