Drilling very straight for very cheap

[Jared Walters]

I have a challenge to overcome and maybe you guys can help me.

I just got my lathe, grinder, tools etc and I'm out of money. I don't have a chuck because I didn't need one immediately... I can do almost all of my turning on the spur center.

Now I have a dilemma. I am experimenting with different finish combinations on many different materials. I need to apply multiple layers to small objects that require curing time in between, but don't want to leave them on my lathe for days.

My idea was to drill a small and fairly shallow hole into the base of the objects and insert a normal hex power screwdriver bit into the hole. Then I can mount it on the lathe with an inexpensive 2MT drill chuck. I can apply a coat of finish, then grab it with pliers by the drill part without touching the object itself and put it aside for curing/drying. Then I can just return it to the lathe for the next coat of finish or even just stick in in a cordless drill.

So the challenge is to drill a shallow (3/4") hole into the end grain of the wood, perfectly straight and perfectly centered, without a drill press or an expensive chuck. It's a simple question, but the reason I explained the purpose is in case I am over complicating things and there is an easier way remount fully turned objects without harming the finish.

[Roger Chandler]

I think you need a jacobs chuck on a morse taper......fairly inexpensive.......less than $30 usually.

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/TM32.html

they come in morse taper #1 and #2

[Dwight Rutherford]

Think of your lathe as a horizontal drill press. Use the Jacobs chuck as suggested above with a drill bit. The tailstock will drive your workpiece for drilling.

[Marty Tippin]

I think you need a jacobs chuck on a morse taper

Yes, but... Lacking a chuck to hold the workpiece to the headstock, how does one turn the workpiece against the jacobs chuck?

If you can mount the piece to the lathe such that you can get to the end where you want to drill a hole, you don't really need a jacobs chuck at all for a simple shallow hole - just a drill bit held by a set of locking pliers. The bit will find it's own center as the lathe turns.

Honestly, your best course of action if you're going to spend any more money will be to get a 4-jaw chuck of some sort. Penn State and Grizzly both sell fairly cheap chucks that will get the job done until you figure out whether you need something better or not. To me, a chuck is indispensable - or at least, it became indispensable once I used one for the first time...

[Jared Walters]

Marty hit the nail on the head. The concern isn't holding the drill bit, it's holding the work-piece.

How do you feel about the woodcraft 4-jaw chuck for $99? It's fairly well reviewed and I have a woodcraft locally where I could buy one. Do chucks fit universally or might I need an adapter for my lathe?

I'm using the harbor freight 5-speed benchtop lathe. My friend has a rockler excelsior and it looks exactly the same (I'm sure it was made in the same factory overseas).

[Dennis Ford]

If you are truly looking for "perfectly centered and perfectly aligned"; the answer is easy (it can not be done).
For a reasonably good solution; drill the hole and glue in the hex before turning the item. Grip the hex in a Jacobs type chuck for turning and it should re-chuck very close to the same axis. Depending on the quality of your equipment; the error should be only a few thousands of an inch (possibly less).

[Paul Gilbert]

Use a waste block on your face plate. CA glue your blank to the waste block. Drill your hole with the Jacobs Chuck. Knock off the blank and mount it between centers using the drilled hole as the center for your cone center in the tail stock. When ready to sand, screw in your bit and mount in the chuck in your head stock.

For things like bird house ornaments or acorns I drill a hole and mount that on a turned tenon sized to match the diameter that I drilled in the blank. I use a block of wood that has been taped to match the threads on my spindle. This facilitates rapidly changing jigs that will run truer than rechucked blocks in a 4 jaw scroll chuck. Beal makes taps for wood that work well and are not expensive.

[Jared Walters]

Hmm I'm honestly surprised that CA holds it well enough.

[Marvin Hasenak]

Make a mandrel, take a 3" long blank turn between centers, on the tailstock end, turn to the size of hole you need to drill for your set up. Then drill your project blank, next stick your "mandrel" in the drilled hole. Turn your project, pull off of the mandrel and stick the drill part in the hole.

Your mandrel will have spur drive marks on that end, those marks have to be realigned every time exactly or you will be off center turning.

[Roger Chandler]

Yes, but... Lacking a chuck to hold the workpiece to the headstock, how does one turn the workpiece against the jacobs chuck?

If you can mount the piece to the lathe such that you can get to the end where you want to drill a hole, you don't really need a jacobs chuck at all for a simple shallow hole - just a drill bit held by a set of locking pliers. The bit will find it's own center as the lathe turns.

Honestly, your best course of action if you're going to spend any more money will be to get a 4-jaw chuck of some sort. Penn State and Grizzly both sell fairly cheap chucks that will get the job done until you figure out whether you need something better or not. To me, a chuck is indispensable - or at least, it became indispensable once I used one for the first time...

Most lathes come with a faceplate.........if the spur drive is all that is used, you might have a problem for sure, but if the spindle is large enough, then a couple of screws can be used in a bit of extended material that is not needed for a project. It seems the OP mentions an experiment with finishes, so a screw hole might be a moot point in any case. I do agree that a scroll chuck should be the basic part of any turners equipment, however!

[Prashun Patel]

The only reason you'd need to drill perfectly is if you were remounting for more turning.

But all you want to do is use your lathe to hold the piece so you can rotate it easily and finish it easily. Why does the hole therefore need to be perfect?

Couldn't you just chuck your piece end up in a face vise and do it by eye with a portable drill. You could even use a guide or dowel jig to make it reasonably vertical.

Who cares if it doesn't line up with your tail. In fact, if the hole is shallow enough, you'll likely be able to bend it to meet your tail perfectly if you need to.

[Marvin Hasenak]

Still a lot easier to turn around the hole to get the item centered than try to drill it after the item is turned. The easy way is to throw money at the problem and buy a scroll chuck, the cheap practical way is to drill the hole. Then mount on the mandrel and turn to shape.

You have the drill chuck, buy a 3" bolt of the same size you need to drill, cut the head off of the bolt, and use it as a mandrel in your drill chuck. Like a jam chuck with the tailstock pressure. Hole not the perfect right size? Add a layer of painters tape, one layer at a time. Just drill blank and mount on mandrel. Or since you are going to use screwdriver bit, use can it instead of the bolt, but personally I like the bolt mandrel because it will be longer.

[Gary Baler]

I have a Jacobs chuck from Harbor Freight that cost $14.99. If you get a 20% off coupon that is about $12. pretty cheap

[Thom Sturgill]

Your tailstock center should have made a mark for the bit to start in. Mount your bit in the headstock in a jacobs chuck and push the piece onto it by hand. Since this is only for finishing, it should not matter if it is not perfectly straight.

[robert baccus]

Most lathes come with a faceplate.........if the spur drive is all that is used, you might have a problem for sure, but if the spindle is large enough, then a couple of screws can be used in a bit of extended material that is not needed for a project. It seems the OP mentions an experiment with finishes, so a screw hole might be a moot point in any case. I do agree that a scroll chuck should be the basic part of any turners equipment, however!

You don't mention faceplates--do I assume you have one. If you do you have numerous solutions. If not a homemade screw chuck mounted in a drill chuck would work and allow remounting.