Headwind

[Garno]

Anyone who has made the Headwind pen can you tell me what size drill bit you used please.

I have it as 11/32 but after I drilled that size I could not get the tube in the blank, the fit is very snug at the start and only manages to go in about an inch before being too tight (Needed pliers to pull it out)

If you all use the 11/32" bit then 1 of 2 things is stopping me progressing, 1) my drill bit is slightly undersized or 2) The play I have on my tailstock is affecting the drilling and producing a slight bend (I've seen rocking horses with less movement than my tailstock has) if it was the 2nd option then I would be having the same problem with all of the pens I turn.

Anyone know of a solution or do I need to save the dosh I get each month and buy a new model in the new year sometime? Axminster Craft AC240WL Woodturning Lathe - 230V | Axminster Tools

 

[flexi]

YES....
And a very easy solution it is... Use callipers, measure the tube and then measure the drill bit. Always go a little bigger to allow for glue, paint or such like... But obviously not toooo big and end up with a hole like a wizards sleeve

 

[silver]

Not made a HW yet.
But the problem can be with any pen kit.

Not sure where you got the drill bit from or if you have a digital calliper to be able to check the diameter.

Couple of things.

1. Check the actual diameter of drill you have drilled it with to make sure it’s the right drill and also it matches what is engraved on the drill.

2. Check the diameter of the tube. To make sure you have the right tube and not one from another kit. (it has bee Known)

3, drill a piece of wood with a 9mm drill to see how the tube fits in the hole.

4. Some oily or hard woods can swell quite a bit while being drilled as they get hot. So allowing the drill swarf to discharge is essential.

Me personally would drill wit an 8.7mm drill, only beacause I have one in my shed.

I use a drill gauge on all tubes prior to drilling and to check the drill diameter, been m ownto pick the wrong one out of the drill stand.

 

[Garno]

YES....
And a very easy solution it is... Use callipers, measure the tube and then measure the drill bit. Always go a little bigger to allow for glue, paint or such like... But obviously not toooo big and end up with a hole like a wizards sleeve

Will it be ok to go up to the next drill size (whatever that is) or should I be converting to mm and rounding up ?(either 8.8mm or 8.9mm in this case) then multiply by 7 add a nought at the end, divide that number by the time it takes a deaf man to walk the Pennine route and take away the first number I thought of next week, or am I overthinking it a little?

 

[Garno]

3, drill a piece of wood with a 9mm drill to see how the tube fits in the hole.

I do like that idea, I can't believe it had never crossed my mind to do that.

I might just make a drill block with all the sizes drilled into it to use time and time again

 

[silver]

It’s amazing what you can do with a drill. I guess someone else thought that as well so came up with one of these.



DIY Hand Tool Drill Gauge Stainless Steel 1/16"- 1/2" by 64THS- Imperial Standard : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

 

[Garno]

It’s amazing what you can do with a drill. I guess someone else thought that as well so came up with one of these.

View attachment 44369

DIY Hand Tool Drill Gauge Stainless Steel 1/16"- 1/2" by 64THS- Imperial Standard : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

I have some of those and they are even further out than my drill bits

I have just thought ..... I have never put my tubes into those

 

[flexi]

I have the drills in a stand, I pop the tube onto the drill bits when it dosent fit I go up two drills and use that one( that allows for tube wall thickness and slack) I am using both an imperial set of bits.... For metric it's the nearest .5mm and I do swap between the two boxes:pray::pray:

 

[Garno]

... For metric it's the nearest .5mm and I do swap between the two boxes:pray::pray:

I take it you are always rounding up? 0.4mm (max hike up) seems like a lot

 

[silver]

I take it you are always rounding up? 0.4mm (max hike up) seems like a lot

not when you think its only 0.2mm on either side of the blanks!.. Remember Mark uses Gorilla polyurethane glue, which will fill more voinds than a thin CA however I use 2 part epoxy and use a similar theory.

 

[Padster]

I use the 11/32 - It was £3.18 from Amazon!

I had no issues, but I use a pillar drill for all my holes, do let the blank cool down usually and on the rare occasion I've had an issue as you described a quick rub with a round file has fixed it....

Not sure this helps at all

Regards

Padster

 

[Phil Dart]

The Headwind tube is 8.48 o/d and an 11/32 drill bit, converted to metric is 8.73mm. so if the tube is binding Gary, it won't be down to your choice of drill size. It won't be down to movement in your tailstock either, which would normally cause a hole to be bigger, not smaller. I think though, that if the drill is starting the hole off-centre, there's a high chance that it's being pulled over during the process, so as you say, it's possible that the hole may be a bit banana shaped. It's also possible that your drill bit is under-sized. I think that before I considered using a different size, I'd be thinking about how to solve the problem in other ways - the drill size you're using is ideal for the purpose, assuming it is indeed 11/32

 

[wm460]

Get a set something like this and you will never have a problem HSS-Co (5% Cobalt) Drill Bits 6-10mm Set 41pcs (Split Point)
the set I saw the other day was 115pce in 0.1mm increments.

 

[Bill Mooney]

Like Eamonn I use drill gauge plates. An imperial size & a metric size to cover all bases. Insert the tube in the holes until I get the best fit & use the appropriate drill. No mental calculations needed. It’s simple & it works fine for me. As Eamonn says some timbers swell when you drill the hole making the tube a very tight fit. To overcome this I run the drill in & out the holes a few times to get rid of the swelled fibres. If this fails I run a small round file through the hole.

 

[Penpal]

Drill guages and Calipers ,I do check all my most sensitive drill requirement when new. Lately I have been buying Gorilla Glue inn the smaller tubes As I use it it squeezes to exclude most nof thev air,ever so economic. I have waste so much using the larger bottle choking them down to remove air between uses using circlips etc,hopeless. But I love Gorilla Glue.

 

[Geoff Kent]

There can be variations depending on the timber being used.Don't drill at too high rpm,I drill at about 450.I retract the drill every 15mm or so to clear the shavings otherwise overheating can occur.

 

[Garno]

There can be variations depending on the timber being used.Don't drill at too high rpm,I drill at about 450.I retract the drill every 15mm or so to clear the shavings otherwise overheating can occur.

I've been drilling at 3200 rpm, time to slow down I think