# long hole boring



## kmetzger (Sep 13, 2009)

I volunteer as a teacher at a woodworking school for kids here in Mexico, which has just acquired a Jet wood lathe JWL 1442VS. One future project I have in mind is turning some table lamps, but I haven't been able to figure out what kind of chuck I'll need for long hole boring. According to one manual, the headstock spindle has a through hole for knocking out the drive center or auger boring. But the online demonstrations I've seen, show a Jacobs chuck mounted in the tailstock. Any recommendations?


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

The normal method to drill on the lathe is to have the wood spinning in a chuck on the headstock and the drill stationary in a Jacobs chuck in the tailstock.

You do not state the length of the table lamp or the size of the hole.

Look for an "installer bit" as they are called in the US, typically used for electrical installation. Various lengths 12in, 15in , 18in. I do not know if they come longer.

You can get extensions, which will mean the smallest diameter is the diameter of the boss on the extension. Trouble with extensions is they attach with small grub screws and are easy to spin on deep holes.

Look for bits with hex shank, these will not spin when used with extensions.

The challenge is whether they run true.

Start with a short length bit to make the initial hole if your lamp blank and the installer bit are too long for the bed. The max length between headstock and tailstock on your lathe is 42in, but you will loose some for the chuck and some for the Jacobs chuck.

Good luck and post some progress pictures.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

There is this one from Vermec .
10 mm brad point auger bit and threaded extensions .

http://vermec.tripod.com/PDFs/Long_Hole_Drill.pdf


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

I use a lamp auger that you can get from Craft Supplies. I have a live center for my tailstock that is hollow. I push the auger through the tailstock. You could do it through the headstock but you would have to run the lathe in reverse to get the proper cutting action.
You can use regular drill bits but they almost never run down the center. Even the lamp auger may not. I drill the holes before turning the outside. Then I mount the piece between the holes, this leaves the hole centered. 
There are other ways to do it as well. I have an article I wrote for out club on this topic that covers it better. send me your e-mail and i'll send it to you. [email protected]


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## kmetzger (Sep 13, 2009)

*Long-hole boring*

The table lamp shafts will be about 14-15" long and an inch or so thick.

So what I'll need to buy is 
1. Headstock chuck - how big?
2. Jacobs chuck for tailstock - or how about a hollow center in the tailstock instead of a Jacobs chuck?
3. Auger bit

I do my shopping in the US. Can you tell me what information I'll need for online shopping? The inboard spindle thread size? 
 Tailstock and headstock Taper #2 Morse?


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

This page has the specs for the school lathe


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## ivo2mon (Jan 12, 2013)

This is a topic that has interested me for some time. I would like to turn a 12 inch smoking pipe stem. If you put your wood in the chuck and use the hole in the live center, how do you keep the bit running true?
Thanks


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## Hwood (Oct 21, 2011)

Unless that hole needs to be perfect and you don't have much room for error I don't see why you would want to use a lathe. A longer auger bit and or an extension on a drill would do the job. Start the hole where you want from both sides and have them join somewhere in the lamp.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

I answer a lot of your questions in my hand out if you'll just send an e-mail. It is extremely difficult to bore a hole accurately from end to end on a piece. I bore from both ends and if your lucky they meet more or less in the middle. Usually it's good enough to run a wire. 
There are other methods to achieve the same thing.


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Hwood said:


> Unless that hole needs to be perfect and you don't have much room for error I don't see why you would want to use a lathe. A longer auger bit and or an extension on a drill would do the job. Start the hole where you want from both sides and have them join somewhere in the lamp.


 Seeing as the table lamp shafts will be about 14-15" long and an inch or so thick there is no room for error.

Try your method out with a 15"x1" dowel and your electric drill .
Let us know how you get on.


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## Improv (Aug 13, 2008)

Assuming the bottom of your lamp is flat and perpendicular to the desired bore hole path, that you used a spur drive on the head stock, and a live center on the tail stock, drill your bore hole off the lathe. Use a drill press and drill a starter hole about 2 to 3" deep with a standard size bit that matches the diameter of your boring bit. The marks left from the live center and drive spur mark where the guide holes should be drilled. Finish boring the hole with an electric hand drill using the boring bit.

