Hi. I'm a complete newbie. I'm wanting to be able to drill through the axial centre of a one meter length of round dowel/wood. The drill of course would fit in the tailstock (I'd need to modify my current tailstock BTW). I'd need to be using at least a 500mm long drill. So, how is the task I've set for accomplished in terms of practicality? What do I need to consider, etc? Thank you. Rich
Drilling through the axial centre of a one meter length of wood
- Thread starter richard6299
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What diameter?
With drilling, the length/diameter ratio has a big effect on the process. A 500mm long 3mm dia. hole is a different animal to a 500mm long 100mm dia. hole.
Wood dowel will be more difficult than metal as the material is non-uniform.
If I wanted such an item, I would route a semi-circular groove in two pieces of wood, glue them together and then turn the outside concentric with the hole.
With drilling, the length/diameter ratio has a big effect on the process. A 500mm long 3mm dia. hole is a different animal to a 500mm long 100mm dia. hole.
Wood dowel will be more difficult than metal as the material is non-uniform.
If I wanted such an item, I would route a semi-circular groove in two pieces of wood, glue them together and then turn the outside concentric with the hole.
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
Google "wood turning long hole boring".
Basically you need a hollow centre for the tailstock, drilled to be good fit to a long bit, so that it will be aligned. You can power it through with an electric drill, or hold the bit and turn the workpiece. Then reverse the workpiece and drill from the other end.
I bought this kit which has various extras to make it easier and have used it a couple of times no prob. Hollow centre for the headstock too so you don't need to reverse the workpiece WOODTURNING LONG HOLE BORING KIT - 1MT & 2MT - MADE IN UK | eBay
This most often done for electric chord for lamp standards etc. In my case for the pull string through a replacement joint in a broken sunshade.
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Phil Pascoe
Established Member
What size dowel, what size hole?
When looking at doing something don't look at what seems the obvious answer, in your case just drill a hole. Look outside the box like Chai has suggested which is a much more precise approach and easily done with a router, some jobs are better fabricated.
Orraloon
Established Member
A 1m long hole in wood is not something I would even try. Drill will likely wander way off center. Drilling from both ends thats still 500mm. I have tried drill extensions on the lathe but results get worse the deeper you go. As some others have suggested cut the channel on 2 bits of wood then glue them up and turn the outside. Result guaranteed and you have saved the expense on very pricey drill bit.
Regards
John
Regards
John
worn thumbs
Established Member
I've done something very similar in the preliminary stages of making a standard lamp.I had a tame welder attach a 1 metre length of tube to a drill bit and made a couple of drill guides from 25mm ply.The whole collection of parts was lined up on a long cast iron surface table and I drilled from both ends.the holes actually met quite closely,but not perfectly.Which was why I was relieved to have left enough of a turning allowance to use a live centre to locate in the bore and still leave a little to work with.Would I attempt to drill through a section that was already finished size?Not a chance!Carefully splitting a blank and going through the routing process detailed earlier would be much more certain of success.Particularly if care was taken to align the pieces accurately when gluing back together,to achieve the ideal grain match.
Tris
What am I doing here?
https://beyondtools.com/en-gb/products/5mm-5-16-x-838mm-lamp-hole-auger-boring-spoon-bit-by-clifton
This would do the job, but as others point out you really need to drill first and turn after.
You would also need a lamp drive centre and a hollow tail centre
This would do the job, but as others point out you really need to drill first and turn after.
You would also need a lamp drive centre and a hollow tail centre
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
500m from both ends, they wander. I've had holes miss by an inch in well less than a metre.
It is standard practice, though, to drill first and then turn the item around the centred hole.
It is standard practice, though, to drill first and then turn the item around the centred hole.
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
If the hollow tail centre is a precise fit to the long drill then it won't wander (much) as long as you don't force it. You just need to buy the right bits of kit.
This is what I bought and it works fine. WOODTURNING LONG HOLE BORING KIT - 1MT & 2MT - MADE IN UK | eBay
You can drill before or after turning. You fit either a point or a round bar centre to the morse tapered centre units, or leave the hole empty so you can feed the drill bit though . Very neat bit of kit. There are similar other makes.
It's easier to drive the bit with an electric drill with the workpiece stationary, rather than turning the workpiece and holding the drill steady. That Clifton bit with a handle looks a bad idea to me but I could be wrong.
