How would you drill a 3" hole 3 Feet deep into a upright tree stump?

[George Farra]

Hello All,

It's been a while since I've been on these boards. I hope everyone is doing well.

A friend of mine has a tree close to his deck which has been lopped down to a very tall stump. The tall stump is still attached to the earth, and most people would create a carving out it.

He wants to turn it into a light fixture and in doing so he needs to bore a 3" hole 3 feet deep into this stump which is in the vertical position. The hole will accept a galvanized pole used to anchor the actual lighted portion to the rest of the stump. The actual lighted portion description is below

The lighted portion will be made using 4" cutoffs (disks) from the stump. The assembly of disks will be about 8-9 feet and will have an led flourescent style bulb in the center. This assembly will be mounted to the stump via the 3" pipe sunk into the hole he is gonna bore.

So.....if you had to drill 3 feet deep into a stump from the top heading to the bottom and the hole is 3" wide.......how would you do it??

Thanks in advance

George

[rudy de haas]

You can rent tools that will do that - but remember that it takes two heavy men to handle those safely and you will need to rent scaffolding too to make something to stand on while working.

[George Farra]

Hi Rudy,

2 strong dudes is doable. He will need to figure out the scafolding part to work safely. Would these tools be similar to a post hole auger but for wood??

Thanks, George

[Malcolm McLeod]

.......how would you do it??

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-SF3001-Self-Feed-Drill-Bit/dp/B001GNC8YG

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-EX1012-Straight-Shank-Extension/ (https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-EX1012-Straight-Shank-Extension/dp/B00ELC1Y3A/ref=pd_sim_469_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00ELC1Y3A&pd_rd_r=ZY0MRJNVXQ32JJ2C8MSH&pd_rd_w=qTXtt&pd_rd_wg=v7hhq&psc=1&refRID=ZY0MRJNVXQ32JJ2C8MSH) x 3 each

https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-1675-6-2-Inch-Joist-included/dp/B00004T16M/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1493921219&sr=1-1&keywords=hole+hawg

Depending on your location, the stump roots will rot fairly quickly. My aunt had a 48"dia pecan stump that lasted ~6 yrs; then we hauled dirt for the next 3yrs trying to fill the root void as it slowly collapsed. To each their own, but I'm not sure how much I'd invest in a relatively short term venture. Be sure to send us a photo, since your friend can invest all he wants!!;)

[Kevin Goss]

I would think a 3" self feed bit and then 3 12" hole saw extensions. or 2 18" extensions. the self feed bit will eat right through a tree stump. you may need a corded drill or a powerful cordless.

[George Farra]

Thanks guys. I passed along the feedback. I'm interested in seeing what he creates too. He is hoping to have it ready for a party on memorial day weekend. If its done, I will come back with pictures!

George

[Von Bickley]

How does he plan on getting the electrical wire up the pole?

[David Helm]

Just in case nobody throws a damper on the project, stumps are not a good idea near the house. They become the main nest for carpenter ants (satellite nest in the house somewhere) and also harbor termites. Having said that, a ship auger would probably do the job for you. Back when all boats/ships were made out of wood they had to have a way to bolt together keep parts thus, the invention of the ship auger.

[Larry Edgerton]

Strange, I just got a call from a guy that wants a 2" hole 2' deep in the top of a telephone pole. I passed....

[Dan Friedrichs]

Strange, I just got a call from a guy that wants a 2" hole 2' deep in the top of a telephone pole. I passed....

I'm dying to know what for. I assume you passed because the pole is already vertically in the ground? :D

[Ed Labadie]

Those short self-feed bits will wander.......not enough length to diameter ratio to keep it straight.

Ed

[Charles Lent]

Make the support scaffold large and surround the tree with it, because those drills have massive torque and will take both operators for a ride if it jams. A dead man type foot switch will be much safer than trying to release the trigger if bad things start happening. Cutting into end grain leaves all kinds of possibilities for this to happen. It will also be nearly impossible to drill a straight hole 3 inches deep. If you succeed, a metal cap sealed to the conduit/pipe to keep moisture off the top of the tree will make that part of the tree stump last longer.

I was using one of these Milwaukee drills to drill 2 1/4" holes in doubled 2 X 10" floor joists for a central vacuum pipe. When the drill bit jammed I released the trigger and the drill coasted to a stop, but not until it had pinned my arm up against the joists. It picked me up off the ladder before it came to a stop. I had to reverse the drill to get free and back down on the ladder.

I also agree with the others. A tree stump that close to the house is a bad situation and will rot out too quickly. It will also quickly become a home for carpenter ants and termites, which are natures way of cleaning up dead wood. When they decide to move on from the tree stump to their next meal, the house becomes the next meal. Carpenter ants love rotting soft wood. Termites prefer new moist wood and the two don;t like living together, so you will likely get termites first and then the ants will move in to finish the job after the termites have moved on to dine on the house.

Charley

[rudy de haas]

Hi Rudy,

2 strong dudes is doable. He will need to figure out the scafolding part to work safely. Would these tools be similar to a post hole auger but for wood??

Thanks, George


Yes. I've only seen this type of tool in use once - on a job where they had to drill through two 16-20 inch logs at once. As I recall the biggest electric drills topped out at about 2" diameter and tended to jam about halfway through so they rented a gas powered auger for the job. Worked well, but took two guys to hold. I do not know the brand name, but your local heavy construction tools rental guys will know.

