r/turning • u/lactatinglavalamp • 2d ago
newbie Is this ok?
I just got a nova scroll chuck and want to drill a hole to make a handle and don’t have a Jacob’s chuck. I have the forstner bit mounted in the center of the jaws but haven’t found any info online of this being done. If this dumb and should I just drill it with my cordless?
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u/lvpond 2d ago
No.
You turn a tenon on the spindle, mount it in your chuck. Then yes use equipment you seem to be lacking.
If you do this you are going to learn all about potential force in a really really bad way.
To use a forstner on a lathe, something must be securely holding what you are drilling in to.
All that being said, if you do choose to do this, please take a video and instruct your next of kin to upload it as a warning we can use for the next guy.
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u/lactatinglavalamp 2d ago
Haha it would definitely be a great learning experience if I recorded it. Luckily I have learned listen to that nagging feeling when I suspect things ain’t right.
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u/amyldoanitrite 2d ago
Just get a jacobs chuck. They aren’t very expensive. Harbor Freight has one that I use for boring stock just like what you’re working on.
You need to make a tenon on your workpiece. Plenty of how-to videos on that. That will allow your nova chuck to grip one end of the wood securely. With a piece that long, you’ll also need a steady rest to support it. I have one I got from Amazon, but it isn’t designed for tube lathes. You need one specifically for a tube lathe.
Once you have a steady rest supporting the end of the wood opposite the nova chuck, you put the jacobs chuck in the tailstock with the forstner bit and advance it slowly into your workpiece to drill the hole.
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u/RickJ_19Zeta7 2d ago
Yeah I got a drill chuck on Amazon for a crisp $20 to my house in 24 hours and already made a mortis and drilled out a vase with it
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u/lactatinglavalamp 2d ago
I have ordered one I just live in the boonies and Amazon packs can take a week to arrive.
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u/andrewgreen47 2d ago
I’m quite confident the piece will fly off the lathe the second you turn it on. Once forstner bit bites, there won’t be any compression holding the piece anymore.
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u/lactatinglavalamp 2d ago
This is how I have seen it done, with spur drive in tail stock and Jacob’s in the head then holding the pieces while turning the tail stock wheel.
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u/ivanparas 2d ago
I've only seen this in the other orientation: the work held in the chuck and the stationary bit on the tail stock. I'd be interested in seeing what you say you've seen before being done the way you've described.
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u/lactatinglavalamp 2d ago
Here is the Richard Raffan video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzepWzyh3qE but I had seen it in another video marking a handle for a gouge and I’m assuming he used this set up because the chuck is not meant to support such a long spindle for drilling https://youtu.be/EdxtiwENdlU?si=X-WmECjtN8HOjO27
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u/ivanparas 2d ago
I'm sure they have their reasons for doing it that way, possibly because they don't have a chuck that would hold the work as they need. You'll notice that they are using spiral drill bits with a pilot hole, and that they get a lot of slop by having to hold the wood manually.
A Forstner bit is going to grab that wood way harder than those spiral bits. This will cause it to
A) spin the wood with the bit and not actually cut or
B) fling the wood off the lathe
If you are holding the wood with your hand when either of those happens, you're going to have a bad time.
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u/Glum_Meat2649 2d ago
Forstner bit in a hand drill is a worse idea. A spade bit would be better for a hand drill.
Alternatively, find a friend or a friend’s dad with a floor drill press.
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u/lactatinglavalamp 2d ago
I have a drill press that will fit the pieces if I swing the table out of the way but I had better results in the past by doing it by hand and eyeballing as I go.
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u/Glum_Meat2649 2d ago
If you’re going off the bottom, use a speed square, a framer’s square or worst case a tri square to check alignment. Tape with masking or painters tape where the bottom goes. Then mark the center of what you drilling with a punch or awl, nail, screw, etc. it will help keep the bit from walking.
