I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod through
for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like a
2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC

"MiamiCuse" wrote in
:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is
16" deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room
support part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling
from below pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner
like a 2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC




get a drill guide;
it's a base with two guide rods,and your drill chuck tightens down on the
guide's own drill chuck shaft.
it's adjustable for 90 deg or angles.
Home Depot and Lowes will have them.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

MiamiCuse wrote:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod through
for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like a
2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC



If it were me, I would drill the hole through the beam, then hang
the ceiling fan from the beam and use the hole for just the wire.

In the off chance that you MUST do it like you are stating, then
there isn't really an inexpensive method of making SURE that it
is perfectly plumb. I would assume that you are using an auger
bit. If so, then you can take a block of wood say six inches
thick and, using a drill press, drill a hole straight through the
block. You can then use the block as a guide for your drill bit
to hold it square with the bottom of the beam.

I have also used torpedo levels to line up my auger bit, then
drilled by hand, checking every so often with the level to make
sure my bit is plumb. When I can't get the level on it anymore,
then it will usually guide itself the rest of the way.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

MiamiCuse wrote:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod through
for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like a
2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC

Personally I would avoid drilling through the beam that way and would
instead hang the fan along the side of the beam. If I were going to the
trouble of deep drilling through the beam, I would be going large enough
to feed 1/2" rigid metal conduit through to allow the power to feed
through "invisibly". With a beam like that you can support a fan rated
box from the beam with a couple lag screws if you're going to be routing
power to the box along the beam anyway.

Robert Allison wrote:
MiamiCuse wrote:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is
16" deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room
support part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling
from below pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner
like a 2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC


If it were me, I would drill the hole through the beam, then hang the
ceiling fan from the beam and use the hole for just the wire.

In the off chance that you MUST do it like you are stating, then there
isn't really an inexpensive method of making SURE that it is perfectly
plumb. I would assume that you are using an auger bit. If so, then you
can take a block of wood say six inches thick and, using a drill press,
drill a hole straight through the block. You can then use the block as
a guide for your drill bit to hold it square with the bottom of the beam.

I have also used torpedo levels to line up my auger bit, then drilled by
hand, checking every so often with the level to make sure my bit is
plumb. When I can't get the level on it anymore, then it will usually
guide itself the rest of the way.


I wouldn't invade the beam at all- I'd build a hollow 'U' out of
matching wood that fits over the beam from below, and trim out so it
looks like it belongs there. If the beam is sloped, you can make it look
like the added block was for purpose of giving a flat mounting point.

Hard to give good options without seeing it.

--
aem sends...

On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:13:40 -0400, "MiamiCuse"
wrote:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod through
for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like a
2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC


A perfectly made 16"-deep hole will be difficult to make, and how to
keep a hand-held drill plumb and steady is another problem. Perhaps,
clamp a table-top drill press to the beam and use various length 5/8"
bits?

On Mar 29, 7:13*pm, "MiamiCuse" wrote:
I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. *This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. *So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod through
for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like a
2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC

Could you make 3 sided jig?

Start with 2 vertical pieces of wood clamped to the beam.

If the beam is wider than the drill body, use filler strips below the
beam. If the drill body is wider than the beam, the filler strips
would go between the beam and the vertical pieces.

The idea is to sandwich the drill body so it cannot swing side to
side.

Once this "channel" is in place, close off the back side with a board
so you can put the back of the drill body against it to prevent back
and forth movement.

If the drill can't go side to side or back and forth, your hole should
be straight.

On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:13:40 -0400, "MiamiCuse"
wrote:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod through
for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like a
2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC


I tried to think about it. Nothing, would persuade me to drill a 5/8"
hole through a 16" deep lam beam - just for a ceiling fan
arrangement.

"Oren" wrote in message

I tried to think about it. Nothing, would persuade me to drill a 5/8"
hole through a 16" deep lam beam - just for a ceiling fan
arrangement.


Agree, that is why them make surface mounted boxes.
..

A 5/8" hole through a 4" wide beam reduces the load capacity by 1/4. Unless
your beam is oversized you may damage it enough to cause it to fail.


"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...
I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like
a 2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC

Pat wrote:
A 5/8" hole through a 4" wide beam reduces the load capacity by 1/4. Unless
your beam is oversized you may damage it enough to cause it to fail.

Please don't top post.

In addition, I would like to hear from the engineers in here
about the validity of the above statement. I do not believe it
for a minute. This is done quite often and I would be surprised
to learn that it compromises the integrity of the beam. Unless
you meant to say by 1/4 of 1 percent.

"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like
a 2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC






--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

On 3/29/2008 3:22 PM Jim Yanik spake thus:

"MiamiCuse" wrote in
:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is
16" deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room
support part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling
from below pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

get a drill guide;
it's a base with two guide rods,and your drill chuck tightens down on the
guide's own drill chuck shaft.
it's adjustable for 90 deg or angles.
Home Depot and Lowes will have them.

I second that emotion. Have one of those rigs I got 25-something years
ago which has served me well in many similar situations. Not too expensive.