Gratuitous advice: has your friend considered making a fake stump set in buried concrete? much easier to work with, lasts longer, can use the original stump/log, and looks 100% real when done properly.

[Greg R Bradley]

Just in case the posts above aren't enough to stop him from this ill conceived project, how does he think he is going to make the hole straight and completely vertical. A 3" steel pipe isn't going in a 3" hole unless the hole is fairly straight and a slightly off-vertical post is going to look bad and not be fixable.

[lowell holmes]

You fellows do know that 3" pipe is 3.5" o.d.

Tubing is o.d.

Conduit may probably be o.d.

[John C Bush]

How about welding a plate(as large as reasonable) on the bottom of the pipe and lagging into the top of the stump. Coat or flash the fop of the stump to manage water access and enjoy the sculpture until the stump gives up the lags.

[andy bessette]

Ship's auger.

[John K Jordan]

So.....if you had to drill 3 feet deep into a stump from the top heading to the bottom and the hole is 3" wide.......how would you do it??


First, does it have to be 3' deep? Seems like 8-10" deep would be enough to hold a galvanized pole unless it was very tall. Another option might be to construct a strong base from steel, weld the pole to it, and hold it to the stump with big lag screws.

Perhaps cut the stump shorter first.

I agree with the others that a stump is not the perfect long-term foundation for a structure. It will soon enough rot away and the pole my come down at an inconvenient time. The bark may fall off far before then and look less than beautiful.

The friend may be after an interesting artistic statement, but for a more permanent stump lamp I might consider making a fake stump from rebar and concrete and use dye and a mold or carving to make it look like a stump. Zoos do this all the time.

JKJ

[Malcolm McLeod]

You fellows do know that 3" pipe is 3.5" o.d.

Cluttering up a perfectly good project with FACTS. ...How rude!!;)

[Steve Peterson]

First, does it have to be 3' deep? Seems like 8-10" deep would be enough to hold a galvanized pole unless it was very tall. Another option might be to construct a strong base from steel, weld the pole to it, and hold it to the stump with big lag screws.

Perhaps cut the stump shorter first.

I agree with the others that a stump is not the perfect long-term foundation for a structure. It will soon enough rot away and the pole my come down at an inconvenient time. The bark may fall off far before then and look less than beautiful.

The friend may be after an interesting artistic statement, but for a more permanent stump lamp I might consider making a fake stump from rebar and concrete and use dye and a mold or carving to make it look like a stump. Zoos do this all the time.

JKJ

I agree. Why drill 3' down. I would also consider mounting the pole similar to how street lights are mounted. Start with 4 bolts spaces 8-12" apart. There is a base on the lamp that allows you to adjust the pole to be perfectly level.

You would never get me on top of a scaffolding with a large 2 man power drill. Have you ever seen the Youtube videos where one guy looses his grip and the other guy is spun around like a merry-go-round. You wouldn't want to see that from the top of a scaffolding.

Steve

[Bill Dufour]

You could always heat the pipe and burn a hole.
Bill

[keith micinski]

That would literally take two years. Kind of surprised how much negative feedback there is over simply drilling a hole. If it works great if it doesn't who cares. I would actually suggest using a hole saw for as much as you can. You can usually bottom the holesaw out and then smack the plug and it will snap on the grain and then you can pull the piece up but not always unfortunatley. I don't think drilling it relitively straight will be that hard. You will just have to make adjustments as you go.

The biggest problem no one has mentioned is that in a vertical hole there is no where for chips to go. If you have ever tried drilling downwards through three 2 x 4's on the top plate for an electrical line you'll know what I'm talking about, trying to remove the bit is damn near impossible I can't imagine trying to pull up a 3 inch bit 2 foot deep in a stump to get rid of some of the chips. That's why ships auger are fluted their entire length but I'm not sure you can find a 3 foot long ships auger

[johnny means]

Your biggest challenge is going to be maintaining a vertical and straight hole. I would drill a substantially larger hole then set the pipe vertically using cement or sand.

[Mike Cutler]

One thing I haven't heard mentioned is speed, in RPM. You need lower speed and high torque.
For about $80.00 you can buy the bit and extensions at Lowes. It is the drill that will be problematic.
The speed of a normal drill will cause the bit to catch and jerk the drill, BTDT. A 1/2" Milwaukee with a right angle attachment, or a speed changer, will do the job. You don't need two gorilla strong guys either.
What he wants to do is easy. Go slow and clear the debris with an air hose and vacuum and you'll be fine.
Don't overthink it. Just drill it.

[Lon Crosby]

Boy, we need to educate people. Start with a shell auger lampbit in a power drill (https://woodworker.com/38-shell-auger-bit-mssu-153-314.asp (https://woodworker.com/38-shell-auger-bit-mssu-153-314.asp)).Not expensive and not risky. You’ll need to put an extension on to get to 3’. Thenyou need to find a pipe auger bit (or a pump auger bit) to get to 3+ inches. (http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=112 (http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=112))You’ll run across these in antique shops, typically for not a lot of moneyunless you are going for big ones. Because you are drilling vertically, use ashop vac to pull the chips/shavings out. The key is that these bits aredesigned for cutting end grain. Because you have a straight pilot hole from thelamp bit, you could also weld up a spoon bit that could be powered.