Wall st. II drill issue

[emccarthy]

Recently, I made a couple of Wall St. II pens(sierra by another name), and following the instructions drilled my hole to 27/64 dia. I've found that by doing this, I get a lot of slop when I put the barrel in, and end up adding thick CA to fill the gap to ensure the barrel doesn't move on me. I'm not sure if this is a drill issue, or if the woodcraft barrels are smaller than they should be. IIRC, I checked the OD on them and came up with .409". Has anyone tried using a letter Z(.413") or a 10.5mm drill for these?

As far as my drilling, I used a standard carbide 27/64" drill, and used a bridgeport to drill the holes, plunging every quarter inch or so to keep the bit from walking.

 

[johnnycnc]

I use a "Z" drill exclusively for Sierra and Wall Street.
Fit is better for me.

 

[chrisk]

The problem you're referring to seems to be the rule. I found gaps up to 0.3 mm between some kits barrels and drill bits.

 

[emccarthy]

The fit with the O drill I used for the american classic was perfect - no slop, but not tight either. Once I run through the blanks I already drilled with the 27/64 bit, I'll switch over to the Z bit for sure.

Cheers

 

[JimB]

"Z" is the way to go. I used the 27/64 on the first few I did and had problems 50% of the time. I haven't had a single problem since I started using the "Z".

 

[wb7whi]

Is the Z bit 29/64?

 

[JimB]

Is the Z bit 29/64?

It's a hair smaller than the 27/64. There isn't an exact fractional or metric equivilent. You can check one of the drill bit charts in the library if you want the exact measurements.

The Z is really a much better size bit for the Sierra/WS II.

 

[mrcook4570]

I use 27/64" drill on acrylics when I am going to paint the inside of the blank and the tube. For all other materials, I use a 'Z'