So I Want to Carve... Pointers?

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alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2015
953
804
Southeast US
You can make top quality pipes without a lathe. Eventually you'll want one because it's just so helpful on so many things, but with just a drill press, there's no reason you can't make perfect pipes. Look into delrin tenons or pre-made tenons (you can find them on ebay). Then you don't have to worry about the tenon cutter and whether the shoulder on the stem is any good, just mill off the rod, and drill in the tenon, everything's perfectly lined up. This was a lathe-less pipe: View attachment 36415
I second that notion wholeheartedly. Leaving the tenon turning tool behind made my experience so much easier. It also seems to me all spade bits are not created equal. I have one that drills beautiful chambers, and one that won’t drill a smooth bore at any speed. I have a Rawcrafted bit that drills beautifully too. Every one seems to be a little easier. The spade that drills so well came from Tim West btw. Inexpensive
 
Last edited:
May 2, 2020
4,664
23,771
Louisiana
So an update: I had been drilling 2x4s to practice drilling airways, and was nailing it. Nice centered draft hole in the bottom of the chamber, looked good. Decided to try some olive wood and briar, and ruined them with misaligned holes. Still not 100% sure what the problem was, but I did check yesterday and my drill press is out of square. It might be that the holes I was drilling in the 2x4 blocks were much shorter, and the misalignment was not able to be seen, but with the longer holes in the olive and briar, the misalignment was more evident. Still trying to sort it out.
 

alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2015
953
804
Southeast US
I draw the line on the outside of the block and adjust the bock within a clamp (that I C-clamp to the drill platform) so the bit aligns with the line. A longer bit enables a clear site to the chamber bottom, then you just have to be sure the chamber and draft hole are on the same center. Good luck, a longer drill than the drill press travel might wander a little, but not much in my very limited experience with only a handful of attempts. I've only made a few
 
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