long hole, DRILLING?

larry merlau

Member
Messages
18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
is the lathe the best way to drill a hole 20" long on a wooden blank or would it be better to run a cove bit at the right size and then mate it with another to get the long round hole and just glue or screw back together? am looking to put a section of wood handle over a metal one.
 
20" is pretty long to try to drill and keep straight. I would recommend the cove bit method you mentioned .I have done it a few times and it worked pretty well, if you rip the piece carefully the seam is pretty well hidden when glued back together
 
You could do it with a lamp (shell) auger and get it ~reasonably~ straight (requires some care in feeding to try and keep it mostly straight). I have a miniature homemade one I use for pre-drilling the holes for the wires in spinning wheel hooks and similar, but that's only ~1/16 or less and a few inches - haven't tried the bigger ones.

The cove trick is undoubtedly more accurate.
 
How straight does the hole have to be? Is if for something like a lamp? Or is more precision required?

You could always drill in 10" from each end. The holes at the end would be close enough, and then you'd just need to finagle it to make sure they join in the middle.
 
Larry,
I read somewhere that the indians in South America make their blowguns using the cove method..:thumb:. if in your travels you ever made it to the jungles of Brazil and met with the tribes there, you know how long those blow guns are. :D
 
How straight does the hole have to be? Is if for something like a lamp? Or is more precision required?

You could always drill in 10" from each end. The holes at the end would be close enough, and then you'd just need to finagle it to make sure they join in the middle.

its going to be a wood handle for a fish spear, so pipe is straight and for the whole process it works better to do the cove method.. now to get it to split,, paper and glue between the two halves so it could be turned round on a lathe after the grove is made..
 
I'll admit I never would have guessed that would have been the project! Yep, the cove method seems more appropriate!
 
Don't know how deep you're fishing, but if it's deeper than the spear itself, you may be disappointed in how that wooden handle will slow it's descent and possibly cause misdirection...but if you're not fishing deep that wood handle sure makes a difference in the holding & waiting
-ice-fishing-.jpeg
 
ken, actually i think it will help flight on deep shots, should act like fletching on a arrow have seen them made like this. right now it flies true to around 7 or 8 ft but then starts to veer off after that.. i think it needs more head weight to but my buddy doesnt think so??? i had put this together for him.. thanks for the offer jim but i will give it a go here locally:)
 
Fish spearing is an ice fishing technique, or a spring time in the shallows technique? We used to spear pike in the shallows in the spring when they were starting to spawn.
 
Fish spearing is an ice fishing technique, or a spring time in the shallows technique? We used to spear pike in the shallows in the spring when they were starting to spawn.

where we live you can only spear pike in the winter threw the ice,, spring time is for rough fish only on select waters non trout waters.. last year we done great this year is the worst we have ever had,, 6 holes now and only seen 2 shooters???:( also if by some chance any of you have a olde spear setting in a corner i might be intersted in acquiring it,, the new ones arent made as well as some of the older ones soft steel..
 
Top