draft hole drilling

[pipeguy]

Hi all I've drilled several blocks this weekend and found the draft hole 1/8 of center left and right my measurements are right on and I'm using a 1/8 bradpoint the bit is obviously wandering. Is this common?? If so what can be done to help this unsightly problem thanx Bob Clark

[Sasquatch]

Are you clearing the chips frequently by pulling the drill bit out as you go?

I start my draft holes on the drill press with the block locked in position, but I finish them by hand - I find I can see the left-right line better that way, and if I go a little low, I can drop the chamber if I have to.

[DMI]

If you are using a pillar drill common causes of this are: the block not being square in itself or the vice, or the hole is out of true as the table is tilted, or you have a bendy bit (if you apply too much pressure the bit bends).

When you turn the block from drilling the airway etc. to drill the chamber put it back in the vise the same way around.

My table tends to go down on the left side as that is where the handle for the vise is. I set a spirit level across the top of the vise and then hit the right side of the table to bring it level again, for fine tuning I put a piece of bar in the chuck and check that the bar and vice are square.

If you're drilling with a hand drill keep the drill towards your centre of balance and don't push to hard.

David.

[Charl]

Don't know what your drilpress looks like, but this is what happened with mine:
Way back (well, it feels like it!) when I used a drill press, I had a similar problem. Eventually, after trying everything else, figured out that the front of the table moves downward with pressure. These small DIY drillpresses are just what it says: DIY!

[ND Pipes]

have a same problem sometimes... the draft holes end up a bit to the left or rigth side (depending how the block is put into the cross vise)... but then again - i hava small drill press for diy...
...


so, you are suggesting not to push to hard on those drill bits... to clean it regularly.. well.. maybe i am pushing a bit hard....

@Sasquatch - do you find hard to get into the center when drilling by hand.. i loose blocks when not drilled properly and i am using a cross vise but stil have that problem sometimes...
how deep do you start drilling until you stop and use your hands?... 1,5cm? 2cm? more?....
also, when you drill the draft hole - do you lock the block into a position again to drill the tobacco chamber??? (i am using a cross vise with pins to hold the block aligned...)..... thank you for time to elaborate a bit more.... regards

[Sasquatch]

My drilling procedure (let's assume no lathe) would be something like this: Mark out the block really accurately using a square, and tracing the chamber bit etc.

I will drill the chamber to about 1/8" short. I drill this first because it is harder to see the exact center of the chamber bits. If I miss my marks, I can adjust with the mortise.

I face the shank and drill the mortise, then switch to the airway bit and tap the bottom of the mortise with it, dead center. Then I adjust the block to the angle required for the airway and drill in about an inch or so, with multiple pull-outs to clear chips.

Then I go to a hand drill. I mark the drill bit with tape for the depth I want (visible on the side of the block). Then I drill in, viewing the block from the top, and you can see quite well what your left/right angle is, and hit dead center pretty easy. ONce the airway is finished, I put the block back on the press and drill the chamber down to hit the airway.

This could all be done in half the operations I do.

Remember that you can usually adjust the chamber if you need to, with a little careful carving.

[ND Pipes]

Thanks Sas for this elaborate reply...
i was drilling some blocks today using a cross vice and my old method of drilling...
first i got an olive wood block.... hit of the center for about 1mm... than i got crazy and used some beech wood - drilled without to much looking to be exact in the center... and you know - i hit the center perfectly... than i used a briar block... missed the center for 1mm again... i am a little bit crazy now... sad, angry... not sure what to do... seems to me that i will have to use your method Sas.... it sound like it might be better as i simply don't know what is wrong with the method i am using... maybe the drill press is bending i don't know... i can see it does bend a bit... but i was today a super carefull not to push it to hard.. and with beech wood i was not looking to be carefull i any way - to have the worst result i can have... and it was perfect... but on blocks that really matter i make a mistake (sometimes)...... oh boy...

1mm error is comletely ruining the block - right...?.

[Sasquatch]

Left/right variation is ugly, but it makes no difference to how a pipe smokes. Missing up/down is critical, but far easier to control if you drill the chamber down to the airway rather than trying to hit the chamber perfectly by drilling the airway.

My "actual acceptable" tolerance is probably something like half the drill bit's diameter for left/right. I always tell a prospective client if a pipe isn't dead center, and mostly people don't care if it's only a tiny bit off.

But at a certain price point.... you gotta hit it.

[ND Pipes]

o.k.... thank you Sas....

[Sasquatch]

One thing I'm assuming here without realizing it is that everyone is dealing with blocks that have been squared/trued. I have a table saw and saw all my blocks before I try to chuck or vise them, and that makes a huge difference.

[ND Pipes]

i don't have a table saw.... maybe this is the reason too...
...
however - today i tried a combined method of drilling - between what you suggested dear Sas, and what i was using before... not a bad result... .....
thanks for the help....

[bandkbrooks]

Great info Sas. Just to clarify a bit though. How are you holding the block when drilling by hand. i.e. left hand sideways and drill sideways or left hand with mortise towards body and drilling away from body? I'm just trying to picture it clearly before I try it.

[Sasquatch]

When I drill by hand, I hold the block in front of me, cradling it. I try to line up the bottom of the bowl with the intended drill bit. A long bit is helpful. I've also had good luck just sort of holding the thing flat on the workbench and eyeballing it all. You can draw helpful reference lines on the block and on parts of the stummel with a square too.

[TRS]

When I drill by hand, I hold the block in front of me, cradling it.

[Sasquatch]

Hey come on, man, I'm doling out big time pro advice about holding shit just right and you're gonna come along and make a mockery of the whole system. The NERVE!

[Sasquatch]

Actually that's just about the funniest mash-up I've seen, and it deserves to be on my website.

[bandkbrooks]

Sas,

Tried your drilling method today on three different blocks. One was a minuscule amount off center. The other two were DEAD on. Holy crap that was cool. You're my new hero/stalking victim.

Brandon