I feel so stupid Pen blank drilling Help!

[Karin Voorhis]

Ok. ready for this one. I have cut blanks and they are all lovely and right on.... Here is where I am dying. I have drilled them all out using the Rockler jig and not a one has come centered or even. I X the top, start center then when it drills threw the bottom it is way off to one side...

I am feeling so bad and helpless I have tried everything and nothing is working to resolve this problem.

[Greg Cuetara]

I am sure others will chime in here but I would think that the drill press table is not perpendicular to the bit so you are not getting a straight hole. Have you made sure that the table is perp. to the drill bit as it comes down...along with is the jig perp. to the table or at least match up with the angle of the drill bit?
Good luck. I just picked up my first lathe and so soon I will be in your shoes.
Greg

[Shane Sura]

The only thing I can think is your Blank is not square. I do not use a jig I just put the blank into a vise and use a small square to ensure it is 90 degrees to the bit. The only other thing it could be is the block itself is way off square but of course I have only seen that with Deer Antlers :p


Shane

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Karin.....a couple of things......

I'm assuming you are using a drill press.....


1. When you drill.....drill say a 1/4" or 3/8" then bring the bit out of the material to allow the groves in the bit to clean themselves out and it cleans the hole you are drilling. Drilling too fast cause the wood to heat and harden and thus the drill bit will be pushed away from the hardened wood.

2. Are you using a known good sharp bit?.....Dull bits can drift on you....]

3. Use a square and make sure your table is perpendicular to the bit.

Even if the holes aren't perfectly centered, if there is enough "meat" left, you can still turn them into cylinderical pens.

Good luck ......and welcome to the frustrations.......You will do better.

[EDDIE GLAZE]

Karin. I Don`t Now Anything About Your Drill Jig, I Asume You Are Useing A Drill Press. If So Make Sure Your Drill Press Table Is Square To The Spindel Of The Drill Press. The Tables On Drill Presses Are Usually Adjustable. Let Us Now How You Make Out. Good Luck. No Such Thing As Stupid...

[Joe Delfino]

I also assume you are using a drill press.

I built my own jig to drill the holes with. To check it I cut an extra long blank and put it in the jig. I made sure the blank lined up with my drill bit using a small engineers square.

[Gary Herrmann]

As the others have said check for 90 from bit to chuck. Also check to ensure the bit is centered in the chuck - do you see the bit wobble at all when you turn the machine on? That could be the bit being seated improperly in the chuck or a lot of runout.

Another thing to consider - twist drill bits or brad point? Twist bits can skate a bit.

[Dennis Peacock]

Karin,

Check your drill press table as the others have stated. If it's sitting nice and square to the bit?
Toss that Rockler jig
cut a 10" long piece of pine 2 by 4
cut a "V" notch in the middle of it on the "edge" of the 2 by 4
You now have a pen blank drilling jig that is only as square to the bit as your drill press table, it's very portable, light to carry, and has micro-adjust (just move your hand around a bit) :D

[Steve Kubien]

Karin,

I may have mis-read your post but as long as the hole you are drilling is not coming out the side of the blank (long edge) and there is still sufficient thickness for the pen kit you are working on, do not worry about it. My blanks get drilled at all sorts of funny angles and it has never affected anything one bit. Once you rough down the blank with either a gouge or skew, you'll never know the difference.

Of course, if you are blasting through the sides of the blanks then I would look at what others have been saying, especially the bits about sharp bits.


Steve Kubien

[paul wiser]

have had the same problem. found one solution is to take small bites with the drill bit, then back out to clean debris from bit. also go slow(light pressure) depending on the wood sometimes it will be dense enough to draw bit off center. good luck

[Bill Bolen]

As long as you have enough stock at the bushing it really doesn't hurt a thing. Don't toss the blank, it's still usable....Bill....

[Barry Elder]

Karen, welcome to the same school that everyone else has attended. There are no stupid questions! You'll get tons of good advice, so just try the different things until you find one that works for you. I'm sure you'll do very well!

[Dan Forman]

Karen,

I go VERY slowly and gently at the beginning especially. I take several bites to get the first 1/4" or so. If you watch, often you can see the bit wandering a little on entry, especially if you go right at it aggressively. I let the bit find it's entry slowly, then continue slowly, backing out often to clear the chips.

Another thing you can do is mark the orientation of the blank as you put it in the jig, then see if the angle is is off is consistently in one direction. If so, that should point you in the direction of the problem. If it's random, you are drilling too fast. If its consistent, it's probably your table or a wandering quill. As others have said, check perpenciularity (is that a word?) in all directions. Most drill presses have a clamp thingy on the back of the column which will lock the table in place. If that is not tight, there is a good chance that your table will not be perpendicular to the bit, but will be tilted toward you. Tightening that should bring the table true, at least in that plane. There should also be a way to tilt the table left and right, so check to see that it's oriented correctly there too. Another tip is allow at least an inch of quill travel befor the bit enters the wood. Most wandering quills move the most in the first inch or so of travel, so if that's the problem most of the movement should be over by the time the wood is contacted.

