I was drilling the last hole (to insert brass rod as hinges) in my
project - cleaning them out after varnishing actually - and the 1/16"
drill bit broke just below the surface.

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this mess? The jewelry box top is
oak that has been veneered over on the outside and trimmed with ebony.
It is 1/2" thick and the hole is in the side, near the back. I am
highly motivated to repair this rather than try to make a new top.

Suggestions please.

Woodchip

On 7 Aug 2003 05:17:42 -0700, (Paul Andersen)
wrote:

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this mess?

Got any pictures ?

Nearest thing I've had to that was a wooden hinge with brass rod in it
as a pin. I sawed and whittled the cheek of the hinge piece a little
shorter, so that I could grab the end of the drill and pull it out.
Then I chewed up the other three faces to match, and made brass
washers to fill the gaps. It looked "obvious but deliberate" once I'd
finished.

Paul Andersen wrote:

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this mess? The jewelry box top is
oak that has been veneered over on the outside and trimmed with ebony.
It is 1/2" thick and the hole is in the side, near the back. I am
highly motivated to repair this rather than try to make a new top.

How much of the bit did you break off?

Anyway, the first thing that comes to my mind is to verrry carefully drill a
new hole absolutely as close as possible to the original one, then stick
something like a small finishing nail in there and try to wriggle the thing
toward the new hole. You might then be able to get the jaws of some really
thin needle nose pliers in there to pull it out, if it's not broken off too
deeply.

Then drill a 1/8" hole and a 1/8" hole on the other side, and buy some new
brass rod.

Another thought is to drill in from the inside, verrrry carefully, just to a
depth where you expect to find the drill bit. Having thus gained access to
the side of the thing, try to wriggle it out with something until you get
enough of it out to get a bite on it. Drill a matching hole on the other
side, and fill them with plugs and spot refinish, considering yourself
lucky that at least the signs of your mishap are on the inside, where the
owner will be so dazzled by her array of fabulous jewlry that she'll never
notice.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
Confirmed post number: 17036 Approximate word count: 511080
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/

FWIW, I have two projects in years past with pieces of broken drill bits
still in them. Last was just a few weeks ago. Trying to remove one can cause
more damage and make the repair more difficult. If it is in a highly visible
place and the repair is going to be an eyesore, it may be time to bite the
bullet and redo the top .... Judgment call and nothing else.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 7/28/03

"Paul Andersen" wrote in message
I was drilling the last hole (to insert brass rod as hinges) in my
project - cleaning them out after varnishing actually - and the 1/16"
drill bit broke just below the surface.

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this mess? The jewelry box top is
oak that has been veneered over on the outside and trimmed with ebony.
It is 1/2" thick and the hole is in the side, near the back. I am
highly motivated to repair this rather than try to make a new top.

Suggestions please.

Woodchip

Paul Andersen wrote:
Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this mess?

What about supergluing the bit back together? Seriously, put a dab on
the broken shaft, stick it in there, let it set for a minute, then
carefully back the bit piece back out. If memory serves, superglue
doesn't bond all that well to wood, so the wood bond should break
before the metal one does.

You might want to experiment a little with superglue and wood before
you do this for real, I guess. No doubt someone else will soon be
along soon to point out what a stupid idea this is...

-BAT

I'd get a two-fingered tap extractor like one of those shown on Walton's
site and a small tap wrench. This tool has two small fingers that slide
down into the drill bit's flutes. You can then carefully back out the
broken bit.

http://www.waltontools.com/catpdfs/tapxtrs.pdf

You should be able to order one of these from some place like MSC
Direct, or Travers and have it the next day.

Phil


Paul Andersen wrote:
I was drilling the last hole (to insert brass rod as hinges) in my
project - cleaning them out after varnishing actually - and the 1/16"
drill bit broke just below the surface.

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this mess? The jewelry box top is
oak that has been veneered over on the outside and trimmed with ebony.
It is 1/2" thick and the hole is in the side, near the back. I am
highly motivated to repair this rather than try to make a new top.

Suggestions please.

Woodchip