Drilling through the axial centre of a one meter length of wood

[Jacob]

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.

Thanks for that - now have a name for it - a 'piloted' drill!
Maybe adapt a hole saw?

 

[aet1]

Jacob, you have let oldies down.
Get a metal rod, some heatproof gloves and a gas torch, heat the end of the rod red hot, push and twist into the wood until it is obviously not burning ,remove and repeat many,many,many times. I remember my Dad doing this for a table lamp, but of course that was not 3 ft + long. Best to do it outdoors I remember eyes smarting.

 

[Jacob]

Jacob, you have let oldies down.
Get a metal rod, some heatproof gloves and a gas torch, heat the end of the rod red hot, push and twist into the wood until it is obviously not burning ,remove and repeat many,many,many times. I remember my Dad doing this for a table lamp, but of course that was not 3 ft + long. Best to do it outdoors I remember eyes smarting.

Yebbut they aren't interested in the old ways, nowadays it's all about shiny gadgets and shopping!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.stilesandbates.co.uk/planet-1-piloted-drive-2mt-2797.phpThese cut 1" holes deep enough to make the treading through of the flex easy.

edit - or of course to form the mortices for built work such as standard lamps.

 

[rocketman_k]

https://www.stilesandbates.co.uk/planet-1-piloted-drive-2mt-2797.phpThese cut 1" holes deep enough to make the treading through of the flex easy.

edit - or of course to form the mortices for built work such as standard lamps.

Maybe a little off topic…..I volunteer at a working windmill, the old millwrights day books have an entry from the early 19th century relating to this topic: At the time of converting from canvas covered “common sails” to the newer “patent” sails it was necessary to drill a hole right through the centre of the wooden wind shaft which, if I remember correctly, is about 13’ 6”” long. The millwrights charged for 1 man for one week to carry out this task which I believe would have been carried out in-situ. Unfortunately there is no information on how this incredible feat was performed……..

 

[worn thumbs]

Equally off topic,a man I last saw in the 1980's had spent some time working in a boatyard that had formerly built 50 foot wooden fishing boats.He told me that on the wall of the engineer's shop they had a thirty foot long boring bar which had been used to bore for the propellor shafts.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I expect it was a little stiffer than the 5/16" or 3/8" ones we use.

Some years ago I heard a chap saying they'd cleared out the workshops of a defunct engineering company. They found a 108" micrometer.

 

[Jacob]

Equally off topic,a man I last saw in the 1980's had spent some time working in a boatyard that had formerly built 50 foot wooden fishing boats.He told me that on the wall of the engineer's shop they had a thirty foot long boring bar which had been used to bore for the propellor shafts.

Described in "From Tree to Sea" Ted Frost. Boring for the "shaft tube". Not 30' long however, engine nearer the stern.
Quite a complicated bit of kit, hand driven from the stern after the boat was mostly built, with the hole for the tube already started - previously cut in the stern post.
Excellent book by the way.

 

[aet1]

Yebbut they aren't interested in the old ways, nowadays it's all about shiny gadgets and shopping!

So very true.

 

[Fergie 307]

I remember seeing a documentary featuring the making of a blowpipe. Never really thought about it, but I suppose I had always assumed they used something that was already hollow, like bamboo. Not a bit of it, this old chap squatted on top of a scaffold with the pole upright, then drilled a hole down the middle using a small cutter on the end of a series of ever longer sticks, Rolling the stick to and fro between his hands, as you might if you were trying to make fire. How he kept it centred I have no idea, just practice I suppose.

 

[TimV]

I remember seeing a documentary featuring the making of a blowpipe. Never really thought about it, but I suppose I had always assumed they used something that was already hollow, like bamboo. Not a bit of it, this old chap squatted on top of a scaffold with the pole upright, then drilled a hole down the middle using a small cutter on the end of a series of ever longer sticks, Rolling the stick to and fro between his hands, as you might if you were trying to make fire. How he kept it centred I have no idea, just practice I suppose.

I have an experience that makes me think if you can start the hole true it tends to stay true. About thirty years ago I was making some organ parts that needed a 2mm stainless steel wire inserted about 60mm axially into the end of a 9mm wooden dowel, . I did this in a Hardinge lathe. Being in a hurry I just started drilling the first set and they wandered horribly, but for the remainder I took the time to use a centre drill and they came out perfectly true. Obviously I didn't need to keep adding extensions as your chap did, but I had to keep removing the drill bit to remove the sawdust, and tbh I'm still astonished that such a small diameter drill didn't wander. Not sure this helps @richard6299 though! (even though the proportions might be similar)

 

[paulrbarnard]

I remember seeing a documentary featuring the making of a blowpipe. Never really thought about it, but I suppose I had always assumed they used something that was already hollow, like bamboo. Not a bit of it, this old chap squatted on top of a scaffold with the pole upright, then drilled a hole down the middle using a small cutter on the end of a series of ever longer sticks, Rolling the stick to and fro between his hands, as you might if you were trying to make fire. How he kept it centred I have no idea, just practice I suppose.

I suspect they started with a full round branch and drilled down the center so the growth rings formed a circle around the cutter. That would keep it centred.

 

[Cooper]

I have an experience that makes me think if you can start the hole true it tends to stay true. About thirty years ago I was making some organ parts that needed a 2mm stainless steel wire inserted about 60mm axially into the end of a 9mm wooden dowel, . I did this in a Hardinge lathe. Being in a hurry I just started drilling the first set and they wandered horribly, but for the remainder I took the time to use a centre drill and they came out perfectly true. Obviously I didn't need to keep adding extensions as your chap did, but I had to keep removing the drill bit to remove the sawdust, and tbh I'm still astonished that such a small diameter drill didn't wander. Not sure this helps @richard6299 though! (even though the proportions might be similar)

I’ve never had much luck drilling deep holes on the lathe, I’ve presumed that the stiffness of the bit, the bit following the softest part of the wood and one side of the tip of the bit cutting better than the other cause the wandering. So taking care as mentioned above probably is very important.
Though the shell bits we used making table lamps only cut on one side but were much stiffer than twist bits.