Drilling the hole for a 3 foot mill

[Daner Steel]

I have a 3 ' peppermilll to make and I'm not looking forward to drilling that hole:)

I may have to make up a extra long extension for the bit, or drill from both ends in.

should be fun.

Any tips are greatly appreciated

[Jim Burr]

I always drill from both ends...any deviation is minimized at the ends and passed on to the middle where, unless it's a huge amount...should not be a factor. If the option exists, try to drill in segments of 8-12" and then glue it up. The longest I've done so far was 14". I had about 1/16" deviation at the center. Good luck!!

[Steve Busey]

You could google search for a lamp auger bit, they're usually over 24", but not 3 feet. They're also pretty pricy, so it would depend on how many of these mills you plan to build.

[Daner Steel]

I only need to make the one mill and it has to be solid with no glue ups 3'

I'm wondering if i could use the shaftless kit, I normally use the kits with the shaft for the 12" mills and down.

I may have to make a 18" bit extention in the sparky side of the shop

[curtis rosche]

get one of the bit extensions from an electrical supply shop. my stepdad has tons of extensions so he could drill through a wall from one spot

[Tom Wilson66]

Could the blank be made of two pieces, with the "hole" being a longitudinal groove between the two laminations? Have seen this done on several flatwork projects where a long hole is needed. Even flatwork guys can have a good idea once in a while!