How do you make a centered hole on a wood grip? I was thinking about drilling the square wood and installing allthread before turning it on the lathe but then I cant mount it to the lathe on one end. How do you guys do it?

I chuck the piece (square-before turning round) into a 4 jaw chuck and with a long drill bit and drill chuck in the tail stock, bore out the center hole. I then mount it on a mandrel and turn. If the hole is slightly off center, it won't matter because when you mount it on a mandrel and turn it round, you will be turning it concentric around the hole and end up with a perfectly centered hole. If you have a mini/midi lathe (Jet, Turncrafter, etc) a bed extension will be needed to fit a 4 jaw chuck, drill chuck/long bit and the turning stock between the head stock and tail stock.

IMO, using threaded rod on a wood turning lathe can be dangerous. Threaded rod is rarely straight and is easily bent. When I was just starting with a lathe, I tried it and on the second attempt while turning, the centifugal force caused one end to come off of the tail stock and the rod immediately bent very sharply whipped a gouge out of my hand, damaged the tool rest and narrowly missed me. Since then, I only use threaded rod to glue up grips on.

You need to use an actual mandrel made out of drill stock with a 60 degree cone on the end for the tail stock to fit into it. You can buy or make them. Fishsticks4U sells Andy Dear's mandrels [www.rodbuilding.org] I'm sure you will hear rfrom others but this is the way that I do it. If I can help, feel free to e-mail me!!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2008 10:10AM by Mike Barkley.

I am going to be using a large shop smith lathe. A mandrel is the material that goes through the wood and ties into the lathe right? Can you elaborate how to make one of these (safely).


P.S. Thanks for saving a nasty all thread cut on my hand!

Mike,

Unhide your e-mail or e-mail me at mbarkley@wowway.com. It's too much to try to get into a post.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

If all else fails go to a local machine shop and have them make a mandrel out of drill stock for you. They should understand what you need and you can choose a length you need. It shouldn't be a high cost item.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

Good Morning Mke Nash,
Everything you have heard from Mike Barkley and Stan Grace is valid. I would like to just add a couple of points. I have found that brad point bits will keep the hole you bore centered more accurately than twist bits or spade bits. I usually start boring with a typical 4-5 inch long bit and then change to a 9 inch bit. This keeps the longer bit from "wandering".

Originally I bought a set of mandrels from Any Dear (Lamar Fishing). These did not have a thread on either end and worked well with cork. I went a a machine shop and asked them to make a mandrel of a size that Andy did not have available. I had them thread one end and place a 60 degree cone on that end. I also had a longer one made for longer grips ( 12 inches or greater.) The two mandrels cost me $15. I use the machine shop since I have no means of accurately cutting or threading hardened steel.

I use these mandrels for both gluing and turning. I coat the mandrel with wax by taking a plain white candle and rubbing the mandrel until I have a thin coat of wax. I can then glue rings together or place the wood piece on the mandrel. Now the grip can be turned and then easily removed from the mandrel. If you try gluing cork rings on the mandrel wihout the wax, you will not get the grip off of the mandrel in one piece. I hope this helps.

Mike Blomme

Is my email un hidden now?

Yep!

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

We went into the local tool store and talked with a "lathe" guy and he gave us some ideas. We will drill out the square stock and then put a 1/2 inch dowl into the 1/2 inch hole. We will then cut the dowl flush with the square stock. Now we can just use the standard shopsmith point things (driver and spindle?) to run the piece through the lathe. I hope that this will work since the driver bit and the spindle end are larger than 1/2". THe dowl will allow us to center the points while still having a hole in the grip.

You may get by that way but I think you'll find a metal arbor much easier to work with. You have to be able to remove the dowel as well as center it accurately. I frankly believe a drill rod arbor will be less expensive than the 1/2 inch dowel rod route over all.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

I tend to agree with Michael, Mike Barkley and Stan. If you insert the dowel then use the lathe centers to turn the piece you will be counting on perfect centering of the dowel on the centers. Being off by a small fraction on either end will likely result in an uncentered bore hole in the finished product. Drill rod or a commercially sold mandrel will reduce the likelihood of wobble and your piece should have a perfectly centered hole after turning.

Jeff Shafer

Like Jeff and Stan pointed out, using a dowel, IMO, would not be a s easy or effective way of doing it. Not only will you not be certain that you will be turning it true, you have a real disadvantage in that you won't be able to do anything with the grip or seat ends as your live centers will be in the way. When doing grips, you will want to shape the ends of the grips (particularly on split grips where you want the ends to taper right down to the blank) and I, for one, sure don't want to try to bring a tool that close to a spinning 4 prong live center. If you have it on a steel mandrel (particularly one with a threaded end, sliding collet and spacers), you can turn/shape/sand right to the edge of the hole and you can be guarenteed that even if your hole is not straight, it will be turned concentric to the hole.

I don't claim to be remotely proficient with a lathe, but I can't imagine trying to bore or turn grips or seats without a chucks and a mandrek

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Where can you buy a mandrel and all of the stuff needed for truning a grip? What exactaly do I need? (name, description, function) (I am 17 and not all that familiar with the lathe terminology). I would really like to do this right because it is going on a rod that will be a gift for my brother and it will be my first wood grip. I tried the dowl thing on the part of the grip that goes above the reel seat and I got 90% done. (I had to quit cause my brother was comming out to the shop). It seemed to work well enough, but when I make a rod for myself and my father I would like to do it the right way. Thanks again for all of your input guys you have been a huge help!

Mike,
I'm assuming that you know how to use the lathe if you've gotten this far. Do you have any lathe chucks and or lathe drill chucks that look anything like these? What turning tools are you using, gouges, scrapers, etc.? The more we know about what you're using and what you already know about turning, the more we can all help you! Byu the way, the "point things" are called live centers. Where do you live? There may be builders in your area that can help you out. Check your e-mail

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Hi Mike most wood grips can be done the same way wooden Pen makers are doing and all the hardwear will work for wooden grips they have morss taper holders in all sizes ect and center hole vises just look up wood pen makeing on the net and a lot of the items needed for grip makeing can be had a saveing off @#$%& under wood pen building drills, vises, and mandrills for your lath Penn state tools lathes on the net has every thing at a good price along with finishes ect hope this helps Jeff

Hey thanks for the tip I will definately look into it!

Hi Mike, if you would like to see some pics of the vise and mandrills ect that I use e mail me at kayaonekaya@yahoo.com and I will send you some I just use the pen makeing supplys and do reel seats it works out well and the cost is very low take care God Bless Jeff Rhonda and Kaya net pup

Hi Mike sent you some pics to your e-mail let me know if they came through ok God Bless Jeff Rhonda and kaya net pup

Thanks! They did come through. How do you post pictures here? I finished my first ever wood grip and I would like to share it with all of you guys that have helped me along the way. I also was wondering what the best way to put tru oil on it was.

Thanks again,
Mike

Hey guys! I finished the grip and posted pictures. It is titled "My first wood grip". Go check it out! Thanks again for all of the help. My next one will turn out even better becuase I will get the right tools first.