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richnfamous
Established Member
you don't need to modify the tailstock. all you need to do it make a jig that attaches to the toolrest with a hole big enough for the shank of your 'boring spoon' (essentially a bar with a 'spoon bit' on the end)
you don't say how big or deep the hole needs to be... anyway, your mileage may vary, but that's how I've done it in the past
After you showed it above, I wondered how it worked in practice.
With the drill only partially fluted, I guess you have to peck drill and then withdraw completely to clear the chips. As it goes through either headstock or tailstock, do the chips fill the headstock spindle or tailstock barrel?
It seems a bit a of one trick pony insofaras everyone seems to sell it in 8mm only. I guess a lot of that is dictated by the through hole that will fit into a MT1 or MT2 centre.
Axminster sell a posh version with an ER20 holder for the bit so it is easier to grip when pushing it in and out.
If you had more than one item to make, and if the 8mm size worked, it is a good solution.
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
Yep. No problem.
No you pull them out with the bit, as above.
Exactly. Maybe it could be used as a reasonably precise starter hole if you wanted to bore anything bigger. I imagine a long Forstner bit with an 8mm guide peg instead of a point, to fit the hole. I wonder if anybody makes something along those lines?
Easier without a handle - drill and pull out with an electric drill, the lathe not turning.
PS Axminster seem to supply the same sorts of items as the kit I linked to above, so you can piece together what you want rather than buying the kit, but there wouldn't be much in it price-wise.
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
I can assure you the drills still wander even with the correct gear, not every time but invariably on the most import thing you're making.
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
Yours may wander, mine didn't.
Not used it a lot though.I imagine a spoon bit would wander more than a centre spur bit. Also has to be well engineered to fit the hollow centre, sharp, pulled out frequently to release shavings, and not forced
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
It depends on the design of the tailstock, my (28 - 40) tailstock blocks up regularly - I don't even replace the circlip on the wheel anymore so it's quicker to remove the quill - you can buy a ring centre with holes in the sides for the chips to fall through before they get to the quill, I have one it's for a 5/16" drill but I use a 3/8" the extra little bit of clearance makes wiring slightly easier
Yorkieguy
Established Member
The Planet/Rotur kit which Jacob gave a link to in posts #4 & #10 above has all that you need, does an excellent job, and the link Jacob gave seems to be the cheapest supplier. Record Power used to do a kit, now discontinued, which had a 'spoon bit' rather than an Auger.
These two videos - one by Axminster, the other by Record Power, shows the long hole boring process in use:
Axminster:
Long Hole Boring - Woodturning Fitments - Woodturning - Activities | Axminster Tools
Record Power (discontinued):
Unless you're going to use the kit often, it makes no sense in buying one if you have a router. As has been said, if you use two flat pieces of wood hlf the thickness of the desired diameter, you can just rout a half-round groove along the length of each piece, then glue the two halves together, and turn it to round on the lathe. That way, the hole can be any diameter you want, whereas long hole borers tend to be 8mm diam for lighting flex for table/standard lamps.
Good luck in your endeavours.
David.
These two videos - one by Axminster, the other by Record Power, shows the long hole boring process in use:
Axminster:
Long Hole Boring - Woodturning Fitments - Woodturning - Activities | Axminster Tools
Record Power (discontinued):
Unless you're going to use the kit often, it makes no sense in buying one if you have a router. As has been said, if you use two flat pieces of wood hlf the thickness of the desired diameter, you can just rout a half-round groove along the length of each piece, then glue the two halves together, and turn it to round on the lathe. That way, the hole can be any diameter you want, whereas long hole borers tend to be 8mm diam for lighting flex for table/standard lamps.
Good luck in your endeavours.
David.
Tris
What am I doing here?
Shell augers can be had in a range of sizes, not just 8mm but that seems to be the most popular size for lamp cable.
A well made shell auger like the one I linked to won't wander much in straight grained timber over about 900mm.
A well made shell auger like the one I linked to won't wander much in straight grained timber over about 900mm.
Thanks for the advice/experience. The piloted drill is a good idea.
I might buy a cheap one from Toolfix and see how easy it is to add a pilot.
In the metalworking world, they have piloted counterbores, which is a similar idea.
Richard_C
Established Member
Does the hole need to be the same diameter throughout? My way of doing tall table lamps is to drill 8mm from the top, maybe 100 or 150 deep, then reverse and use a 30mm forstner plus extension from the other end. The 8 meets the 30 well enough to push a cable through, but rarely in the middle. If I were to do anything longer I would split and rout as suggested. If no router I guess you could chisel out a groove in each piece, no one will ever see how rough it is once the 2 halves are glued up.
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