Thread: drilling holes

I usually drill mine with the drillpress, mine has about 80mm travel so not a problem.
But if I am going for maximum accuracy, I turn the blank round and put it in a collet chuck and drill on the lathe.

what brand is your 80mm Brad?

Same as Brad, I use a drill press. Mine is Sherwood, not sure on model number but it's the biggest bench model without all the computer stuff.

You could start the hole with your drill press then finish by hand. Just remember to clean out the drill bit as you go.

Originally Posted by brainstrust

what brand is your 80mm Brad?

It’s an old Carbatec job. Pretty sure it’s just a generic Taiwanese made machine which has been rebadged.

Could you not drill the blanks on the lathe?? I'm nt a turner, but I've seen friends do this (who don't have a drill press).

Having tried the drill press with various results (from good to woeful) I then went to using the lathe. With a keyless chuck in the tailstock and using brad point drills my success rate went from about 80 to near as damn it 100%. I use the normal 4 jaw chuck for my square (or sort of square) blanks, slightly tighten the jaws and run the drill bit up near the blank. I lightly tap the blank until the drill looks central, turn the blank 90 degrees and repeat - all by eye. Then tighten the jaws and do that exercise again. This all takes about as long as I used to take to draw diagonal lines to find the "alleged" centre. I run the lathe at around 400-500rpm, advance the drill very slowly to start, and clear the drill bit as soon as it starts to bind. There are plenty of ways to drill blanks, but this one works for me.

If the jaws of your drill press vice are tall enough you can drill to the 50mm point and stop the DP. Then lift the blank up a couple centimetres with the drill bit still in the hole and retighten the vise. Now you can finish the hole. You still need to peck drill to clear the chips.

Pete

Originally Posted by RossM

Could you not drill the blanks on the lathe?? I'm nt a turner, but I've seen friends do this (who don't have a drill press).

When drilling on the lathe one should be aware that tailstock quill threads generally are not designed for the constant wear when used as a "drill press". It also pays to have a good look at the base of the tailstock as some lathes have very little depth of casting that fits between the bedways and can wear very quickly. Both points are more applicable to the "cheaper" lathes on the market, particularly mini & midi lathes.

It is advisable to keep the maintenance up and keep the quill thread well lubricated. Replacement parts are not readily available or almost non existent for even some "reputable" manufacturers.

Other points to keep in mind is that the alignment of the tailstock on the bedways of a wood lathe is not as "tight" as a metal lathe and without any form of "gibs adjustment" the operator must allow for it and adopt procedures to minimize / eliminate any miss alignment.