I was looking at Cork4Us website and was looking at the price for rings with a center hole already drilled and without a center hole. The price isn't much different in the two so I wonder, Is it worth saving a few buck to get the undrilled rings and drill them yourself or just go with the predrilled rings?

Depends upon what you think your time is worth, and if you can drill them accuratekly.

Scott,
Actually, some suppliers charge more for the rings with no hole.

But, to each his own. Normally, it just makes sense to buy the cork with the holes in them. Even if you have to enlarge the hole, you are starting with a clean hole in the center of the ring.

B e safe

if it isn't that much of a difference I figure one with the hole to start would be convienent.

Starting out with a hole already in the center makes it easier for you to enlarge the bore or ream from that point.

Now if you already have a drilling jig that automatically centers the rings, then it really doesn't make any difference.

.............

Hello Guy's

What about the blanks with a small butt (Ice rods...)?

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

If the blank butt is smaller than 1/4 inch, you may well be better off with no-hole cork. But even then, it's a simply matter to shim with a couple spiraled thread wraps to fit a 1/4 inch bore.

...............

Robert,
The best thing to do for ice rods, is to simply buy pre built grips that you simply slip onto the blank.

Or just to a few wraps of masking tape - with gaps between the rows of masking tape for glue. Simple - easy effective and the joint never fails.

Be safe

It might be nice to have a few no-hole rings to us as butt caps.

Rather than have no hole rings, I find it easier to glue on the butt cap - with a hole in it during the handle gluing.
Then, turn the entire handle on your lathe - including the butt cap.

Ream the grip as required to fit the blank - including the butt cap.

Then make a tapered plug to fit the hole in the butt cap of the same material as the butt cap.
Finally, when gluing the handle on the rod, insert the tapered plug as the last step, having the plug large enough so a bit of the plug extends past the end of the butt plug.

Then, after the glue is dry, just use a disk sander to sand the end of the butt cap flat.

I have turned separate butt caps on the lathe and then glued them on afterward, but it much much easier to just make the tapered plug and glue it in the hole in the butt cap than to try to make a perfectly fitting butt cap and then glue it on with no glue line.

Be safe

if the blank have a diameter less than 1/4 , i can prepare the center hole with 2,75mm.
this way could be more easier for doing a correct job.

Joaquim Loureiro
cork4us.com

Joaquim,

Thank you. I am building a bunch of ice rods so the ID needs to be pretty small. As soon as I get all the blanks in I will do some measuring and send you all an email.