# Problem drilling hole in dowel



## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

Problem: While building a project that requires drilling a 3/8" hole through the center of a 5" 1 1/8 Oak dowel rod, the hole started in the center of the dowel, but when it came out the bottom it was not in the center of the dowel.

I have checked and rechecked to make sure the drill bit was at a perfect 90° angle to the table. I used two methods to hold the dowel. The first was with a large Handscrew clamp. The second method was with a Pen Blank Drilling Center Vise. Both resulted in the same thing, center going in and off center coming out.

Any suggestions to solve this dilemma?


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## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

The bit is 3/8" brad point. I have checked the dowel and it doesn't seem to be eccentric. I have done the drilling in halves and the two holes meet offcenter in the middle. I am at a complete loss in this and don't know where to go from here. I have thought of putting a 3/8" dowel in one end and drilling with my lathe but I would have to buy another chuck. I don't have any jaws from my lathe.


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## DonH (Sep 8, 2010)

Hi thelt

When I drill a dowel a start by checking the trueness of the drill press table to the chuck, you stated you do this but I am not sure of what methodology you used. I chuck up a straight rod and measure the angle on all four sides to the table - adjust the table as required then make sure the clamping arrangement for the dowel is secure and true as well. The rod can be checked for true by rolling it on a known flat surface, MDF will do. I use the pen blank drilling vise to hold my dowels as you have and it works fine for me. Finally, you may want to check the trueness of your drill bit and ensure it is equally sharp on all flutes. Unequal sharpness can cause drift.

Hope this helps.

Don


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

cut a 45 degree groove in a 2×4. clamp the dowel and drill away.


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## jackass (Mar 26, 2008)

*Slow,slow, slow, I had a similar problem recently, both ends of the dowel should be clamped and the brad point drill chucked in as far as it will go but leaving enough protruding to go through your dowel. You are into a situation where either the dowell is moving slightly or the drill is bending slightly. Not detectable by eye, or you are hitting a hard piece of grain in the wood throwing the dowel or drill off. Hope this helps, worked for me. Howie above has the right idea also.
Jack*


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## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

DonH, I used a piece of 3/8" All Thread rod. I rolled it across the table and it seemed true. I then used a 90° triangle square and checked the relationship to the drill press table. Like I said, I'm lost at this point.

Howie, can you explain a little more on that.


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## Jack_T (Feb 6, 2010)

To be clear, are you trying to drill a hole through the center of the dowel along the entire length of the dowel (basically hollowing out the center of the dowel, like in the picture of the clamp in your link) or are you trying to drill a hole that goes across the dowel passing through the center?


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## BobG (Apr 17, 2010)

The best way to check true square with the drill press quill is to use a rod that is bent at a 90 degree angle.
Put a dial indicator on it, spin the drill chuck with your hand, to check the table to see if it is square with the quill in all directions!
Machinists use this method to setup a Bridgeport milling machine.


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## mole (Feb 11, 2010)

Other than using a drill press, there are two other evil idea in my mind…

One is to use a drilling jig that has 3/8 guide bushing, along with V shape groove to hold the dowel.
I guess..something that look like Bridge city tool's DJ-1 drilling jig.

Another one is, to drill it on lathe, using some kind of 4 jaw chuck on head stock to hold and spin the dowel,
while having a drill chuck with the drill bit on tail stock… I 'm gonna try this in the future when my lathe
accessories arrive :}

I don't have a drill press, so I used only drill/dowel jig for drilling. I had a similar case when making my hippo box project. I have to drill 5-6" long, 3/8" diameter, into a 3/4" thick wood. But since it is a flat piece of wood,
I can use my old Stanley 59 drill jig. I even start drilling using my bit brace.. hu hu, then follow by the drill jig. Luckily, the hole came out a little off target, but is still acceptable..
I don't think that the old drill jig has been built as precise as the modern DJ-1 anyway )

Anyway, as Anji12305 said. I guess that it should be better to drill half way, from both side. Since it is a big long dowel shape, if it is really straight, then the result should be ok. And, if not necessary, the middle part of the long hole inside that 5" dowel can be bigger than exact 3/8"  as long as the mouth of the hole on both side is exactly 3/8"... no one know how not precise the inside hole is!


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## saddletramp (Mar 6, 2011)

If everything is square and you have tried slowing way down (Per Jackasses suggesstion) then you might try using a forstner bit. You would have to drill from both ends.


