I have to drill ~3/8" holes 1 1/2" deep into the center of each end of 6, 2" x 15" dowels. Just wondering if anyone has any tips for doing this? I don't have a large enough lathe but do have a drill press or could hand drill. These are for hanger bolts and threaded inserts. They need to be reasonably straight. Turning the table on the drill press to 90 degrees and clamping the dowels for drilling would work but wondered if anyone had a more expedient (read easier) solution?
Hmmmm.... Thinking about what I have handy, perhaps a holding jig that has a 2" hole drilled into a series of 2x4 cutoffs, restacked high enough to support the Dowels (maybe 8"?). Could also drill larger for a sleeve of some 2" ID pipe (PVC) or just hole a top and bottom plate and form a box.
Maybe better would be the above box, cut in half through the holes. This would allow leaving the back half clamped to the DP table. You could then easily add/remove dowels with out the chuck getting in the way. Add dowel, replace other side of box to clamp it in place.
Of course it seems a lathe has the best potential for accurate hole location.
If your drill press has enough depth below the table to handle the length of the dowel, one idea that comes to mind is to drill a hole the size of the dowel through a block clamped to the table and then change the bit to the size needed in the dowel and use the hole in the block to keep the dowel centered on the bit. You just have to make sure that the table and block are both securely held in place. You may need to find a way to hold the dowel so it doesn't spin
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
I just thought of a variation for doing it with a hand drill, though still using using your drill press for the jig to get a precise center location: Drill a hole the size of the dowel in a block but not all the way through. Without moving the block, then drill a 3/8" hole in the center of the larger hole. If you use a forstner bit for the larger hole, You can use the center point as a guide to drill the through hole and as long as you are careful and keep the drill square, the jig can be made entirely with a hand held drill. Put this block over the dowel and use the 3/8" hole to guide the hand held drill.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
Basically what I was thinking, though with a 15" dowel, the DP chuck is likely to get in the way of dowel changing from the top. If they were shorter, the drill the 2" hole, insert 3/8 bit, start drilling dowels is a great way to keep things centered.
Now your second post is the real "duh!" moment. Simple, accurate, easy, no-brainer, (shall I go on?). Perfect!
If I had to do that, I would superglue together a stack of several pieces of 3/4" plywood on top of each other, and on a drill press, drill out my diameter needed. Then I would use other dowels around the outside of the ply and drill several holes as close to the outer edge of the dowel as possible, and insert some dowels through them, to act as a cheap clamping, locator. Then you could pop the located plywood with the drilled out holes onto the end of the dowel. Then start drilling through the stacked plywood, and have a fairly good way to keep straight alignment using a hand drill, and a bit that fit your size needed.
I actually did that last night George although I had to drill each piece of 3/4" separately as the only thing I had in 2" for drilling was a holesaw. Glued 5 layers up last night. Will test it out today but should work well.
I agree Tony. I have a Taig lathe which is a bit small!
If you have a Taig lathe, I'd turn a quick guide from brass or aluminum Foghorn. Just a piece of 2.25 or 2.5 bar with a 2" bore on one end to fit on the dowel and a 3/8 thru hole on the other and and Bob's your uncle.
Good suggestion Ken. I'll see how well my makeshift method works and then might bust out the Taig. Pretty sure I can buy an extended bed for it as well but likely not worth it for a dozen or so holes.
Drill a hole the size of the dowel in a block but not all the way through. Without moving the block, then drill a 3/8" hole in the center of the larger hole. If you use a forstner bit for the larger hole, You can use the center point as a guide to drill the through hole and as long as you are careful and keep the drill square, the jig can be made entirely with a hand held drill. Put this block over the dowel and use the 3/8" hole to guide the hand held drill.
That's exactly what came to my mind as well, since I have these for smaller dowels
I hear you LBD. Ship it over and I'll give it a whirl. Ha! Not a bad idea with the screw clamp but too late. Mos, I've already glued up 5 layers of 3/4" ply with a 2" hole. I'll be using the glued up block for attaching the first dowel to the base so it's serving two purposes. Used a hole saw and cut the squares a little over size. Then wrapped packing tape around a dowel end and used the dowel to keep the squares centered for glue up. Clamped that to my drill press vise. The clamp holds things securely. I'll post up some pics.
I’m late to this, but the hole-in-a-hole-in-a-block seems like the easiest to me. Especially if you’ve only got a handful to do. Looking forward to seeing the pics!
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
ive read this with great frustration ! he's got a standing floor drill press. turn the table sideways if the dowel is too long. ive got probably 2 feet i can lower the table. do like the duck showed and clamp it up and mark the center with a template he showed ! then drill it ! you dont need a lathe with a 4 foot extention bed kids ! his dowels are only 15" ! am i missing something here ?🤔 i think it's getting over thought ?
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
well..........yeah !!! but why ? because it makes conversation ? i love when the first person answers the question and 10 more feel they need to say the same thing ! 🤣🤣🤣
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