I had the same problem recently when testing my shop made pen vise, and working on these things greatly improved my results.


Dan

[Doug M Jones]

Karen,
Ditto to all that is said below. One thing that has been big help for me is a bit I bought from Woodcraft.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1610

The brad point is not as sharp so it doesn't blow out the end of the blank as easily and it really clears the chips. Also seems to have less drift (assuming the drill press is set correctly). It has made a world of difference when drilling acrylics.

Good luck

[Greg Ketell]

Two things beyond what everyone else has said.

#1 Check your drill press quill to make sure your bearings are still tight. Put in a big bit and then extend the quill out all the way, back off 1/4-1/2" and see if you can move the bit around. If you can then your drill press needs fixing/replacing. My friend's sears DP was moving more than 1/4" at full extension which made it REALLY hard to get a straight hole. His new Delta doesn't move at all. My Sears DP moves about 1/16" and I'm looking for a new Delta.

#2 You can get a drill chuck that you can stick into your tail stock and then drill on the lathe. Often much more accurate than the DP. I've seen guys drill 7mm hole in a 8mm square blank for making a slimline.


Good luck!
GK

[robert hainstock]

As long as there is enough wood thickness to clear the bushing, you can make a pen out of the blank. another concern I have with my pens is barrel length. This is most criticle.. So when assembling, check the trimmed length of both blanks. andcheck against the assembly instructions and use the blank you feel is nearest what is called for for the mechanism. mine for many reasons vary enough to have taught me to do this. It is just part of the vortex learning curve. Welcome to hte hole.:D
Bob

[Steve Campbell]

Karin one last thing I didn't see mentioned yet is to cut your blanks before you drill them. I leave mine about a 1/4 inch longer than the final length. That way I can trim off any small blowout you may get when the drill comes out the bottom. I'm too cheap to buy a vise so I just use a wooden hand screw to hold the blanks. I set the hand screw on a flat surface and hold it flat while tighten it up.

Steve

[Dan Forman]

Karin one last thing I didn't see mentioned yet is to cut your blanks before you drill them. I leave mine about a 1/4 inch longer than the final length. That way I can trim off any small blowout you may get when the drill comes out the bottom. I'm too cheap to buy a vise so I just use a wooden hand screw to hold the blanks. I set the hand screw on a flat surface and hold it flat while tighten it up.

Steve

If you do this, make sure that the clamp remains true under pressure, and is lying completely flat against the drill press table---some may not.

Dan

[Jon Behnke]

Another point to consider is what type of bit you are using. Drilling end grain, as in a pen blank, a brad point bit may drift more than a regular point bit. I have also found that a regular point bit works much better in drilling acrylics. There is more chances of blowing out when a brad point bit exits the end of the blank.

[Bart Leetch]

I found I didn't like using a drill-press so I purchased this chuck from Grizzly & drill my pen blanks on the lathe. I won't say its perfect but it seems to work real well.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/h7605

[Dick Strauss]

Karin,
Are you trying to drill a 5" blank or two 2.5-3" blanks? It is much easier to stay on track for a 3" deep hole. This might be what Steve was noting. I also agree with Steve that it is better to cut the blanks about 1/4" too long and trim them after you glue/epoxy the brass insert. You can also adjust which end gets trimmed more if the brass tube isn't centered in the blank.


Good luck,
Dick

[Tom Klass]

Karen, If you need help I don't live too far from you we can make arrangements and get your drilling problem straightened out(no pun inttended). I live in Hamburg. I always started out with a centering bit first then change to the bit I wanted for the hole. The first bit I used when I started to do pens was from PS. had nothing but trouble drilling holes went and got a new one from woodcraft much better hole alignment. The angle on the drill for plastics should be different than for wood. It should be more blunt so it doesn't catch and pull the peice up into the bit. Hope it helps.
Tom

[Doug M Jones]

Karen,
I draw a double ended arrow along the length of the blank and then drill from the middle towards the end after cutting for length. That way, if I do have some blow out, it is on the end and not where I may be trying to match the grain or a pattern on the acrylics. I also cut them a little long but only about 1/16" so I have less to trim with my barrel trimmer. I try to line up the tube closely with the middle so that I am trimming away the end in most cases. If your drill press is aligned as outlined below, the entry hole on the middle should be very close and require little trimming.

There are probably a hundred ways to do this, experiment until you find what works for you and then turn lots of pens. I have made about 100 since getting my lathe in March of last year and the quality has greatly improved along with my effieciency.

Most important, have fun!

[Jerry Lawrence]

When I drill my blanks, I always drill about half-way through, then flip the blank over and drill from the other end. That way I know the holes both at least start centered. Then I run a reaming bit through the hole to smooth out any ridge or burr left where the two holes meet in the center. Using this method also eliminates any blow-out from the bit breaking through the bottom of the blank. One word of caution however, when flipping the blank, make sure your fingers stay clear of the drill bit, especially if you're using a brad point (which I personally prefer).
Just my two cents :)

[Dan Forman]

Karen---Did anything help?

Dan