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great replies, all.
Christian: I have a similar rig, but made out of aluminum. thanks, though.
Bernzy: I'm using brad points. They helped quite a bit about a year ago, when I switched to them.
Surfster: I don't have hollow head or tail stocks. I'm just trying to find out if that works better than a drill press. If it did, I would consider getting another lathe with the stock holes.
Your advice about pecking through the piece is right on. I too have been finishing the hole by holding the piece with my hand and running it "up" the bit, but only rarely does it come out in the center of the other end. I'll try using a short, stiff bit to start, and then finish with a longer one. ARE YOU USING A 1/8-INCH DRILL BIT? I have fewer centering problems when I drill with a stiffer (3/16-inch or 1/4-inch) long bit, but I want a 1/8-inch hole.
One difference in what I do compared to your description, though, is that I drill the hole first. That way, if the hole is a little off center, I can center it with the lathe on the rough cut. The off center hole becomes dead nuts on center when you skew off the wood around it.
A lot of time I have started out to make a nice, fat bottle-popper, or pikie, or Danny, but because the hole was off center, it changed into a needle or a pencil because I needed to make it really skinny cuz the hole on one end was way off center.
Anyway, thanks a lot guys. If anyone else out there has any ideas about making true center holes in dowels, give us a post about how you do it.
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