I am messing with some projects where I want to use some natural wood
pieces, sometimes up to three inches in diameter in some iron/wood gates.
The wood would be natural, except for polished or sanded or sandblasted and
varnished.

In some cases, I want to put a hole through the length of the piece,
sometimes up to three feet long. Can I use the long bits I see in the
electrical section of the Borg that are for (I assume) drilling through
beams, a series of studs, etc.?

Any tips to keep the drift under control? Put a stabilizing holder where
the bit enters the wood, and maybe a few others along the length of the rod
to keep flex down? I have also thought of only going say six inches in from
the end, and using a pin, but for a couple of applications, a hole
completely through it would be the best.

How do they drill antlers through the length of the whole thing for wiring
for chandeliers? How do they get the drill bit to curve?

Should I stick to the Forstner type bits on the ends of the long rods, or
weld stubby drill bits on the ends of rods where I can doctor them up with
my Drill Doctor as they dull?

Help and ideas appreciated.

Steve

Steve B wrote:

I am messing with some projects where I want to use some natural wood
pieces, sometimes up to three inches in diameter in some iron/wood gates.
The wood would be natural, except for polished or sanded or sandblasted and
varnished.

In some cases, I want to put a hole through the length of the piece,
sometimes up to three feet long. Can I use the long bits I see in the
electrical section of the Borg that are for (I assume) drilling through
beams, a series of studs, etc.?

Any tips to keep the drift under control? Put a stabilizing holder where
the bit enters the wood, and maybe a few others along the length of the rod
to keep flex down? I have also thought of only going say six inches in from
the end, and using a pin, but for a couple of applications, a hole
completely through it would be the best.

How do they drill antlers through the length of the whole thing for wiring
for chandeliers? How do they get the drill bit to curve?

Should I stick to the Forstner type bits on the ends of the long rods, or
weld stubby drill bits on the ends of rods where I can doctor them up with
my Drill Doctor as they dull?

One of the guys in our group makes bagpipe pipes from wood on a metal lathe. He
drills them lengthwise using a D-bit he made himself. He also uses a big steady
rest with roller skate wheels which bear on the wood. Drill the end about 1/4"
deep with a bit the size you want, then feed in the D-bit by hand, holding it
with vise grips. The existing hole keeps the bit centered and aligned. Gotta
keep backing out to clear chips.

GWE

....
One of the guys in our group makes bagpipe pipes from wood on a metal
lathe. He drills them lengthwise using a D-bit he made himself. He also
uses a big steady rest with roller skate wheels which bear on the wood.
Drill the end about 1/4" deep with a bit the size you want, then feed in
the D-bit by hand, holding it with vise grips. The existing hole keeps the
bit centered and aligned. Gotta keep backing out to clear chips.

I've got absolutely NO experience here, so take it for what its worth...

Keep that D bit drilling right on center for a three foot length has to be
neigh on near impossible. Bet it takes a real craftsman to prove me wrong.

Karl

Karl Townsend wrote:
...
One of the guys in our group makes bagpipe pipes from wood on a metal
lathe. He drills them lengthwise using a D-bit he made himself. He also
uses a big steady rest with roller skate wheels which bear on the wood.
Drill the end about 1/4" deep with a bit the size you want, then feed in
the D-bit by hand, holding it with vise grips. The existing hole keeps the
bit centered and aligned. Gotta keep backing out to clear chips.

I've got absolutely NO experience here, so take it for what its worth...

Keep that D bit drilling right on center for a three foot length has to be
neigh on near impossible. Bet it takes a real craftsman to prove me wrong.

Karl

The rest of the trick is that after you have the hole, you turn the
wood to be concentric with the hole. 8-)

Dan

Karl Townsend wrote:

...

One of the guys in our group makes bagpipe pipes from wood on a metal
lathe. He drills them lengthwise using a D-bit he made himself. He also
uses a big steady rest with roller skate wheels which bear on the wood.
Drill the end about 1/4" deep with a bit the size you want, then feed in
the D-bit by hand, holding it with vise grips. The existing hole keeps the
bit centered and aligned. Gotta keep backing out to clear chips.