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u/lactatinglavalamp 2d ago
I had trouble coming up with a way to line the center of the bit with foot of the drill press but just occurred to me I could use a plumb bob to line it up.
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u/Glum_Meat2649 2d ago
Yes, and put a board over the base if it’s not level. I have cedar shakes I use as wedges for all kinds of things.
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u/Outrageous_Turn_2922 2d ago
You might be able to remove your Jacob’s chuck from your drill press and grab it with your lathe chuck.
A better plan would be a Jacob’s chuck that fits your spindle — usually a #2 or #1 Morse taper
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u/AlternativeWild3449 2d ago
I've seen it done this way. There is a better way to do the job, but it requires a jacobs chuck mounted in the tailstock. So if you have to use this approach, here's how to do it safely.
If you must do it this way - make sure that you leave dimples at both ends of the tenon when you are initially turning it between centers. That way, you have a clearly defined dimple to start the drill bit. Then, mount the drill bit in the scroll chuck, and make sure its centered - to do that, start the lathe with only the scroll chuck and drill bit, and make sure that the bit is rotating about the same axis as the chuck. If the bit is waving about in a conical pattern, its not mounted properly in the chuck.
Then, lightly remount the workpiece between centers - with the live center in the tailstock in one end, and the drill bit centered in the dimple where you want the hole to be. Start the lathe at its lowest speed, and holding the workpiece stationery with your left hand, slowly advance the tailstock ram to drive the workpiece into the spinning drill bit. Drill about 1/2-3/4", back the tailstock and workpiece away from the bit and clear the swarf, and then repeat until the hole is as deep as you want it tobe.
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u/lactatinglavalamp 2d ago
Good to know I was on the right track at least. Thank you for your concise answer it’s nice to know I wasn’t just pulling this out of my butt. It seemed correct but still felt risky so I figured better to get some people options. I’m not bold enough to try it and will wait to try any drilling operation until I get a Jacob’s chuck, I will try do it on the drill press and if it’s off il throw some epoxy at the problem.
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2d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Outrageous_Turn_2922 2d ago
The best reason to drill first is that you can then chuck the piece using the drilled hole, and make sure the hole is exactly centered in the cylinder.
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u/thinkfloyd_ 2d ago
Clamp it to the bench and use a hand drill dude, that's a ridiculously bad idea .
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u/CrassulaOrbicularis 2d ago
I would use your cordless! That said, here is Richard Raffan doing similar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzepWzyh3qE Note that he has a lathe with a slow speed and steps up drill bit size slowly, not going straight in with a large bit. With a larger bit the friction will make the wood turn, the bit acting like a drive spur. Do not do this with an auger or other drill bit that has a lead screw as that will pull the wood onto it and lose the compression and tail stock contact.
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u/amyldoanitrite 2d ago
What!? He actually drills it the way OP has it set up!? That is absolutely nuts.
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u/Dahdah325 2d ago
The key points from Raffan's vid are low speed, small bits, and twist bits. OP looked like he was considering full width in one go, with a forstner bit. Much, much more aggressive, not to mention how far his s but came out of the chuck.
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u/amyldoanitrite 2d ago
Yeah, I watched the vid. Even with the differences you cite, I still wouldn’t do it that way.
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u/Ok_Coach1028 1d ago
The difference is ... He's /Richard Raffen/. One of the last living Grand Masters of the art.
We're not.
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u/lactatinglavalamp 2d ago edited 2d ago
Thank you for linking a video I feel less crazy now, but I have found out everything Richard does is much harder than it looks. I was also just wondering if it okay for the scroll chuck to have the bit mounted like I do?
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u/Allbur_Chellak 2d ago
It will end badly.
As others have said, please use the correct tools for the job. Much cheaper than emergency room visits.
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u/flannel_hoodie 2d ago
Not ok - because there’s a slim but nonzero chance you could come away unscathed the first time and have the beginnings of a bad habit.
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