Drilling using the lathe - a tip for starting the drill bit

[BigB]

Here is a tip for starting the drill bit into the blank when drilling on the lathe so that you get a straight hole through the blank.


Load the blank into your chuck and secure it.  Then square off the end of the blank.  This is the first key to a good and straight hole.  If the end of the blank isn't square, the flutes of the drill bit will want to grab the higher areas, and wander off center, which will end up leaving a wallered out oblong hole.







You don't have to have a perfect finish on the end, but make sure it is fairly flush and flat.





Next, start making a dimple in the center of the blank.  This is essentially a pilot hole for the drill bit to follow.  This will give the drill bit a centered starting point.









I drill on the slowest speed on my lathe.  The grain in a wood blank will always want to pull the drill bit off center, since there are different densities in the layers of wood.  If you start out straight, you will have an excellent chance it will end up straight.  If the bit starts to wander at first and you keep drilling, the hole won't be straight or it will be oblong when finished.  Go slow when feeding the drill bit into the wood at first.  If it starts to wobble, then pull out the drill bit and redo the dimple in the wood.

Brian

[jcz]

Great tips B, thats really good advice for us all to use.

[VECtor Calls]

Very well!  Very good and very timely for me!

Parker

[dogcatcher]

Good one BigB

Marvin

[VECtor Calls]

   I feel like I've REALLY been missing out on something that could expand my call making options by a LOT!

Parker

[dogcatcher]

Parker you are in for the ride of your life with that chuck.  You will be more than surprised at what you have been missing.  Have fun and enjoy the ride.

Marvin

[Repeat]

BigB good advice I have just one thing to add my brother in law is a machinist and gave me this little trick take a centering drill bit put it in your drill chuck on tail stock holder the hole will all ways be centered with your headstock you can find the bit at enco.com page 52 in catalog it will give you a centered hole to start your drill bit..it has helped me get straighter starts...Thanks again BigB for your post Repeat

[SnwbrdrRm]

BigB good advice I have just one thing to add my brother in law is a machinist and gave me this little trick take a centering drill bit put it in your drill chuck on tail stock holder the hole will all ways be centered with your headstock you can find the bit at enco.com page 52 in catalog it will give you a centered hole to start your drill bit..it has helped me get straighter starts...Thanks again BigB for your post Repeat

Repeat,

I use a centerdrill on everything prior to drilling it, they are super rigid and will prevent your drill bit from walking at all...I use on both the lathe and mill

I just saw you were from Cottonwood, I grew up in Anderson lol!!!!!

[Repeat]

snwbrdrrm do you still live around here are did you leave this state! I'm right off of bowman rd area it is a small world!
Repeat

[Lonehowl]

I had a shop cut a 5/8" bit down to make a very short "stubbie" bit. It worked pretty good, but sometimes would actually make the block of wood wobble slightly. I figured out that if it wasnt kept very sharp, there had to be some give somewhere, the bit was to stiff to give, so the wood did.
Mark

[SnwbrdrRm]

snwbrdrrm do you still live around here are did you leave this state! I'm right off of bowman rd area it is a small world!
Repeat

I left in 2003 when I went in the military. I live in NJ now...I used to go out bowman all the time lol...hunted on cottonwood creek a lot for ducks and deer. My family all live in anderson and redding still though!!!

[Repeat]

Lonehowl
when you had the bit cut to a stubby bit did they grind the tip at a sharper angel or back to what it was I would put a sharper angel on just the tip kind of like a brad point or better yet buy your self one of these bits from enco
you will all ways be centered with the tailstock...
Repeat

[SnwbrdrRm]

Lonehowl
when you had the bit cut to a stubby bit did they grind the tip at a sharper angel or back to what it was I would put a sharper angel on just the tip kind of like a brad point or better yet buy your self one of these bits from enco
you will all ways be centered with the tailstock...
Repeat

do you guys seem to prefer a sharper angle to a wider one for acrylics and woods? I have a Darex drill bit sharpener and can sharpen to to a wide variety of angles and also add a split tip if I wanted to...

[Bob from Eames Custom Calls]

Another thing that will help with the cenetering of the start hole is to take a very light facing cut acroos the edge you are drilling just to flatten everything out. You would be amazed at how little it takes to jump the bit off and start the hole off center.

 Bob

[Repeat]

I like the brad point bits for wood but I always use my centering bit and I also agree it is best to square up the end before you drill to help keep the bit from walking.
I square up both ends I mount one side in the chuck first then mark your center then tap or use a center punch to get a dimple for the bit to start...a little extra time to start out as square as you can will save lots of wood if you start crooked you will end up the same on the other side...if your blank is a little wider than say 1.5" you might get away with it but on pen blanks 3/4" almost never that is the hardest thing about antle pieces finding them straight enough or smaller dia. so as not to end up with to much marrow showing..
Repeat