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## BobG (Apr 17, 2010)

Another solution would be to drill in from both ends making sure the entry holes are centered with an over size drill and then press bushings in both ends. Just a brain fart!


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

Lay the 2×4 flat and cut a 45 degree groove down the center. Make it at least half the dowel deep. This will support the dowel on both sides. Clamps keep it from rolling. I'd make it long enough to go across the DP table and clamp it to the table.


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## jackass (Mar 26, 2008)

*Sorry, I misunderstood, you are going through lengthwise, I have never done this, my post was thinking you were going through the side of the dowel.
Jack*


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## mpounders (Jun 22, 2010)

I do something slightly similar with pieces for my canes. I sometimes have better success drilling as far as i can with a drill press, from one end, and then using a longer drill bit in a cordless drill to completre the hole. It uses the previously drilled hole as a guide and seems close enough for my purposes. But, if you really want it perfect, you might drill the hole completely through a square block using a long drill bit, and then turn the square piece into a dowel on your lathe….kinda like the pen makers do it?


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## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

Consider this: Drill your hole first. At this point it doesn't matter how big your workpiece is, drill the hole first.

Then cut the piece into a spindle blank. Put it between centers and turn the outside down to the dimension you want. The hole will be on center.

If it was me, I'd put a 7" long piece between centers, then cut it down to 5.


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## mole (Feb 11, 2010)

Hairy, with lathe, if I use a drill chuck on tail stock, with scroll chuck on head stock, and may be with spindle steady. Should I be able to drill a loooooooooooong straight center hole ? em, unfortunately, there is no 3/8" Colt maxicut forstner bit, otherwise I would like to try to use it along with a long extension rod on lathe… ~


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## hairy (Sep 23, 2008)

Take a look at this. I did what you're talking about, but only 3" deep.

This is why you make sure that your headstock and tailstock are aligned.

You can buy long drill bits, I have 1/2 and 3/8 inch bits 12 inches long.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

sounds like your drill press is out of square on some level. but from what you say you checked it all- so:

step up your holes and drill slowly. if you need to make a 3/8" hole in the dowel, start with a 1/8" drill bit, then a 1/4" bit and see if the hole is aligned, then finish it off with the 3/8" bit. is the hole is already aligned, the bit should follow through and will have little material to take off so there will be less tendency for the bit to wander off as well.

it really would be best as a lathe operation though (if you have one)


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

This is one situation where I find a good use for the old ShopSmith in the corner of my shop. A ShopSmith is an excellent horizontal boring machine and that works better for jobs like this.


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## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

I would bet pretty well on the problem being the sharpness of the bit. Cutting that far thru end grain without bit deviation is quite a task. A standard twist bit would be a poor choice; a forstner bit would give you the best chance at getting it right, but you would still need to get the sharpening tools out and even up the cutting surfaces.


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## kpo101 (Mar 15, 2011)

I have done this process in the past for some Oak Bar-B-Que pit handles, Try this ( I had the same problem as u before i did this). You will need a 3/16" brad point bit and a 3/8" x 6" reg. drill bit>> Do the same procedure as Anji suggested by drilling half way and turn and drill the other half. If it does not come out exactly center in the middle don't worry cause when you put the 6" long bit and drill from one end to the other it will self align on the other end. But if you have time the last one for me was easier cause after the 3/16 brad bit I used 1/4" x 6" reg. bit then the 3/8" x6" bit and it does make people ask how to do it.


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## Alongiron (Jan 10, 2011)

I have never had much luck using a drill press to drill that long of a hole through a dowel.

Here is what works for me: I take 2 pieces of wood. Insert a dado blade in my table saw to the correct width; in your case 3/8 and half the height 3/16. I will glue these 2 pieces of wood together forming a 3/8×3/8 square hole. I then put it between centers and turn it down to the final diameter.


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## Jack_T (Feb 6, 2010)

thelt, have you checked that the end cuts on your dowel are both perpendicular to the length of the dowel.


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## ChrisForthofer (Jan 1, 2010)

You might also try just a nice sharp conventional split point drill. Brad points can be very tempermental drilling long deep holes, if that point is not dead center the drill can wander through the material, especially given the long distance you have to drill. Provided the grain is relatively straight a conventional drill point will be less influenced by small setup issues. My 2 cents.

Chris.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

Seems like you might be able to halve the error by drilling a smaller guide hole through from either end, There'll be a slight mismatch, but if you then using progressively larger conventional v-tip drills (rather than brad point) to follow that hole through you should kind of converge on something that's closer to the center, at least on the ends of the cut, than what you've got now.