I've got absolutely NO experience here, so take it for what its worth...

Keep that D bit drilling right on center for a three foot length has to be
neigh on near impossible. Bet it takes a real craftsman to prove me wrong.

Well, a D bit is like a gun drill in that it will accurately follow a hole and
not wander, that's the idea. Other concept is drill halfway, turn the piece
around and drill the other end halfway.

Regarding the holes through antlers, aren't some kinds of antlers hollow?

GWE

"Steve B" wrote:

I am messing with some projects where I want to use some natural wood
pieces, sometimes up to three inches in diameter in some iron/wood gates.
The wood would be natural, except for polished or sanded or sandblasted and
varnished.

In some cases, I want to put a hole through the length of the piece,
sometimes up to three feet long. Can I use the long bits I see in the
electrical section of the Borg that are for (I assume) drilling through
beams, a series of studs, etc.?

Yesterday, my uncle drilled a ram rod hole in the stock for the rifle
he is building for me. He had me take a 3/8" dia piece of crs and
mill a quadrant out of one end for about 2 inches. I then cut a bit
more at tip for a piece of tool steel that he was going to solder in
for the cutting edge.

Then he ground it to be a single edge drill. Next, he took a couple
of pieces of hardwood and routed a vee in middle of the long axis in
both.

You then put your drill in the vees and screw the two pieces of wood
together. Imagine a hot dog in a bun.

Using clamps, tablesaw, and fence for guides and support, he lined up
drill sandwitch and stock and started drilling..

I made the inlet for the tool steel insert on wrong side so he had use
drill motor in reverse.


HTH,

Wes S

Okay, I get to use my one dumb question coupon ..........

What is a D bit?

I googled, but got nine million other things.

Steve

This method works pretty well. I drilled a 0.375" (near .38 caliber) gun
barrel 14 inches deep via this method with very frequent chip removal. The
hole only drifted about 0.010". Bore centering was reestablished by turning
down the outside. I don't recommend this method. If I were to do it again,
it would be with a D-bit, either solid or silver-soldered to a long shank.
Formal "gun drills" are somewhat similar to D-bits with oil flowing through
the hollow bit to wash out the chips. AFAIK, chip clearance is the main
reason gun drills stay straight in the bore.

Bob Swinney


.. Zimmerman" wrote in message
news:ffXdg.195100$7a.104145@pd7tw1no...
I have made long bits using drill rod which is of course nice and straight.
I tailstock drill a small hole in the end of the rod about a quarter to
half
inch deep. I then machine the soft shank of a standard twist drill so
that
I have a fit into the drill rod. To maintain alignment I silver solder
the
joint. I figure welding would create it own problems with bending and
hard
spots that could cause a fracture.
Randy

"Steve B" wrote in message
news:UUQdg.89094$iU2.63343@fed1read01...

In some cases, I want to put a hole through the length of the piece,
sometimes up to three feet long. Can I use the long bits I see in the
electrical section of the Borg that are for (I assume) drilling through
beams, a series of studs, etc.?

snip
Help and ideas appreciated.

Steve

if possible start with two pieces of wood and saw a slot down the middle of
both pieces.
then just glue the slotted sides together

"Steve B" wrote in message
news:UUQdg.89094$iU2.63343@fed1read01...
I am messing with some projects where I want to use some natural wood
pieces, sometimes up to three inches in diameter in some iron/wood gates.
The wood would be natural, except for polished or sanded or sandblasted and
varnished.

In some cases, I want to put a hole through the length of the piece,
sometimes up to three feet long. Can I use the long bits I see in the
electrical section of the Borg that are for (I assume) drilling through
beams, a series of studs, etc.?

Any tips to keep the drift under control? Put a stabilizing holder where
the bit enters the wood, and maybe a few others along the length of the
rod to keep flex down? I have also thought of only going say six inches
in from the end, and using a pin, but for a couple of applications, a hole
completely through it would be the best.

