SPONSORS
2024 ICRBE EXPO |
Drilling Cork Rings
Posted by:
Bill Hickey
(---.nycap.res.rr.com)
Date: July 06, 2012 10:28PM
Hey Folks, what are you using to drill out a 1/2" thick cork ring that does not have a 1/4" hole in the center? I bought some cork rings that do not have the hole in them and I am wondering if there is one type of drill bit that is better than another. Usually I buy my rings with a 1/4 hole in the center, glue them up to the desired length, then onto a mandrel to shape in my lathe, then ream the entire grip to fit the blank. Thanks! Re: Drilling Cork Rings
Posted by:
Phil Erickson
(---.dsl.pltn13.sbcglobal.net)
Date: July 07, 2012 12:02AM
I like to use a "Brad point bit" as I find it does not wander like a regular drill bit. Re: Drilling Cork Rings
Posted by:
Tom Kirkman
(Moderator)
Date: July 07, 2012 07:33AM
Forstner bits are excellent for this as well, but won't come in the very smallest sizes.
............. Re: Drilling Cork Rings
Posted by:
roger wilson
(---.hsd1.mn.comcast.net)
Date: July 07, 2012 12:35PM
Bill,
I ream all of my cork with a circular file held in a corded variable speed drill. I have used a grinder to grind a point and teeth on the end of the smallest file. If I encounter cork rings with no hole in them, I use the circular file to drill the hole and then just continue reaming with the file with the drill running backward against the turn of the file. Be safe Roger Re: Drilling Cork Rings
Posted by:
Bill Hickey
(---.nys.biz.rr.com)
Date: July 07, 2012 05:45PM
I figured someone would recommend the Forstner bit, but I didn't think they would come in 1/4" but they do. I have used them in the bigger sizes for similar types of wood boring with great results. One of the big box stores shows them on their web site in 1/4".
Roger, I ream my cork grips exactly the same way then if they need any additional increase the bore diameter, I finish up with the Batson Dream Reamer. It would be real nice if a file manufacturer would offer more sizes and longer files. Re: Drilling Cork Rings
Posted by:
Terry Turner
(---.hsd1.or.comcast.net)
Date: July 08, 2012 08:23PM
I use a step drill I got from the auto parts store for cork ring drilling. I use a jacobs chuck in my lathe, but you could use them in a regular drill as well. This is the process I use to size the holes to fit my mandrel, prior to gluing up the grip.
For the rings without a hole, I find the center, then start a hole with a punch, then just push the point of the drill into the hole started with the punch. This works great for "inside" rings. If I have a tighter tolerance requirement, like the ring that ends at the blank, I use either a forstner or a brad point in the right dimension. I chuck the ring in the lathe and bore them horizontally. Makes a great hole and very smooth. Terry Re: Drilling Cork Rings
Posted by:
roger wilson
(---.hsd1.mn.comcast.net)
Date: July 09, 2012 06:19PM
Bill,
A person might check with rod manufacturers like St. Croix. When I toured the plant a couple of years ago, the plant uses a long tapered reamer on a drill press style drill to ream out all of their handles. They use pre made handles with a fixed hole size. Then, the determine the particular blank that is going to be used for that handle and have a machine shop make them a reamer that is long enough to ream the complete handle in one operation. So, rather than spending multiple minutes to ream cork and glue up etc. St. Croix takes a built up handle, runs their reamer down the handle in about 6 seconds, hits the handle and blank with glue and the handle is fitted and glued up in about another 10 seconds. So something under a minute per handle per rod for the entire operation. Roger Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
|