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Hello,

I'm interested in shaping before drilling. Unfortunately I can't afford spoon bits. I do have a drill press, milling vise, and ground spade bits. Does anyone have any experience with this setup that could give me some advice? Thank you very much.

buster wrote:Hello,

I'm interested in shaping before drilling. Unfortunately I can't afford spoon bits. I do have a drill press, milling vise, and ground spade bits. Does anyone have any experience with this setup that could give me some advice? Thank you very much.

Drill first.

Save up for a lathe and spoon bits, and give that a go later.

That's my advice.

Me too.

Rad

+me

Spade bits are too dangerous to use the shape first drill second method.

Is it too dangerous to try with the milling vise also? I was planning on using that instead of my hand.

buster wrote:Is it too dangerous to try with the milling vise also? I was planning on using that instead of my hand.

How many pipes have you made? My advice is to not try and take on everything at once. Take baby steps. I've never drilled after shaping. Tyler has only recently taken up the method, and you can ask him about how that's going.

Placing a stummel in any kind of vice after it's shaped and getting things lined up for proper drilling will be very difficult.

You can make perfectly fine pipes drilling first, and it's much more straight forward. Then you can concentrate on the shaping and making a nice pipe without totally screwing it up when you go to drill it.

Rad

RadDavis wrote:Tyler has only recently taken up the method, and you can ask him about how that's going.

My drawer is filling up with screwed up stummels. Other than that it's, you know, great.