How do they drill antlers through the length of the whole thing for wiring
for chandeliers? How do they get the drill bit to curve?

Should I stick to the Forstner type bits on the ends of the long rods, or
weld stubby drill bits on the ends of rods where I can doctor them up with
my Drill Doctor as they dull?

Help and ideas appreciated.

Steve

jay s wrote:

if possible start with two pieces of wood and saw a slot down the
middle of both pieces. then just glue the slotted sides together

This method is used to install truss rods in banjos and steel-stringed
guitars, the difference being that, in the case of a musical
instrument, the slot is routed down the neck only, rather than down
both sides. I mentioned banjos first, because banjos had truss rods
before guitars did. With pencils, I assume that the routing would be
done down both sides.

Nah, the auger bits in the borg will follow the grain a bit, what you
want is called a "Ship Auger"

Steve B wrote:
Okay, I get to use my one dumb question coupon ..........

What is a D bit?

http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/d-bit.html

Yes. Those should do nicely if you want a hole about 3/4" or larger. I
have several ship augers about 4' long that we used for drilling timbers for
the mine. They are probably at least 80 years old and still work great for
drilling that strange hole in a post or stump. I have several that had the
crank cut off so they could be used in an electric drill. It takes a heavy
fellow to keep from spinning with it once it gets in a couple of feet
But they do make remarkably straight holes.
Glenn
wrote in message
oups.com...
Nah, the auger bits in the borg will follow the grain a bit, what you
want is called a "Ship Auger"

On Sat, 27 May 2006 09:02:40 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

Okay, I get to use my one dumb question coupon ..........

What is a D bit?

Description and Photos he
http://www.bagpipeworld.co.uk/MakingBagpipes/Drill.htm

wrote:

Pictures work 1000 words.

http://wess.freeshell.org/usenet/drillpoint.jpg
http://wess.freeshell.org/usenet/drillguide.jpg

Wes S

Grant Erwin wrote:

Karl Townsend wrote:


Regarding the holes through antlers, aren't some kinds of antlers hollow?

GWE

NO. Antlers are bone. Only horns are hollow they are (senior moment)
smae stuff as hoofs and finger nails. :-)
...lew...

On Sat, 27 May 2006 11:15:45 -0700, "Glenn"
wrote:

Yes. Those should do nicely if you want a hole about 3/4" or larger. I
have several ship augers about 4' long that we used for drilling timbers for
the mine. They are probably at least 80 years old and still work great for
drilling that strange hole in a post or stump. I have several that had the
crank cut off so they could be used in an electric drill. It takes a heavy
fellow to keep from spinning with it once it gets in a couple of feet
But they do make remarkably straight holes.
Glenn
wrote in message
roups.com...
Nah, the auger bits in the borg will follow the grain a bit, what you
want is called a "Ship Auger"


what does a ship auger look like?

On Sat, 27 May 2006 06:18:04 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
remove .NOT wrote:

I think Grant wrote:

...
One of the guys in our group makes bagpipe pipes from wood on a metal
lathe. He drills them lengthwise using a D-bit he made himself. He also
uses a big steady rest with roller skate wheels which bear on the wood.
Drill the end about 1/4" deep with a bit the size you want, then feed in
the D-bit by hand, holding it with vise grips. The existing hole keeps the
bit centered and aligned. Gotta keep backing out to clear chips.

Is he a big guy, lives in south Seattle and also has a Harley?

I've got absolutely NO experience here, so take it for what its worth...

Keep that D bit drilling right on center for a three foot length has to be
neigh on near impossible. Bet it takes a real craftsman to prove me wrong.

If it's th' guy I'm thinking it is, he'd be happy to prove you wrong.
Building a set of those pipes ain't for sissies g. And he plays
them as well as competes in other various Highlander games.

I don't know squat about bagpipes, but I can appreciate th' work that
went into making them.