On Mar 29, 4:44*pm, Robert Allison wrote:
MiamiCuse wrote:
I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. *This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. *So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod through
for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like a
2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC

If it were me, I would drill the hole through the beam, then hang
the ceiling fan from the beam and use the hole for just the wire.

In the off chance that you MUST do it like you are stating, then
there isn't really an inexpensive method of making SURE that it
is perfectly plumb. *I would assume that you are using an auger
bit. *If so, then you can take a block of wood say six inches
thick and, using a drill press, drill a hole straight through the
block. *You can then use the block as a guide for your drill bit
to hold it square with the bottom of the beam.

I have also used torpedo levels to line up my auger bit, then
drilled by hand, checking every so often with the level to make
sure my bit is plumb. *When I can't get the level on it anymore,
then it will usually guide itself the rest of the way.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

16" is a long way to drill "perfectly straight" by hand.

I also assume you're using an auger bit (at least 18 to 24" long)

Got any of the glulam left over? Practice.

Hot gue or "affix" in some manner two framing squares at 90 deg to
each other & parallel to the axis of the hole to be drilled.

Use he square to eyeball the straightness of the hole, a "spotter" is
helpful

....drilling the hole a bit over sized (3/4") will give you some
forgiveness

per Robert's suggestion why not just drill the hole for wiring &
figure to do the mechanical mounting a different way. A 5/8"
"nutplate" would do the trick.


cheers
Bob

On Mar 29, 9:46*pm, Robert Allison wrote:
Pat wrote:
A 5/8" hole through a 4" wide beam reduces the load capacity by 1/4. *Unless
your beam is oversized you may damage it enough to cause it to fail.

Please don't top post.

In addition, I would like to hear from the engineers in here
about the validity of the above statement. *I do not believe it
for a minute. *This is done quite often and I would be surprised
to learn that it compromises the integrity of the beam. *Unless
you meant to say by 1/4 of 1 percent.



"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. *This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. *So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like
a 2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

Robert, I believe he's assuming that removing the hole material will
reduce the effective width of the beam & thus the load carrying
capacity.

I'm with Edwin & the others....drilling through the beam isn't a great
idea

but the actual capacity reduction depends on the beam width, the
location of the hole & whether the beam is currently bending stress,
shear stress or deflection limited (which depends on the depth & span)

for a 16" deep beam, the span has to be in the vicinity of 16' or so
(or greater) to be deflection limited....if the beam performance is
deflection limited then a 5/8" isn't going to change the deflection
performance that much. It will boost the local stresses so it should
be checked to make sure the allowable stress aren't exceeded.

cheers
Bob

Robert Allison wrote:
Pat wrote:

A 5/8" hole through a 4" wide beam reduces the load capacity by 1/4.
Unless your beam is oversized you may damage it enough to cause it to
fail.


Please don't top post.

In addition, I would like to hear from the engineers in here about the
validity of the above statement. I do not believe it for a minute.
This is done quite often and I would be surprised to learn that it
compromises the integrity of the beam. Unless you meant to say by 1/4
of 1 percent.
It depends on more information than is provided here but the load
carrying capacity is decreased by AT LEAST 16% and it could be 25%. The
smart thing would be to not drill this hole.

Boden, PE


"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is
16" deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room
support part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling
from below pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner
like a 2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC

BobK207 wrote:
On Mar 29, 9:46 pm, Robert Allison wrote:

Pat wrote:

A 5/8" hole through a 4" wide beam reduces the load capacity by 1/4. Unless
your beam is oversized you may damage it enough to cause it to fail.

Please don't top post.

In addition, I would like to hear from the engineers in here
about the validity of the above statement. I do not believe it
for a minute. This is done quite often and I would be surprised
to learn that it compromises the integrity of the beam. Unless
you meant to say by 1/4 of 1 percent.




"MiamiCuse" wrote in message
...

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is 16"
deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room support
part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below
pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner like
a 2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX


Robert, I believe he's assuming that removing the hole material will
reduce the effective width of the beam & thus the load carrying
capacity.

I'm with Edwin & the others....drilling through the beam isn't a great
idea

but the actual capacity reduction depends on the beam width, the
location of the hole & whether the beam is currently bending stress,
shear stress or deflection limited (which depends on the depth & span)

for a 16" deep beam, the span has to be in the vicinity of 16' or so
(or greater) to be deflection limited....if the beam performance is
deflection limited then a 5/8" isn't going to change the deflection
performance that much. It will boost the local stresses so it should
be checked to make sure the allowable stress aren't exceeded.

cheers
Bob


Thanks, I was having nightmares about the dozens of beams that I
have either drilled holes through, or seen holes drilled through.
But then, almost all of my jobs have required an engineer to
write a letter for all of the oddities that the city just can't
stand to pass without professional opinions on paper. I think my
PEs would have mentioned something if I were compromising loaded
beams by as much as 25%.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

In addition, I would like to hear from the engineers in here about the
validity of the above statement. I do not believe it for a minute. This
is done quite often and I would be surprised to learn that it compromises
the integrity of the beam. Unless you meant to say by 1/4 of 1 percent.


