New guy needs help drilling holes on lathe

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Dan Bostian

Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2011
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2
Location
Rio Rancho New Mexico
I am trying to figure out how to drill holes in a pen blank on my lathe.

I have a delta 46-460 lathe and the barracuda 3 chuck kit. I also have a drill chuck. Will any of the jaws from the barracuda chuck hold the blank? Do I drill a full length blank or cut it to fit the tubes and then drill it?

There is no where locally to take classes and no clubs I can locate to help out.

I am a Scroll saw guy trying something new. What a difference between the two. For scrolling you buy a saw some wood and go to work. For the lathe work I haven't turned a thing yet and my credit card is already melting!

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
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This article from the library might help.

I use my lathe to drill blanks that are still square, or sometimes turn round first.

Tom
 
Last edited:
lol. yeah there are a few "Hidden Costs" to turning.
The barracuda should hold the blank just fine. Not necessarily dead center depending on how square your blank is. any jaws that will get a good solid hold on it. I am thinking of stepped jaws but not sure what they are called on the barracuda specifically. I use pin jaws with my Nova chuck and they work fine as well.

I cut my blanks then drill even if I am drilling on a drill press. No real reason just the way I learned to do it and often the upper and lower half have different sized holes anyway.

The rules concerning plastics or any other materials prone to chipping out apply. do not drill all the way through the end but make the blank long then cut the end off to expose the hole. some materials simply will not tolerate the forces from the bit exiting regardless of how you go about drilling it.
 
Cut your blanks to rough size approx 1/8 in longer than your tubes or finished length before drilling and drill from the center (Where the blank was cut) outwards this helps to ensure grains match.
Reasons for cutting the blanks first:
1. Most drill bits are not long enough to make it through the entire length of the blank.
2. The longer the bit the less your accuracy.
 
TerryDowning said:
Cut your blanks to rough size approx 1/8 in longer than your tubes or finished length before drilling and drill from the center (Where the blank was cut) outwards this helps to ensure grains match.
Reasons for cutting the blanks first:
1. Most drill bits are not long enough to make it through the entire length of the blank.
2. The longer the bit the less your accuracy.
Click to expand...
3. Sooner or later you will have pen kits that have different hole sizes for barrel and cap, so cutting the blank first makes sense.

Tom
 
TomW said:
TerryDowning said:
Cut your blanks to rough size approx 1/8 in longer than your tubes or finished length before drilling and drill from the center (Where the blank was cut) outwards this helps to ensure grains match.
Reasons for cutting the blanks first:
1. Most drill bits are not long enough to make it through the entire length of the blank.
2. The longer the bit the less your accuracy.
Click to expand...
3. Sooner or later you will have pen kits that have different hole sizes for barrel and cap, so cutting the blank first makes sense.

Tom
Click to expand...

4. It's hard to drill from the center if you don't cut the blank first.
 
As has already been stated cut first, Try the step jaws first as the pin jaws are probably too small. tighten them with the blank in place. Put your drill chuck into the tailstock to hold your drill bit, position it close to the end of your blank lock the tailstock in place. With the lathe spinning slowly advance the drill bit into the blank by extending the quill. A lathe can be like a boat "A hole in the water you pour money into) I speak from experience just ordered a fourth lathe last month. You may want to see if AAW (American Association of Woodworkers)has a local chapter in your area they may be able to help or a woodcraft store. The one here has been able to answer my questions. I wish they were around 40years ago when I started.
 
Dan Bostian said:
I am a Scroll saw guy trying something new. What a difference between the two. For scrolling you buy a saw some wood and go to work. For the lathe work I haven't turned a thing yet and my credit card is already melting!
Click to expand...

I was trying to decide between carving or turning for a fairly quiet wood related hobby. Based on my credit card, boy did I choose wrong :mad:
 
PSI has a dedicated chuck for drilling blanks. I have one and it works very well. Kind of expensive but it solves your problem. PSI P/N CSCPENCHK
 
Right now I'd be happy with just about any scroll chuck. I totally understand the money pit analogies. Unfortunately SWMBO doesn't always agree when a tool is needed versus wanted.
 
I saw they had those jaws and of course I must have bought the one Barracuda chuck that they don't fit on... I have a Barracuda 4. My main problem is that my drill press is too small to easily drill the blanks... I can do it but it's a hassle which involves turning the head of the drill press and turning the table out of the way to get the hole started and then turning everything back to finish the hole partly because the drill press isn't tall enough but also because it can only plunge 2".
 
Thank you so much for the help!

:biggrin:This forum is great. I have put myself on the waiting list at PSI for the pen chuck .

I was trying to figure out a way not to use a drill press to drill my blanks.
I am a disabled Vet and my motor skills are not what they used to be, Drilling with the lathe helping to centre the bit will be allot easier.
 
Lathe drilling vs. Drill Press

When I first started, I was drilling with my full sized drill press. I figured it was exactly the right tool for the job. But no matter how many jigs or techniques I used, I was simply unable to drill a perfectly centered hole (entry and exit) through my blanks. I do a lot of symmetrical inlays so a true and centered hole is very important to me.

I finally broke down and bought the attachments I needed for drilling on the lathe and my problems were solved. The process is a little cumbersome so it takes longer but in my opinion, it's the only way to go. Some people use a punch or a centering bit to start the hole but I found that using a chip carving knife (short, rigid, sharp point) on the end of the spinning blank works well to create a center divot and keep the bit from chattering on the initial plunge.
 
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