Hello All
What do most people use to bore out the ends of fly grips to accept the reel seat? I've looked online and at the venders to the left and the pilot bits only go up to 5/8, I need closer to 3/4.

Thanks for any help
Scott k

A forstner bit is a good choice. Comes in pretty much any size you want. Also leaves a flat-bottom hole.

Most hardware and wood working stores carry these.

Terry

On cork I use a dremel with a sander bit and procede very carefully. On wood I use a paddle bit and also procede very carefully.

I use a dremel with a high speed cutter bit (#115).

I use my lathe and different size spade bits. I mount my spade bit in my headstock chuck. I have ground the standard point down in length and to 60 degrees approx, so that my mandrel center will ride on that. Mount the mandrel in a tailstock 3-hole chuck. Slip grip on mandrel, push mandrel up to bit, tighten everything down and then with lathe spinning the bit push grip into bit until you get the depth you want. I use this for cork,burl,wood,bone, and carbon fiber. The spade bits come in many sizes and can also be ground down easily to get even closer fits. I have at least 8 ground from .723 -.957 plus the normal sizes.

I use a Dan Craft Crafty Cutter, multiple blades let you cut the sizes you need from .75 to almost 1" if I remember right, self centers your cut, if your grip is bored, uses your hand drill.

X2 for Dremel with a sander. I trace the outline of the recessed end of the hood with a mechanical pencil, and try to remove material within the circle , without ever removing any of the tracing of the circle itself. The decorative end of the hood will cover any slight imperfections. Go slowly, and check fit often! Another trick is to glue the hood into the grip first, then attach the rest of the seat.

George Forster
Fort Collins, CO

Like Terry, I use a good forstner bit...make up some kind of jig to hold it plumb in a drill press and feed slow.....works very nice.

I haven't figured out a good way to relieve the inside lip of the cork for those front shoes on seats that disappear in the cork...got lucky a couple times with a dremel and used cork filler on one I screwed up. They turned out OK...but, I'm just avoiding those for now.

I use a 3/4" pen turning barrel trimmer available from Penn State Industries, mounted on a short piece of 1/4" rod, and then adjust the hole size with a dremel to match the reel seat size:

[www.pennstateind.com]

Walt Natzke
Ripon, CA

Like Spencer said, I use the Crafty's Cutter on all Cork, eva, and hypalon, then the pen barrel trimmer and a dremel on the wood handles.

Ron Weber

I've been using a cheap set of hole saws with the outter teeth filed flush with the outside edge of the hole saw. I also replaced the 1/4" pilot bit with a 1/4" steel rod to center it with the grip. Makes a nice clean cut and is almost an exact fit the the reel seat. Only thing is I have to use an xacto knife to hollow out the inside of the grip.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2012 11:02AM by Adam Fisher.