Doug Herzberg
12-22-2011, 6:48 PM
I turned a knife handle recently. The shank of the knife blade was a perfect cylinder, so I selected the proper size drill bit, drilled a piece of scrap and tested the fit. It was perfect - snug, but enough room for some CA glue. I drilled the turning blank with the same drill bit, but did not test the fit. After turning and finishing the handle, I found the hole was too small. I cleaned the bore out with the original drill bit, but still it didn't fit. Long story short, I had to ream out the hole with the next two drill sizes to get the same perfect fit I originally (and still) had in the test piece. Nearly ruined the turning.
This is a complete mystery to me. The test bore was in a scrap of cottonwood and the turning was Osage orange, but that is the only difference. Both bores were into end grain and done on a drill press with the blank securely mounted in a vice. The wood was dry. Obviously I should have tested the fit in the actual turning blank, but it just didn't occur to me.
Anyone else have such an experience? Any ideas as to cause? I have to be missing something.
This is a complete mystery to me. The test bore was in a scrap of cottonwood and the turning was Osage orange, but that is the only difference. Both bores were into end grain and done on a drill press with the blank securely mounted in a vice. The wood was dry. Obviously I should have tested the fit in the actual turning blank, but it just didn't occur to me.
Anyone else have such an experience? Any ideas as to cause? I have to be missing something.