One additional check for squareness: Do the hole a couple of times, marking the down before each cut, and see if there's a consistent slant to the direction the hole is going off, or if it's random. If the former, your table isn't as square to the bit as you think it is, if the latter you've probably got runout issues.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I ran into this same problem and finally resorted to the lathe.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

Sorry I'm like Jackass I thought you were drilling the side. My error.(can I plead old age?)


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## FirehouseWoodworking (Jun 9, 2009)

Thelt,

Many of our fellow LJs have given good advice above. If you can't get it done, here's another method.

Cut the blank in half the long way on a band saw. Use the finest saw blade you have. Then chuck a 3/8" bullnose bit in the router table. Run both halves across the bit so that you end up with a centered half-round groove in each half.

If it is not critical that the blank end up perfectly round, glue both haves together. You'll end up minus the saw kerf thickness. If round is critical, glue in oak shims to make up the difference.

Just another technique. Might just do the job. Good luck.

Cheers!


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## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

Thanks for all the responses. I finally got one 5" dowel blank pretty much straight through. The difference from one end to the other is very small. I think the next one will be done starting with a square blank, drilled first then mounted on the lathe and turned to the 1 1/8" thickness. I can use a piece of 3/8" All-Thread as a mandrel mounted to a to a drill chuck. That sounds like the best thing to do. I could have done that for all the time I spent trying to drill the dowel stock. As soon as I get the project finished I post pictures. Again, thanks for all the responses and great ideas.


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## MrWoodworker (Apr 18, 2011)

I've had good success using a considerably smaller bit to make a "test" run. Go halfway from each end and see how they line up. If they're pretty close, then you shouldn't have much, if any trouble getting your true bit size to punch through clean and straight. If they are a good bit off, you haven't bunged up a piece of stock beyond salvage.


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## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

Here is the finished product:










For a description of the project go to My Projects

Thanks for all your suggestions and help!


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## kpo101 (Mar 15, 2011)

Okay, So what is it ???


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## oblowme (May 20, 2011)

One problem is in drilling end grain where you are cutting the radia wood; most wood is made up of 2 quite different kinds of tisssue: Early wood and Late wood. Early wood is softer and develops in the spring. Late wood is compleatly the oppisite. Both meander back and forth at random and oft times twist and spiral into dirictions you never know existed!
Assuming the machine is square and right with the world and your quill does not have much (if any) run out the method I use usually works well; aquire a set of V-Blocks as used by machinest, Enco carries them. V-Blocks self-discribe, the value is in that they are pretty heavy and more importantly are perfectly square and hold a piece as or more securely than anything I know of.
Bolt it up, center the piece, clamp the block down and drill away. A forstner bit is the best way to go however a brad point will do, just be sure to use a full length shaft, not one turned down to 1/4" otr whatever.


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## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

@kpo101 - It's a can crusher!


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

Well everyone has a different way to do this just like the old addage of noses and opinions. Put 6 woodworkers in a room to figure out a problem and you get 2 dozen different ways to succeed at the task. Now for my $0.02 worth ( A penny each)

1. SHARP bit, use the best you have, drill at a low RPM. advance the bit slowly AND clear the chips often. Chip clogging will cause the bit to drift.

2. This one is for you guys that are antique tool collectors. A spoon bit will make a straight hole in end grain. A spoon bit looks very much like a lathe gouge exeept that it fits into a chuck and is turned SLOWLY. You need a shallow starter hole to get it going unless you are able to pass through either the headstock or tailstock of a lathe.

MIKE


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

There are some jobs where the proper tool is necessary. If you are off as little as 1°, the hole will be off by .087" at the far end. Thats almost 3/32". Go half way and turn it around and the offset would be between 0" and .043" depending on how much you rotate the rod. A lathe is just about the only tool that will drill a straight hole. I like the "Hairy" solution of drilling the hole in a larger rod and then turning it down to finished size.


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Even a lathe is not guaranteed to drill a straight hole. Yep, mpounders and hairy's suggestions(post #14/15) are the ONLY way to guarantee it is RELATIVELY straight and perfectly centered.

kpo101, its a discombobulator.


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## thelt (Feb 23, 2009)

Rance, I think you are so right. Now that I've reread all the responses. #'s 14 & 15 seem like a sure bet. Thanks everybody for all your brilliant ideas.


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