Making holes in wood
 

While waiting for Hurricane Charley's windy demo, I found an old
'palimpsest' of my notes re making holes in wood. (the real reason for
this post is to use that sporty word G) Anyway, I thought to offer
some thoughts on making holes for beginners to consider and for others
to disagree with or offer a better way.

1. Drilling requires more power than boring with a 'turning cut'
2. Spinning the wood against a fixed bit produces a truer hole than
spinning the bit. I don't know why, maybe the set-up is stiffer.
3. Consider making true long holes with other than twist drills and
Forstner bits.
4. D-bits and gun drills will enter and straighten a hole that began
true then wandered with the grain. If you don't force.
5. Consider making long holes from both ends. They will meet if both are
started with a center bit in the same punches the spur & center used in
roughing out.
6. Usually replaced turnings between centers run truer than those
replaced in a chuck.
7. For making short holes in metal or very hard open grain woods, use an
end mill. Ex: drilling angled holes for inserted bits.
8. The accuracy and precision of reaming and lapping are rarely
necessary for holes in wood. Good for us to know about, but
reamers cut along their length and have no drilling point.
10. Drill bits are turning tools that are usually neglected compared to
the grinding, sharpening and using of gouges and chisels.
11. Long bits will spring off center. Work out the spring by repeatedly
running through with the same size bit. Consider drilling with a series
of undersized bits and cleaning up with a final D bit.

12. Wow! I better stop here and resume later. Wind is really picking
up. Sorry no time to review this mess. To be continued..... Arch

Fortiter,


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Making holes in wood
 

"Arch" wrote in message
...
While waiting for Hurricane Charley's windy demo, I found an old
'palimpsest' of my notes re making holes in wood. (the real reason for
this post is to use that sporty word G) Anyway, I thought to offer
some thoughts on making holes for beginners to consider and for others
to disagree with or offer a better way.

4. D-bits and gun drills will enter and straighten a hole that began
true then wandered with the grain. If you don't force.
11. Long bits will spring off center. Work out the spring by repeatedly
running through with the same size bit. Consider drilling with a series
of undersized bits and cleaning up with a final D bit.

Related to both of these points is the core drill. I used core drill
extensively in an earlier life as a machinist to straighten and enlarge
holes. As with a reamer they cut along their length. I used them primarily
to enlarge holes to their final size.

Making holes in wood
 

Forgive my ignorance.

What's a D-bit?

Gordon

On Fri, 13 Aug 2004 14:14:39 -0400, (Arch) wrote:

While waiting for Hurricane Charley's windy demo, I found an old
'palimpsest' of my notes re making holes in wood. (the real reason for
this post is to use that sporty word G) Anyway, I thought to offer
some thoughts on making holes for beginners to consider and for others
to disagree with or offer a better way.

1. Drilling requires more power than boring with a 'turning cut'
2. Spinning the wood against a fixed bit produces a truer hole than
spinning the bit. I don't know why, maybe the set-up is stiffer.
3. Consider making true long holes with other than twist drills and
Forstner bits.
4. D-bits and gun drills will enter and straighten a hole that began
true then wandered with the grain. If you don't force.
5. Consider making long holes from both ends. They will meet if both are
started with a center bit in the same punches the spur & center used in
roughing out.
6. Usually replaced turnings between centers run truer than those
replaced in a chuck.
7. For making short holes in metal or very hard open grain woods, use an
end mill. Ex: drilling angled holes for inserted bits.
8. The accuracy and precision of reaming and lapping are rarely
necessary for holes in wood. Good for us to know about, but
reamers cut along their length and have no drilling point.
10. Drill bits are turning tools that are usually neglected compared to
the grinding, sharpening and using of gouges and chisels.
11. Long bits will spring off center. Work out the spring by repeatedly
running through with the same size bit. Consider drilling with a series
of undersized bits and cleaning up with a final D bit.

12. Wow! I better stop here and resume later. Wind is really picking
up. Sorry no time to review this mess. To be continued..... Arch

Fortiter,


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

(Arch) wrote in message ...
While waiting for Hurricane Charley's windy demo, I found an old
'palimpsest' of my notes re making holes in wood. (the real reason for
this post is to use that sporty word G) Anyway, I thought to offer
some thoughts on making holes for beginners to consider and for others
to disagree with or offer a better way.

1. Drilling requires more power than boring with a 'turning cut'
2. Spinning the wood against a fixed bit produces a truer hole than
spinning the bit. I don't know why, maybe the set-up is stiffer.
3. Consider making true long holes with other than twist drills and
Forstner bits.
4. D-bits and gun drills will enter and straighten a hole that began
true then wandered with the grain. If you don't force.
5. Consider making long holes from both ends. They will meet if both are
started with a center bit in the same punches the spur & center used in
roughing out.
6. Usually replaced turnings between centers run truer than those
replaced in a chuck.
7. For making short holes in metal or very hard open grain woods, use an
end mill. Ex: drilling angled holes for inserted bits.
8. The accuracy and precision of reaming and lapping are rarely
necessary for holes in wood. Good for us to know about, but
reamers cut along their length and have no drilling point.
10. Drill bits are turning tools that are usually neglected compared to
the grinding, sharpening and using of gouges and chisels.
11. Long bits will spring off center. Work out the spring by repeatedly
running through with the same size bit. Consider drilling with a series
of undersized bits and cleaning up with a final D bit.

12. Wow! I better stop here and resume later. Wind is really picking
up. Sorry no time to review this mess. To be continued..... Arch

Fortiter,


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Good post, I would like to enter one more hint. Small diameter drills
that are bent can be easily straightened. Bore into the endgrain of
any hard wood scrap several times. Go in and out all the way to the
chuck, the drill bit will heat up and straighten as good as new.The
smaller the drill bit the faster it will staighten. 1/16" bit should
only take 6 passes or less. 1/4" drill bit may take 20 passes,
sometimes more. I wouldn't bother with drills larger than 1/4" unless
you do not have another one.

mike

I escaped Charley so I'm trudging on:

Thanks Kevin and Mike for the upgrades. I hope for more.

Gordon, I hope someone, perhaps our resident D bit person Leif, will
pitch in with further info for you. He will suggest lubricating the bit
with LDD, which may not be a bad idea. Anyway, to add a few more iffy
tips that some woodturning beginners may not know...... or not want to
know:

13. To provide rigidity. the web of some twist drills thickens along the
shaft's axis. Sharpening with an automatic drill sharpener or a fixed
jig can lead to a thicker chisel edge as the bit shortens. This may
reduce the cutting edge and increase the rubbing surface.
14. Oversize holes may be caused by forcing the bit, or the drill's tip
being off center. Beginning without a pilot hole or shallow and smaller
than the web may not allow the bit to follow and might drill an
oversized hole.
15. Warning! Some new cheap twist drills are neither accurate nor
precise. Some have dull edges with unequal edge lengths and eccentric
points. Often the edges are too backed off for drilling wood. Shaft
diameters vary and some aren't even straight. Woodturners can often get
by, but examine them before buying used or bargain twist drills.
16. Failing to withdraw the bit often in order to clear the chips might
cause them to pile up to one side. This can wedge the bit eccentrically
and force it to cut oversize or to seize up in the hole.
17. When withdrawing a bit held in a tapered Jacobs chuck, hold on to
the chuck, not the tailstock. A drill & chuck that has just exited the
tail spindle and is flying around is a fearsome thing,

Feel free to rub off these jottings from my 'palimpsest', :) Arch

Fortiter,


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings