best drill bits for peppermills
I've got a project coming up where I'll be making a dozen peppermills, using crushgrind mechanism. My Frued forstner bits overheated and generally were a disappointment. So the question, for those who do mills, what is best drilling solution for lathe drillin?
demps
Drilling deep holes with Forstner bits
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bill Dempsey
I've got a project coming up where I'll be making a dozen peppermills, using crushgrind mechanism. My Frued forstner bits overheated and generally were a disappointment. So the question, for those who do mills, what is best drilling solution for lathe drillin?
demps
Bill,
I always use relatively cheap carbide Forstner bit for drilling pepper mills since they last forever. The high quality steel bits will leave a smoother hole but that's not very important for the inside of pepper grinders. I don't know the brand of my set, unlabeled and bought on sale from Woodcraft 20 years ago. However, I recently bought a few inexpensive sets of metric carbide bits from Amazon and they seem to work as well.
On tip: for most drilling on the lathe with Forstner bits I don't use a Jacob's chuck. I mount the bits in a #2MT end mill holder that fits directly into the tailstock quill.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXSP25W
This requires bits with round rather than hex shafts (mine are 3/8"). Pepper mills may require an extension. For deep, large diameter holes I keep the end mill holder from turning with pliers or vise grips (a Jacob's chuck often needs to be kept from spinning in the tailstock by gripping firmly with the hand.)
As for heat: I devised a method to drill deep holes and minimize overheating with any kind of Forstner bit. While drilling I direct a continuous stream of compressed air into the open end of the hole. This not only cools the bit but clears out all the chips (which also helps keep the bit cool.) This method also usually lets me drill the entire hole much quicker since I don't have to stop and back out the bit to clear the chips. Perhaps lots of people use this method but if so I haven't run into any of them yet and I've been preaching it for a dozen years.
JKJ