I've made a few lamps using a 5/16" airplane bit (12" length) to bore and haven't had any trouble with being off-center on the exit hole or getting a good enough hole to tread the cord through when needing to drill from both sides. The airplane bit doesn't clear the debris so it constantly needs to withdrawn to clear out. I've debated with getting an auger bit so the debris will clear, but they are not a consistent diameter along the bit length, so additional drift in your hole would be possible. 

Regards,
Steve


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

Yep , I have done it on a drill press , 
I drilled the hole first , from one end, then the other , and then put the piece on the lathe .


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## kmetzger (Sep 13, 2009)

*Long-hole boring*

Thanks for all the ideas. The problem with the chucks is that they are expensive and the school has a very small budget. So I had already started thinking about using our drill press instead. I've made several music stands based on the one shown here: *http://tinyurl.com/ktfxglb (click on p. 17). *
The author shows two methods of creating a hole in the column. I used the drill press with a jig to hold the square piece while boring and it worked fine. But using a copper pipe T-fitting on the lathe tool rest looks like a good alternative. What do you think? Would the T-fitting have to be a close fit for the auger bit?


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## Hwood (Oct 21, 2011)

Inch thick... didn't catch that part the first time.


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

One solution might be to take 3 -1 1/2"X 1 1/2" X 5 1/2" long blanks and bore each on the drill press to the outside diameter of the brass threaded lamp pipe which is a 3/8" pipe.

How put a Jacobs chuck in your head stock, and a live center in your tail stock.

Now take the threaded pipe and place in the Jacobs chuck about the depth that you are going to put it into the base. Tighten the chuck around the pipe. 

Slide the first length of one of the wood blanks that has been drilled on to the brass pipe and up to the jaws of the chuck. Mark it and epoxy it in place. After the epoxy has dried true up each ends of the blank. 

Take the second blank and put it on the pipe and true up the one end. If you make the hole in the blanks slightly smaller than the pipe you might be able to screw on the wood blanks if you are using threaded lamp pipe.

What I am saying is with each length of wood blank true them up and glue/epoxy them to the lamp pipe and to each other. After you have all three lengths of wood blanks on the pipe you can turn down the wood to the desired diameter and everything will be true and on center. 

This would be similar to making a pen using a mandrel to center the wood and the pipe. Here the pipe is your mandrel. I chose 5 1/2" because based on the hole size you will not have a problem with the length of the drill bit. If you are concerned about match in the wood cut your blanks from the same piece of wood but mark the cut ends to match each other and assemble them in that sequence. Just my 2 cents.


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## rgouette (Mar 10, 2021)

john lucas said:


> I use a lamp auger that you can get from Craft Supplies. I have a live center for my tailstock that is hollow. I push the auger through the tailstock. You could do it through the headstock but you would have to run the lathe in reverse to get the proper cutting action.
> You can use regular drill bits but they almost never run down the center. Even the lamp auger may not. I drill the holes before turning the outside. Then I mount the piece between the holes, this leaves the hole centered.
> There are other ways to do it as well. I have an article I wrote for out club on this topic that covers it better. send me your e-mail and i'll send it to you. [email protected]


Same setup here... hollow tailstock(bought kit with multiple centers)
Also bought some center drill bits that I have ye to try out, to gain me a "perfectly" centered entrypoint.
I also utilise a D-bit, though for lamp purposes, one might not need to worry about wander so much


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## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

Welcome to the forum @rgouette , this thread is 8 years old.


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## rgouette (Mar 10, 2021)

Bob Bengal said:


> Welcome to the forum @rgouette , this thread is 8 years old.


oh my... whoops!!


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## holtzdreher (Jul 20, 2016)

Or rip a mortise lengthwise in the center of two pieces and glue them together so the mortises create a hole. Then turn the exterior.


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