Read here http://www.rosboro.com/pdfs/S560E.pdf

David Nebenzahl wrote in
s.com:

On 3/29/2008 3:22 PM Jim Yanik spake thus:

"MiamiCuse" wrote in
:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that
is 16" deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a
room support part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench
drilling from below pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

get a drill guide;
it's a base with two guide rods,and your drill chuck tightens down on
the guide's own drill chuck shaft.
it's adjustable for 90 deg or angles.
Home Depot and Lowes will have them.

I second that emotion. Have one of those rigs I got 25-something years
ago which has served me well in many similar situations. Not too
expensive.


also,some dowelling jigs can guide a drill bit perpendicular on a flat
surface.You're limited in drill sizes,though.May be OK for a pilot hole.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Phisherman wrote in
:

On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:13:40 -0400, "MiamiCuse"
wrote:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is
16" deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room
support part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling
from below pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner
like a 2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC


A perfectly made 16"-deep hole will be difficult to make,

HD and Lowes both sell long auger-style bits,and you can even add
extensions for deeper holes.

and how to
keep a hand-held drill plumb and steady is another problem. Perhaps,
clamp a table-top drill press to the beam and use various length 5/8"
bits?


Yikes!

didn't you READ the guy's post?
"So I will be standing on a bench drilling from below pushing the drill
up."


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Boden wrote in :

Robert Allison wrote:
Pat wrote:

A 5/8" hole through a 4" wide beam reduces the load capacity by 1/4.
Unless your beam is oversized you may damage it enough to cause it to
fail.


Please don't top post.

In addition, I would like to hear from the engineers in here about the
validity of the above statement. I do not believe it for a minute.
This is done quite often and I would be surprised to learn that it
compromises the integrity of the beam. Unless you meant to say by 1/4
of 1 percent.
It depends on more information than is provided here but the load
carrying capacity is decreased by AT LEAST 16% and it could be 25%. The
smart thing would be to not drill this hole.

Boden, PE

On a LAMINATED beam?

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

On Mar 30, 7:58*am, "Pat" wrote:
In addition, I would like to hear from the engineers in here about the
validity of the above statement. *I do not believe it for a minute. *This
is done quite often and I would be surprised to learn that it compromises
the integrity of the beam. *Unless you meant to say by 1/4 of 1 percent.

"MiamiCuse" wrote in
:

I need to drill a 5/8" diameter hole through a laminated beam that is
16" deep. This beam is sitting 10 feet above the floor across a room
support part of the roof. So I will be standing on a bench drilling
from below pushing the drill up.

I need this hole to be perfectly vertical as I will be passing a rod
through for a ceiling fan.

I know in the past when I had to drill through something much thinner
like a 2x4, I often end up with a slanted hole.

What can I do to ensure my drill is perfectly vertical?

I cannot afford to make a mistake and redrill.

Thanks,

MC



Drill the opposite of what you think you should. :-)

Jim Yanik wrote:

Boden wrote in :


Robert Allison wrote:

Pat wrote:


A 5/8" hole through a 4" wide beam reduces the load capacity by 1/4.
Unless your beam is oversized you may damage it enough to cause it to
fail.


Please don't top post.

In addition, I would like to hear from the engineers in here about the
validity of the above statement. I do not believe it for a minute.
This is done quite often and I would be surprised to learn that it
compromises the integrity of the beam. Unless you meant to say by 1/4
of 1 percent.

It depends on more information than is provided here but the load
carrying capacity is decreased by AT LEAST 16% and it could be 25%. The
smart thing would be to not drill this hole.

Boden, PE


On a LAMINATED beam?

Yes.

In article ,
Stormin Mormon wrote:
Buy two lengths of chain, about two foot long. Hire two helpers. Put a
screw about a foot or so away from the hole, so the chains are at 12 and 3
o'clock. Let the chains dangle, they will be plumb. Have one helper at 12
o'clock, the other at 3 o'clock, guiding you. Using the chain to see if the
bit is plumb.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org

----- Same, but split up:

Buy two lengths of chain, about two foot long. Hire two helpers.

Put a screw about a foot or so away from the hole,

This screw is screwed into the bottom of the beam, facing the
floor?

Beams are narrowish, so the screw will be on either one side of
the hole-to-be or on the other -- ie only two possible screw-positions.
Yes?


so the chains are at 12 and 3 o'clock.

Here's the first place I get lost. The imagined clock
is mounted on the bottom of the beam?

On the side of the beam?

Where does 12 o'clock point to -- the ceiling?
Parallel to the ceiling?

Let the chains dangle, they will be plumb.

(Three dimensional space this stuff lies in.)


Have one helper at 12
o'clock, the other at 3 o'clock,


Same question.


Is one standing in front of you, and the other
out to your right?




Now, what do these helpers do?


guiding you.





Using the chain to see if the
bit is plumb.

And how does this work?



Thanks!


David