First of all....... all you guys got me into quite a mess since you all make it seem so easy,,,, I bought a Jet Midi, couple Airbrushes, compressor, Vega duplicator and just about everything else I need to get myself into a whole lot of trouble this winter since I am stuck in Dallas TX working....

I have turned some nice things so far to use as templates to make reproductions to mess around with weighting and swimming ....

But,,,,, I am having problems with through drilling.

How are you doing it?

pre drill,,,? On the lathe...? Drill press.....? Brad point bits... ? Place to get bits on-line...? Size...? :wall:

on the lathe,5/32....1/2 inch chuck with morse taper#2 arbor....drill both sides and finish with 6 inch drill bit(brad point)in a hand drill. when you drill a off centered plug like most swimmers (lip slot center)I allway drill the body upside down both sides......you can't switch. I got my chuck and arbor at woodcrafters, you can find the bits anywhere..ed

Drill press. Line up a pointed center (by plumb bob or long drill/rod) directly beneath your chuck center. A dowel center or nail through a board wil do. Drill in from each end with a regular length drill, connect with a long bit in a hand drill. Regular point bits do better in end grain than brad points. Withdraw the drill to clear the chips every 1/2 inch or so.

Another option for dirll bits is W.L. Fuller, they can make you brad points with the spurs ground off for drilling end grain.....

Drill press. Line up a pointed center (by plumb bob or long drill/rod) directly beneath your chuck center. A dowel center or nail through a board wil do. Drill in from each end with a regular length drill, connect with a long bit in a hand drill. Regular point bits do better in end grain than brad points. Withdraw the drill to clear the chips every 1/2 inch or so.

Hope you guys are readling this word for word, THIS is the simplest and most accurate way to thru drill. Forget all the other gimmicks, THIS one works every single time. Its extremely accurate.

the only thing I could possibly add to this is that you can use any old hand drill(less power is even better for safely reasons) clamped in a strong bench vice with the drill bit pointing directly at you (use caution obviously) and "feel" the plug in your hand, if its not smooth, your tracking off center,but if the "pilot hole" you drilled in the press is good it should always track straight.

Drill press. Line up a pointed center (by plumb bob or long drill/rod) directly beneath your chuck center. A dowel center or nail through a board wil do. Drill in from each end with a regular length drill, connect with a long bit in a hand drill. Regular point bits do better in end grain than brad points. Withdraw the drill to clear the chips every 1/2 inch or so.
George, i understand for a straight thru, but how do you drill an off center on a press?

George, i understand for a straight thru, but how do you drill an off center on a press?

All the same, just make a small off center mark with an awl where you want the hole to start/exit and place the tip of your lower center pin in the mark, drill in from the tail, flip it over and drill in from the mark, connect with a long bit in a hand drill. To drill darters, predators, plugs with a shaped face, I use a longer nail (1'') as my centering pin which will clear the chin of the plug. Just be sure to center your pin with a plumb bob or long drill bit before starting. I think the most important items that cause trouble are dull drill bits and not clearing the chips frequently. I am intrigued by the idea of having a bit ground for the purpose. Most drill bits are not ground for end grain use and I think I've heard that a steeper point can be helpful. For most stuff, a standard 1/8 or 5/32 seems OK.

Thanks George, i'm going to give that method a try. :btu:

thanks guys,,,, I am going to be giving this all a try,,,, I have even been in touch with W.L Fuller and got a couple of the special bits coming. This was the return email from with part numbers for 5/32 bits.

We have some information for you and a few stock numbers. First, we recommend removing the spurs from Brad Point Drills when drilling through end-grain. The center point on the Brad will then lead the drill straight through the grain. We have Brad Point Drills in the following lengths up to 10" Overall Length.
Overall Length
2-1/16" 25000156
3-1/8" 25100156
5-3/8" 25200156
8" 25300156
10" 25400156

There is no extra charge to remove the spurs on the Brad Points. However, it must be specified at the time of order. These items are on Catalog 25 pages 39, 40, 43, 44. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us.