Niggling drill bit issue

[Wilfred Xavier Pickles]

I've got a little John Nelson plan for a dinner-table-type folding candle-holder that's full of "Gotcha's".

One is candle size. I need to drill hard curly-maple for the base of the candles. Nelson sez to use candles with .5" base: I can't find any locally. But I've got some with 17/32" base.

I have no bits greater than .5". I don't *think* they make a 17/32" spade bit. I tried wiggling the .5" bit to enlarge the hole a little. It didn't work.

Do I have to special-order a 17/32" drill bit? Is there another way.

Apologies for the nickel/dime question.

Will

[Ecnerwal]

Chuck it up in your lathe and cut the hole bigger.

No lathe - dowel (slit) and coarse sandpaper - grind the hole bigger (cheat and use small sanding drums for dremel, etc if you happen to have those in a size to suit.)

Or wiggle the 1/2" drill with greater effort. Or get in there with a router bit (maintain control, and practice on scrap if you have never tried that particular application of a router.) Roto-zip bits (no actual roto-zip tool required) provide yet another possible approach to side-cutting.

Or - modify the candles - they are wax, easy to cut/sand/heat and mold/scrape them down to 1/2 inch if you like.

[Leon]

Heat the candle base and push it into 1/2" hole.

[Sonny]

I can't imagine 1/32" makes that much difference. Get a 9/16" bit, drill the hole, .... then wet the wood, to make it swell, if need be.

Sonny

[Woody]

Will:

I'd also suggest using a forstner bit rather than a spade bit to drill the holes. You'll get a much cleaner hole, particularly in curly maple.

Per the other suggestions, a 1/2" bit should work and you can get a 1/2" forstner at any retail hardware store.

~Mark.

[Lee Michaels]

"Leon" wrote >

I have seen candles carved to fit into a smaller holder as well. It carves easily. Any kind of knife with a short blade should do.

[Artemus]

Get a 9/16" (or bigger) spade bit and grind or file 1/64" (or more) from each side. Art

[Wilfred Xavier Pickles]

No lathe. Each holder takes 6 candles. I'll make about 6 holders. All but 1 will be gifted. I don't want giftees to have to whittle candles. The router bit thing is, for me, an invitation to disaster.

Thx, Will

[Wilfred Xavier Pickles]

It doesn't fit. I tried 1/2 and 5/8" forstner. 1/2 is very noticibly too small, 5/8 is very noticibly too big.

Damn these odd-ball diameters!

Thx, Will

[Father Haskell]

Bushings. What's the OD on 1/2" copper pipe?

[Nova]

This would be my choice. I'd grind it to match the taper of the candles base as needed.

[Puckdropper]

Wilfred Xavier Pickles wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Are metric bits available? I notice 17/32 is really close to 13.5mm, maybe a 13 or 14mm bit would work?

[Robatoy]

I have carved candles before, got hot wax all over my hands, almost set my hair on fire...I must have done it wrong...

[Wilfred Xavier Pickles]

Not a bad idea. If a local store has the 9/16" spade, my bench-grinder will likely do the job.

Thanks, Will

[Larry Blanchard]

That, including the taper, is the way I've seen it handled. Haven't done it myself, but some turners that command high prices for their candlesticks do it that way. Grinding down a spade bit isn't very difficult.

[Larry Jaques]

Art has the winning answer there, Wee Willy. Spade bits are cheap and grind very easily.

-- Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. -- Howard Thurman

[basilisk]

Your supposed to wear gloves and hold it away from your face :)

basilisk

[CW]

The end of a candle is tapered. All commercial candle holders are tapered for that reason. A strait hole, whether the candle fits it or not, will not be secure.

[Gordon Shumway]

That is what I had to do on a project to obtain the correct diameter hole. All it cost was a cheap drill bit to get the job done. Just grind a little and drill a test hole and then grind a little more if necessary. Just remember, you can't un-grind it!

[tiredofspam]