[Sean]

Ok,
As said googles your friend and did check it out and in the past I've been lucky with a few sticks and have been able to drill a good clean hole through selected ones that need the lanyard attachment.
I did ruin the top part of one stick the other day because the exit hole had splintered so badly. I used a Forstner bit but the wood was still green inside which I think was part of the prob?

So..
Any tips on a clean, no splinter hole, bits, size, etc... Thanks.

 

[Alaska Rabologist]

Sean,

I have also had the same problem. Particularly on really dry sticks. A couple things that seem to work for me, is first using a nice sharp drill bit, drilling slowly. I don't usually use a Forstner bit when drilling all the way through wood. I generally will only use a Forstner bit when I am drilling to a set depth. I have also found that a couple wraps of tape can help prevent some of the splintering, not always, but has certainly minimized the problem for me. I usually will use one turn of painter's tape and then a couple wraps of either electrical tape and/or duct tape around the area to be drilled. I have found that this method makes for easy removal and does not leave any tape residue on the stick. Once the initial whole has been drilled, I will usually use a tapering bit, drilling won approximately to a depth of about 1/8 inch. I have found that flaring out the drilled hole on the stick will help remove some of the sharp edges that can be a bit abrasive and cause accelerated wear on the lanyard. Just a few tidbits that have worked for me....

 

[gdenby]

Green wood may gum up the cutting edge, and drag on the wood fiber. But even dry wood w. long fiber tends to rip out.

Try starting with a very small bit to drill a pilot hole. There may be some tear out at the exit, but it will probably be quite small. Then take a larger bit, use the pilot hole to center it, and drill almost thru the shaft. If you like, wrap a piece of tape on the bit to show the stopping depth. There are also little metal collars available that have a set screw to lock them where ever you want on the bit.

Then turn the stick over, and finish the hole by going in from the opposite side. That should prevent tear out.

A quicker way which is not so fail proof is to place the shaft on a harder piece of material, like a fine particle board, and drill straight thru. You'll know when to stop when you feel greater resistance. The short coming is that if the hole is too large and/or the circumference of the shaft is too small, there will still be a small gap where the work piece doesn't meet that harder support piece, allowing tearing.

 

[Sean]

Excellent tips/advice guys thanks I'll incorporate them as I'm sitting here staring at about 6 sticks here that are going to need to be drilled.

 

[MJC4]

I do it pretty much as Gdenby does with the small then larger bits. One thing I do to finish the hole is I use the end of the woodburner to burn the outside edge of the hole. The end of the wood burner pencil centered in the hole burns a nice finish edge.

 

[Sean]

Thanks Mark, nice finish on that hole there.

Sean

 

[Rad]

I do a lot of wood working besides stick making -- rule of thumb for drilling anything is having another piece of wood firmly up against the back side of what you are drilling into -- this will keep it from spliting or tearing out on the other side of your work. It's a little more difficult with round material, but not impossible. I have made rounded jigs to snug up tight on the stick to prevent splintering.

 

[Rodney]

I do what Gdenby does. Drill a pilot hole and drill partway thru then flip to drill from the other side. This should pretty much eliminate tearout issues. Using sharp bits and drilling into a supporting surface help too.

Rodney