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Thread: Help drilling 1 1/2" hole!

  1. #1

    Help drilling 1 1/2" hole!

    Trying to auger 1 1/2" holes 3.5" deap for legs in the endgrain of maple stump that has been sitting outside for two winters. I am making a chopping block with legs. I have a fresh auger bit from wodowl and I tried using 18V heavy duty drill, but it feels like either drill or my elbow will break before any progress is made. I also tried hand brace and that was a bit better, but also hard and slow, had to use ratcheting mode end my lats were fried after one hole.

    Any ideas, what do people use to do this in rustic furniture building? Thanks

  2. #2
    I feel the burn. Pegged a 12" timber frame truss with (too many) 1" pegs; drilled holes with 30yr old Craftsman 1/2" drill motor. Never again.

    Try renting a 3/4" or even 1" industrial drill motor. Something with 16"-18" 'helper' handle on it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    So, you're drilling end grain, which is difficult to drill; using an auger bit, which is not the ideal bit for end grain (the screw doesn't really catch in end grain); in maple (rock?) that's been seasoning for two years...and it's slow? Kind of to be expected.

    Google "end grain drilling timber frame;" maybe some ideas there. One site suggested Forstner bits.

  4. #4
    T-auger. You might even be able to fabricate a t handle for the bit you have.
    "For me, chairs and chairmaking are a means to an end. My real goal is to spend my days in a quiet, dustless shop doing hand work on an object that is beautiful, useful and fun to make." --Peter Galbert

  5. #5
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    You would have better results with a simple spade bit and your 18V drill

  6. #6
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    Why not just a square M&T? In this case it's probably easier, you won't see the join anyways, it's really big hole and I suspect you don't want to wedge the legs through the top.

  7. #7
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    This is why there are braces made with up to 16" swing.

    For me a 12" swing works most of the time.

    As Steve suggests, a shop made T-handle might be the ticket.

    It might also be possible to make a 'cheater' extension handle for the brace to increase your leverage.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  8. #8
    As mentioned, a T handle is much better for larger bits. A lot of older augers had the T handle permanently attached. I used a chair leg for a handle until I made my lathe, then made a handle about 20 inches long. Drill a hole in the middle, then enlarge it with a chisel to make a tapered socket for the auger bit. We usually make the square hole at 45 degrees to the axis of the handle.

    When boring into end grain, you want to apply all the pressure you can to keep the threads from slipping.

  9. #9
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    Just a thought. You might cut the hole with a hole saw and attack the wood inside the hole with a chisel and mallet.

  10. #10
    Thanks for the advice!
    That maple stump was sitting outside for the last two winters, so it is not as hard as dried maple. I was drilling into the endgrain at around 10 degree angle so auger had no trouble pulling itself into the cut, just the cut itself was very hard, I was afraid that I was going to break or bend the brace.
    I will try to make a T handle for the bit, but this bit has a hex shank so I will have to figure out how to secure it. I might end up buying a corded drill if that does not work out because battery was lasting for about three 4" tenons with the tenon cutter.

    Thanks again!

  11. #11
    I like lowell's suggestion, although the hole saw might not go full depth.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    I will try to make a T handle for the bit, but this bit has a hex shank so I will have to figure out how to secure it.
    A 1/4" (6.5mm) socket on a long armed ratchet wrench might do the job.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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