When I want to cut an accurate hole in a short, small diameter dowel
or rod, I put it in my drill press and hold the bit up against the
center of the end while it spins. But when the diameter is greater
than my drill press chuck, like if the dowel diameter is 1" or
greater, is there some crafty way to cut an accurate hole through
the center? The hole needs only to be about 1/2" to 3/4" deep.

Thank you.

John Doe wrote:
When I want to cut an accurate hole in a short, small diameter dowel
or rod, I put it in my drill press and hold the bit up against the
center of the end while it spins. But when the diameter is greater
than my drill press chuck, like if the dowel diameter is 1" or
greater, is there some crafty way to cut an accurate hole through
the center? The hole needs only to be about 1/2" to 3/4" deep.

Thank you.






Example: If you're drilling a 1" diameter dowel. Clamp a piece if
scrap wood to your drill press table. Chuck up a 1" forester bit and
drill a locating hole for the dowel in the scrap. Without moving the
clamped piece of scrap remove the forester bit an chuck the appropriate
sized drill. Place the dowel in the locating hole. Drill the dowel.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

When I do this I use a jig. V-block that is one half inch shorter then the
dowel being cut, v-block is set up on frame that holds it square to the
table of the drill press. Clamp dowel to v-block and drill hole in dowel.
For short dowels I use a filler on the v-block. I normally clamp the
v-block to my drill press table and drill any where from 50 to 100 dowels at
a time, it works fine for large numbers of dowels (3/4" dowel with 3/8"
hole). For one or two short length of dowel (2" or less) I just hold them
with a pair of Channel lock pliers and go for it.
"John Doe" wrote in message
...

When I want to cut an accurate hole in a short, small diameter dowel
or rod, I put it in my drill press and hold the bit up against the
center of the end while it spins. But when the diameter is greater
than my drill press chuck, like if the dowel diameter is 1" or
greater, is there some crafty way to cut an accurate hole through
the center? The hole needs only to be about 1/2" to 3/4" deep.

Thank you.

Nova wrote:

Example: If you're drilling a 1" diameter dowel. Clamp a piece
if scrap wood to your drill press table. Chuck up a 1" forester
bit and drill a locating hole for the dowel in the scrap. Without
moving the clamped piece of scrap remove the forester bit an chuck
the appropriate sized drill. Place the dowel in the locating
hole. Drill the dowel.

awesome, dude

In article ,
John Doe wrote:

When I want to cut an accurate hole in a short, small diameter dowel
or rod, I put it in my drill press and hold the bit up against the
center of the end while it spins. But when the diameter is greater
than my drill press chuck, like if the dowel diameter is 1" or
greater, is there some crafty way to cut an accurate hole through
the center? The hole needs only to be about 1/2" to 3/4" deep.

Thank you.




The classic way I've heard is to take a block of wood, bolt it or clamp it
to the DP table, then use a forstner, spade it, or whatever you have
available to drill a hole into the block the same diameter as the dowel.
Now, WITHOUT CHANGING ANY DP ADJUSTMENTS, replace the forstner (or
whatever) with the bit you will use to drill the dowel, put the dowel in
the hole in the block, & drill.


--

SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org

In article ,
wrote:



The classic way I've heard is to take a block of wood, bolt it or clamp it
to the DP table, then use a forstner, spade it, or whatever you have
available to drill a hole into the block the same diameter as the dowel.
Now, WITHOUT CHANGING ANY DP ADJUSTMENTS, replace the forstner (or
whatever) with the bit you will use to drill the dowel, put the dowel in
the hole in the block, & drill.

how do you know the hole is centered if you don't know if the dowel is
straight and the bottom of the dowel is square to the side?

Andrew Williams wrote:

In article ,
wrote:



The classic way I've heard is to take a block of wood, bolt it or clamp it
to the DP table, then use a forstner, spade it, or whatever you have
available to drill a hole into the block the same diameter as the dowel.
Now, WITHOUT CHANGING ANY DP ADJUSTMENTS, replace the forstner (or
whatever) with the bit you will use to drill the dowel, put the dowel in
the hole in the block, & drill.


how do you know the hole is centered if you don't know if the dowel is
straight and the bottom of the dowel is square to the side?


Use a thick enough piece of scrap to index off the diameter of the dowel.

--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA

In article om,
Andrew Williams wrote:
In article ,
wrote:



The classic way I've heard is to take a block of wood, bolt it or clamp it
to the DP table, then use a forstner, spade it, or whatever you have
available to drill a hole into the block the same diameter as the dowel.
Now, WITHOUT CHANGING ANY DP ADJUSTMENTS, replace the forstner (or
whatever) with the bit you will use to drill the dowel, put the dowel in
the hole in the block, & drill.

how do you know the hole is centered if you don't know if the dowel is
straight and the bottom of the dowel is square to the side?

Ok, I'll rephrase that. Please preface my first reply with, "First
make sure that the dowell you are using is straight and the ends are
cut squarely."


--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland

In article , John Doe
wrote:

When I want to cut an accurate hole in a short, small diameter dowel
or rod, I put it in my drill press and hold the bit up against the
center of the end while it spins. But when the diameter is greater
than my drill press chuck, like if the dowel diameter is 1" or
greater, is there some crafty way to cut an accurate hole through
the center? The hole needs only to be about 1/2" to 3/4" deep.

Thank you.

You can also find center of the dowel by drilling a hole in a board the
diameter of the dowel with a spade or forestner bit, stop just as the
point comes out the bottom. Place board over end of dowel and mark
center through small hole, drill at the mark.

--
http://sawdustmaking.com

The subject

A lathe.

Lew