# How to drill straight thru 40" Baluster



## thefiend1 (Oct 11, 2011)

Hey guys,

I just started on a project I've been wanting to do for a really long time. Which is to make lamps out of a huge 39" wood baluster. Ive attached an image of the 2 that I just picked up and a picture of the end goal. 

I have a major roadblock at the moment however… I can't figure out the best way to drill a 1/4" or 1/2" hole straight through. I could do it with my corded drill and a 18" long auger bit and do one side at a time but I'm afraid of not drilling it straight enough. The wood is pine so it shouldn't be too hard going through but I'm wondering what you guys would recommend. 

The hole would serve the purpose of running the wire straight down to the bottom instead of coming out of a hole in the metal pole. I think it would be cleaner looking to do it this way. 

What do you guys think?


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## thefiend1 (Oct 11, 2011)

Tried to fix the picture but deleted the text too.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

It could be done, but straight will be much harder.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

It's going to be hard to do that no matter what you use. Your best bet would be to get a ship auger. You may have to modify it to use a bit extension to use it to drill that far. Start at the top where the exact center is important and drill through it. If you are off a little at the bottom it won't hurt. I would route out a hollow space on the bottom to run the wiring. I think the hard part would be finding all thread lamp tubing to run the wire. If you are going to make the turnings you could dado a groove down the middle on two halves before you glue up the wood.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Depends on how straight you need it. If you're just running the wire through, a little off won't hurt you much, so you could just use a really long auger bit from both sides. If it needs to be perfectly 100% straight, I think your best bet would be to make friends with someone with a really big lathe


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## thefiend1 (Oct 11, 2011)

It doesn't need to be perfectly straight. It just needs to get from one end to the other without coming out the side of the post 



Steve Neul said:


> I think the hard part would be finding all thread lamp tubing to run the wire.


Does there need to be an inner tube for the wiring? My plan was to just run the wire through the wood.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*check out Home Despot*

I bought some door bell wiring bits there a while back that are very long, over 36" if I recall. Here's alink to some that are 48" long:
http://www.bamanufacturing.com/hdbh_series.html


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

thefiend1 said:


> It doesn't need to be perfectly straight. It just needs to get from one end to the other without coming out the side of the post
> 
> 
> 
> Does there need to be an inner tube for the wiring? My plan was to just run the wire through the wood.


It doesn't really have to have the tube but for safety reasons it's recommended. You will at least have to have the tube at the top to mount the light fixture to.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*seriously?*



epicfail48 said:


> If it needs to be perfectly 100% straight, I think your best bet would be to make friends with someone with a really big lathe


You could have a lathe the size of a locomotive, but you would still need a drill that's either 20" and flip it,OR a 40" long drill for one long hole. If you have either, you can still drill it without a lathe.... just sayin'

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Greenlee-DV...105?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4637aebc71


A machine shop will braze a 1/2" bit on a 3/8" drill rod for very little $$


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## Seubs070 (Oct 7, 2013)

It's hard to tell how big those are but one option may be to cut it in half route a groove down both sides and then glue it back togther. If your careful with the cut you should be able to make it nearly seamless.


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

grab a bit, and get to drilling IMO.

figure out a way that you can line up the drill to vertical... pass the drill bit through some washers or something. the bit can wander in the wood, but probably not by enough to be an issue.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

woodnthings said:


> You could have a lathe the size of a locomotive, but you would still need a drill that's either 20" and flip it,OR a 40" long drill for one long hole. If you have either, you can still drill it without a lathe.... just sayin'
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Greenlee-DV...105?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4637aebc71
> 
> ...


A long drill bit is easy to find, keeping it straight with a hand drill is the hard part. My intent with recommending a bit lathe was made with the inference that the hole needed to be 100% perfect, in which case a lathe large enough to hold the piece could be fitted with a hollow tailstock the drill could then be few through.


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## BernieL (Oct 28, 2011)

Thefiend1 - if you have a drill press, simply drill a hole through a block of wood (any block 2+ inches). Center and secure that block centered onto the top of your baluster, drill half way down, flip it and do the same. The block simply guides you to start your hole straight. You can remove it after a few inches and your auger bit will follow the straight line. The center will be close enough. I used this method when I built a swing set for my grandaughters and it worked fine and my holes had to accurate enough to pass long threaded rods.


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## thefiend1 (Oct 11, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I went ahead and picked up a 30" 3/8" bit. Im going to drill a 9" long 1/2" hole first for the main 1/2" pipe that will hold the lamp cluster - so it sits nice and tight in the baluster - and then drill the last 30" with the 3/8" bit. Should be fun  

Cant wait to get started on this. Thanks again everyone!


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

woodnthings said:


> A machine shop will braze a 1/2" bit on a 3/8" drill rod for very little $$


I like this idea. Quick and cheap. 
If you used a spade bit, you could run the shank up a steel sleeve. This might keep it straight. 
Please keep us posted on your method and results.


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## thefiend1 (Oct 11, 2011)

Hey guys! I wanted to give you an update. 

Its taking a LONG time to prep these wood Balusters. They are originally covered in some kind of weird, green and grey chalky like paint that is really thick and hard to get off. I tried sanding lightly just enough to take off the paint but not hard enough to smooth out the imperfections (its supposed to have a reclaimed look), but all that did was clog up the sandpaper instantly. Ive resorted to coarse steel wool and that seems to do a lot better job removing it... its just taking a long time and making a huge mess with all the dust. 

I will probably have to prime these with spray paint because even though the thick top layer is coming off revealing some of the pine underneath, if I touch it with anything it gets dirty with all the green crap... Ill try to take a pic later. :furious:

Im getting the lamp parts in later this week and im trying to figure out the wiring. Ive attached a picture of what the end goal will look like as far as the fixture goes as well as my proposed wiring diagram. I will be using 14 gauge internal wiring and will run it through the baluster, out the bottom and then wire it to a foot switch. If anyone has any recommendations on wiring changes please let me know. Thanks


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## thefiend1 (Oct 11, 2011)

Sorry for the flipped pics, these should work.

The little squiggly mark in the wire drawing just means that they will be connected to eachother.


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## Trav (May 30, 2011)

Cool lamp. Is this a DC circuit?


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## thefiend1 (Oct 11, 2011)

Not sure what you mean but it will ultimately be plugged into the wall via 2 prong plug.


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## TomC (Oct 27, 2008)

Ttharp said:


> Cool lamp. Is this a DC circuit?



I believe his drawing should say hot and neutral or black and white wire not positive and negative.


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## thefiend1 (Oct 11, 2011)

You're right! Thanks for the correction. Im too used to dealing with wiring speakers :thumbsup:


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## Trav (May 30, 2011)

My post wasn't meant as a correction I was genuinely interested if it was a DC circuit.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

TomC said:


> I believe his drawing should say hot and neutral or black and white wire not positive and negative.


Whatever, the wiring is correct, just connect the +, hot or black to the center terminal of the socket and switch.


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