Long drill making success!

[Tim+]

For my sins I just went to B&Q for a bit of steel and ended up with 1 metre of 10mm(ish) threaded rod as it was the biggest solid rod that they had that would still fit my drill chuck.

I used my plumbing blowtorch to heat it and after a bit of hammering, grinding and tempering it looked like this.

bit rough but I had a go at drilling a hardwood log that was about 3" thick and it made light work of that.

a good result and easier than I thought it would be. Also an awful lot cheaper! Sadly, it turns out that it's no use for the job I had planned for it (just can't get the angles right to drill through the things I want to drill through without going through the roof) but that's not a fault of the drill, just the geometry of the location that I'm dealing with.

My thanks to Colin Bignall for the suggestion.

Tim

[Brian Gaff]

You obviously need a drill that drills round corners, not many of those about!

Brian

[GB]

>> A bit rough but I had a go at drilling a hardwood log that was about 3"

> So, a good result and easier than I thought it would be. Also an awful lot

Can you make it in sections, so you drill a bit then add an extension on, then repeat ...?

[Tim+]

>

>

>

repeat ...?

Oh it's long enough, it just can't do the impossible, namely change direction as I drill.

I thought I could get away with drilling two oblique holes and hopefully get them to meet in the middle. It now seems that the geometry of the available space just won't allow that.

Tim

[Nightjar]

>>>>>>>>>> A bit rough but I had a go at drilling a hardwood log that was about 3"

>>>>> So, a good result and easier than I thought it would be. Also an awful lot

then repeat ...?

Not even with the added advantage of a rotating rasp on the shaft? I must note that trick for future reference.

Colin Bignell

[Reentrant]

Could you drill two non-aligned holes through each joist then use something like a Magnamole ("as seen on Dragon's Den") to get the cable through?

Either buy one (eg

or fix strong magnets onto something thin and flexible like fishing-rod ends.

[ss]

A picture or diagram and maybe someone will have a clever solution.

[meow2222]

A bit rough but I had a go at drilling a hardwood log that was about 3"

So, a good result and easier than I thought it would be. Also an awful lot

Mind if we stick this on wiki?

NT

[John Rumm]

>> A bit rough but I had a go at drilling a hardwood log that was about 3"

> So, a good result and easier than I thought it would be. Also an awful lot

Yup getting the drill in the right place can be the hardest place. Normally if I need to drill through several joists I find I need to get the drill into the space between one set:

the first hole with a short auger, then switch to spade bits and extensions for the next joists in line.

[Tim+]

>> A bit rough but I had a go at drilling a hardwood log that was about 3"

> So, a good result and easier than I thought it would be. Also an awful lot

Not at all. Want any more pictures?

Tim

[meow2222]

don't know re more pics.

NT

[John Rumm]

[jgharston]

Yes, last time I needed to drill a really long hole, I thought I'd sorted it by getting a 4-ft drill bit - and then realised that to insert the damn thing I'd need to knock a hole in the wall and dangle from skyhooks outside.

JGH

[Nightjar]

My original description was

As you only want to drill wood: Take a long piece of carbon steel rather smaller than the diameter you want. Heat one end and flatten equally from both sides (e.g hammer and anvil) until wider than the hole you want. Grind to a V-tip of the correct diameter. Back off the edges of the V tip to form a cutting edge. Harden and temper. You now have as long a drill as you want.

Colin Bignell

[meow2222]

Yes, sounds like a whole nother article to me though

NT