In need of help. Never had so much trouble with through drilling till I decided to make some needles. I usually leave the square stock ends on and drill through them. The needles are so long that I cut them off and tried to drill it that way and ended up drillin through the side of the lure...Was thinkin about tryin to drill the blank out first this time...Any suggestions would be great...
Madhatter do you have a drill press? Battery drill? Lathe?
I have a drill press but it only has 2 inches of travel(bench top) I generally use my lathe with a chuck attachment, And I do own a battery drill or three....I think that i prefer to use the lathe, just seems easyest, but I'm open to suggestions....
Well I don't drill with a lathe, maybe others could chime in here. When I have done it then always started with a short bit and went slow. Hunt and peck the bit every 3/4" Hold the blank with a pair of pliers. Spin the lathe as fast as you can. The first few inches is critical as it acts as a drill guide for going deeper.
hay madhatter yea needles can be a pain when drillin..
on needles i like to drill out the bell weight and belly hook holes out first.....and while your at it drill for the eyes.
buy drillin out the belly holes there less hart wood to make your drill wonder less wood is better
now drill out for your tail weight 1/4"
use a short bit and go threw the nose of the plug till u hit the belly weight hole if you can go further try to hit the belly hook hole and stop there
now go threw the other end were u drilled for the tail weight make sure u center the bit u should be able to hit the belly hook hole go slow and clean the bit as u go ............hope this makes sence ...good luck :)
much thanks gents....gonna give it a go tonight...i think if the beer doesn't make me think twice....happy St. Patty's day all...just kidding nothing stops me from working on anything related to fishing, the beer will stay cold lond enough till I'm finished tonight....
yikes i do it the same as handy, I'm startin to get worried
hay!! cuz............great minds think alike ;D
Use a brad point bit, it won't wander off center. Even if you just start the through bore with a brad point it will help the longer bit stay true. Make sure your bits are sharp. I have a Drill Doctor and touch up the long bits frequently, it really helps. I'm glad you brought this subject up as I find it to be one of the more difficult aspects of plug building. I've tried several ways and currently the easiest for me is watching my son do it with hand held battery drill. Ah.....young eyes, he never misses!
say maddhatterr.......you bring up a good point about the beer issue.......are you drilling those needles while knockin back a case ..........if so that could explain why the drill keeps wondering ...and your drill bit shoots right threw the plug..........no more green beer for you ;D ;D ;D
I save the beer for after....and theres no way I could put away a case...maybe a six pack, but fishing gets my full attention....The wife was on me last night to enjoy the holiday rather than lock myself in the basement with my ipod on blasting in my ears and wood chips flyin(she Irish if you could already guess). Thanks for all the advice, I'll have to wait til friday to try it cause it just didn't happen last night and have a class to go to tonight....
Agree with seaviewer....invest in brad point bits. All I use for thru drilling and have very few problems.
Also, go slow. When I do have problems its usually because I am rushing things.
Quote from: Great White on March 18, 2010, 12:35:34 PM
Agree with seaviewer....invest in brad point bits. All I use for thru drilling and have very few problems.
Also, go slow. When I do have problems its usually because I am rushing things.
Do you use extra long brad points or just the standard size and finish with a twist bit? Also What size bit your you gents useing? I use a 5/32...
I have both the standard jobber length and extra long (5 1/2") brad point bits.
I also use both the 1/8" (on needles and thinner profiles) and 5/32" on the bigger
lures (surfsters, dannys etc.). I usually start with the standard length, drilling from
both ends on the drill press and then finish off with the long bit in the hand drill.
Has worked OK for me.
Got it...gave it a whirl last night and starting with a shorter bit, worked like a charm...going to try and find some brad points today. Thank you all for the advice...
Tight lines,
Jim
see i told you if u would just drink the beer after and not befor drilling those needles...........you wouldnt have any drill threw problems............and one word of caution.......saltys drill bits are very very sharp ;D ;D ;D
Right?
I start with brads(reg. length) then switch to longer bits. I though drill the blank before turning as needles are center drilled anyways. With any plug if you turn then do belly holes it make the drilling much easier. Always start with a shorter bit first. I also drill on lath or drill press, my lathe is dead nuts on as it's a mono tube bed. With your longer bits make sure you buy a quality bit as the $7 or bits s..k. Get one from Salty or one similar to that