Snarl

It looks like a screw point auger bit as used in the old brace and bit
drills. It is much longer and has a crank built into the shaft sort of a
one piece brace and bit.
Glenn
"Stealth Pilot" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 27 May 2006 11:15:45 -0700, "Glenn"
wrote:

Yes. Those should do nicely if you want a hole about 3/4" or larger. I
have several ship augers about 4' long that we used for drilling timbers
for
the mine. They are probably at least 80 years old and still work great
for
drilling that strange hole in a post or stump. I have several that had
the
crank cut off so they could be used in an electric drill. It takes a
heavy
fellow to keep from spinning with it once it gets in a couple of feet
But they do make remarkably straight holes.
Glenn
wrote in message
groups.com...
Nah, the auger bits in the borg will follow the grain a bit, what you
want is called a "Ship Auger"


what does a ship auger look like?

wrote:

On Sat, 27 May 2006 06:18:04 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
remove .NOT wrote:

I think Grant wrote:


...

One of the guys in our group makes bagpipe pipes from wood on a metal
lathe. He drills them lengthwise using a D-bit he made himself. He also
uses a big steady rest with roller skate wheels which bear on the wood.
Drill the end about 1/4" deep with a bit the size you want, then feed in
the D-bit by hand, holding it with vise grips. The existing hole keeps the
bit centered and aligned. Gotta keep backing out to clear chips.


Is he a big guy, lives in south Seattle and also has a Harley?

Nope, he's a tall lean guy, lives in Wallingford and isn't a biker :-)

GWE

On Sun, 28 May 2006 11:06:24 -0700, Grant Erwin
wrote:

wrote:

On Sat, 27 May 2006 06:18:04 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
remove .NOT wrote:

I think Grant wrote:
...

One of the guys in our group makes bagpipe pipes from wood on a metal
lathe. He drills them lengthwise using a D-bit he made himself. He also
uses a big steady rest with roller skate wheels which bear on the wood.
Drill the end about 1/4" deep with a bit the size you want, then feed in
the D-bit by hand, holding it with vise grips. The existing hole keeps the
bit centered and aligned. Gotta keep backing out to clear chips.

Is he a big guy, lives in south Seattle and also has a Harley?

Nope, he's a tall lean guy, lives in Wallingford and isn't a biker :-)

Well I was close, heh, heh.

Chances are your guy knows mine, John Brock. If not, they should be
introduced : )

Snarl

wrote:

On Sun, 28 May 2006 11:06:24 -0700, Grant Erwin
wrote:


wrote:


On Sat, 27 May 2006 06:18:04 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
remove .NOT wrote:

I think Grant wrote:

...


One of the guys in our group makes bagpipe pipes from wood on a metal
lathe. He drills them lengthwise using a D-bit he made himself. He also
uses a big steady rest with roller skate wheels which bear on the wood.
Drill the end about 1/4" deep with a bit the size you want, then feed in
the D-bit by hand, holding it with vise grips. The existing hole keeps the
bit centered and aligned. Gotta keep backing out to clear chips.

Is he a big guy, lives in south Seattle and also has a Harley?

Nope, he's a tall lean guy, lives in Wallingford and isn't a biker :-)


Well I was close, heh, heh.

Chances are your guy knows mine, John Brock. If not, they should be
introduced : )

Snarl



They're probably both at Folklife today, dancing in a circle playing goatskin
pipes, laughing in the rain ..

GWE

In article , says...
It looks like a screw point auger bit as used in the old brace and bit
drills. It is much longer and has a crank built into the shaft sort of a
one piece brace and bit.

But I don't think the crank handle is what distinguishes a ship auger
from a regular Jenning's-type carpenter's auger bit, at least not here
in New England.

This is a ship auger...
http://www.toolbarn.com/images/irwin/47406.jpg

This is not...
http://www.antique-used-tools.com/St...00Bit_1516.jpg

The ship auger is made from a bar wound into a helix, has a single
cutting edge at the tip, and often does not have a spur or feed screw at
the tip, in which case it's a barefoot auger.

A Jenning's auger is made from a twisted strip of steel, and has two
cutting edges with a spur on each.

Ned Simmons