Drilling Questions

[NathanA]

I drilled my first three blocks today and I have a few questions. Ok, the first one I drilled came out practically perfect but that must have been dumb luck because on the next two the draught hole was slightly off center. Not horrible, but noticeable. I followed the same procedure on all three, any suggestions as to what I might have done wrong or that I should pay attention to in the future. (oh yeah, this was all on a drill press, not a lathe.) Second, is the idea to have the mortise exactly as deep as the tenon or is it a problem if the mortise is a little deeper? And finally, I used a counter bore bit to drill the mortise and flush the shank but the stems do not fit up as flush as I would like. On the four kit pipes I have made the stems have been perfectly flush but not so much on these that I drilled. Any suggestions on what I could do better in that respect? Thanks everyone for the help, Nathan

[pipeguy]

how long is daft hole bit? sometimes when there longer bits too much pressure is applied causing the thin bit to wander or bend a little Let the bit do the work. Anyway thats one posssibility Bob Clark

[pennsyscot]

Make sure the vise is firmly clamped in place. The vise and drill press table must not move for the entire drilling procedure. Carefully set the height of the table so that you'll be able to change bits without adjusting the table. The sides of the block should be made parrallel. One side of the block must remain against the same jaw of the vise for all drilling. Mark the centerline of the block. A woodworkers marking gauge is a useful tool for scribing a line on the block. Make sure that the block is correctly clamped with a square after putting in vise. If a longer bit is necessary to complete the draught hole start with a shorter bit.
I think that the tenon should be within .010 of the mortise depth to minimize the accumulation of goo.
I think it would probably be better to face the shank with a precision forstner bit, making sure the block remains firmly clamped between drilling of mortise and facing.
Hope my advise is useful to you. I'm sure the more experienced makers will offer better suggestions.
Good luck

[T3pipes]

if your press has a laser on it, and you have a vise that is not connected to the press base, rotate the vise around and use the the laser to ensure the stummel is perfectly straight. If you don't have a laser mounted on the press, get one. They are inexpensive and worth it.

[Sasquatch]

The most obvious "how did this get misaligned" on a drill press would be that your block is not cut dead square, and as you move it around in the vise it gets crooked by a few degrees.

Also, if the bit you used for the airway is very long and not super sharp, it can wander, or like Bob said, if you press too hard. Clear the chips a lot when you make that hole.

I drill the chamber, then flip the block and face the end of the shank then drill the mortise. (If you do this without moving the block, it's hard to imagine how the mortise and shank end could be misaligned, so then you have to look at your stem manufacturing process to see about and answer if things are not gapless) This stuff I do with the block "sideways" so I can see the lines I've drawn etc. Then I spin the whole works 90 degrees and line up the airway hole with the block "showing me" the holes I've drilled, and make sure that the thing "looks" right as I'm drilling. Sometimes finishing the airway with a hand drill will let you see the angle a little better.

As for the mortise length vs tenon length, having a great big gap will not improve your pipe, let's put it that way. I would argue against putting the tenon right up against the end wall of the mortise - any little piece of crud will prevent it from seating. On a straight pipe, I leave anything from 1/32nd of an inch to maybe 1/8" max. On a bent, things are often less tight, and on an Oom Paul, that shit's out the window.

[LexKY_Pipe]

The mortise can be slightly bigger than the actual tenon, but only sightly. Too much of a difference and you get too much moisture in there.

[NathanA]

Once again, thanks everyone for the advice. I thoroughly appreciate all the help with my myriad of questions.

[NathanA]

Sorry, thought of one more thing. If forstner bits work better for facing the shank, could someone point me to a place where I could get one? I checked the local hardware store and they didn't have any.

[kbadkar]

Any "home improvement" center should have a decent 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" forstner bit. Be sure to get "precision ground" so the flats cut flat. I've had good luck with the Freud brand.

[Sasquatch]

Agreed - Home Depot carries Freuds and they are very good.

[LexKY_Pipe]

I've also bought them at Lowes. If you had a woodworking supply in your town, they will surely have them as well.

[KurtHuhn]

sometimes when there longer bits too much pressure is applied causing the thin bit to wander or bend a little Let the bit do the work.

What Bob said.

Even a short bit can wander off course if too much pressure is used. When drilling the airway in both stem and stummel I never use the mechanical feed on my tailstock for anything but starting the hole, I always manually move the entire thing. That way I can feel when the drill bit starts to get loaded, and I can quickly back it out and clear the chips.

[Sasquatch]

Kurt, just so you know, agreeing with Bob and I doesn't make you look smarter.

But the chaps sure do.

[KurtHuhn]

Kurt, just so you know, agreeing with Bob and I doesn't make you look smarter.

But the chaps sure do.

I'm wearing the ones you sent. And thinking of you.

[Sasquatch]

I think you got "Sasquatch" and "Pipe Bear" mixed up somehow.