[rcaig]

I need to drill a 2" wide hole 7" deep in hard maple end grain. I used a 1/2" 3 flute 4" long spiral bit in a 2 1/2" bit extender and 3 holes. Now I'm getting a lot of vibration from what may be imbalance at high speed. I have tried Forstner bits, but they won't cut through end grain. Maxi-cut bits made in Germany were made to cut through end grain but are discontinued. Has anyone had success with creating a hole this size in hardwood end grain?

 

[John Smith_]

can we ask what the project is and how many holes do you have to drill ??
is this an on-going project ?

 

[harrysin]

Routing is out, the only way that I can think of is to use a Forstner bit with an extension which should be readily available. A bench drill has to be used.

 

[rcaig]

The project is a baseball bat beer mug. I will make less than 20 of these if I can transfer logo's to the wood.

 

[John Smith_]

wow - something I've not seen before. (what is the market for this odd project ??)
can you share a photo of one you've completed ?
once we understand your project, more options may be available.

 

[mimac]

You could try a hollowing tool on a lathe if you have a lathe

 

[rcaig]

Routing is out, the only way that I can think of is to use a Forstner bit with an extension which should be readily available. A bench drill has to be used.

wow - something I've not seen before. (what is the market for this odd project ??)
can you share a photo of one you've completed ?
once we understand your project, more options may be available.

wow - something I've not seen before. (what is the market for this odd project ??)
can you share a photo of one you've completed ?
once we understand your project, more options may be available.

There are a few places that sell them on line. I viewed one on utube and what they do is buy the wood already hollowed out and they laser engrave them with your team logo and epoxy it.

This was done with a router bit. The bottom 1/2" was painstakingly done with a Forstner bit

 

[John Smith_]

thanks for the update.

Edit: I'm having a hard time envisioning who would actually drink from this thing.
frat boys watching "the game" on the big flat screen ?
what keeps it from falling over at the least little bump ?
is there a glass insert or just drinking from the epoxy lined cavity ?
sorry - I'm just not seeing it.

 

[jdowney]

If a Forstner won't do it for you, there is something wrong. Low speed in a drill press, a sharp Forstner should do it. The hard part is going to be holding the thing!
A spiral drill will be more efficient, but I've never looked for one that big, don't know if its an option. If it is that is how I would go.

Here's an old pic of drilling a 5/8" hole for a gunstock to illustrate the typical setup, bit is from Wood Owl. You would probably need a jig to hold the bat. Given how good your results look so far, you probably already came up with some kind of work holding arrangement.

 

[DesertRatTom]

I think you might have some trouble with adding a team logo, even the name of the team, especially in a font that's even similar to the logo. Those trademarks are jealously guarded and you have to have a license to use them. I suspect you could use the logo and name of an amateur team without a problem, but you'd probably have to put the location on it if the team logo or name is similar to a pro team.

I can see a market for this. What about a sports bar or pizza parlor, would they use them for a team they sponsor? Making a batch of 20 to 40 for that market might go well, just engrave the name of the sponsor below the team logo. Doesn't have to be real beer, could just be root beer to cheer on the little or adult league team. There are lots of softball clubs around as well.

If you did this, you will want to have a number of jigs for the drill press, lathe and laser printer or other engraving device. It will make it easier to do and help you up production.

I see a nice hobby business working OK for spending money, and making a jig for drilling the hole, or a lathe, could be paid for out of initial profit. If you used a lathe, you could cut the opening to fit a metal or glass insert. Plastic finishing would likely be fine too. It's an interesting idea.

 

[RiovistaAndy]

I think you might have some trouble with adding a team logo, even the name of the team, especially in a font that's even similar to the logo. Those trademarks are jealously guarded and you have to have a license to use them. I suspect you could use the logo and name of an amateur team without a problem, but you'd probably have to put the location on it if the team logo or name is similar to a pro team.

I can see a market for this. What about a sports bar or pizza parlor, would they use them for a team they sponsor? Making a batch of 20 to 40 for that market might go well, just engrave the name of the sponsor below the team logo. Doesn't have to be real beer, could just be root beer to cheer on the little or adult league team. There are lots of softball clubs around as well.

If you did this, you will want to have a number of jigs for the drill press, lathe and laser printer or other engraving device. It will make it easier to do and help you up production.

I see a nice hobby business working OK for spending money, and making a jig for drilling the hole, or a lathe, could be paid for out of initial profit. If you used a lathe, you could cut the opening to fit a metal or glass insert. Plastic finishing would likely be fine too. It's an interesting idea.

My vote would be to use a lathe to cut the hole. But first bring the outer dimensions to finished state. Then I would use a steady rest with ball bearings.to support the outboard end while cutting the hole. This is similar to what I did to bore out small cannon barrels.

 

[harrysin]

The one in the background is segmented and turned in a lathe, a popular item using this method are coffee mugs using 8 segments with angles either routed or cut on the table saw set at 22.5°. This leads to a site that calculates the angles.

Segmented Turnings

I have a friend who makes and sells heaps of these mugs for which stainless steel kits are available, and I recall that he starts cleaning up the centre with a Forstner bit. I recently gave this friend my 22.5° router bit (unused).
Note: I just noticed that I had shown 16 segments, it should have been 8, hence the 22.5° angle.

 

[John Smith_]

I see what you mean - good luck in your projects !!

 

[harrysin]

I see what you mean - good luck in your projects !!
View attachment 399053

I see what you mean - good luck in your projects !!
View attachment 399053

"I am a painter: that's what I do, I like to paint things."
What galleries can I view your paintings in?

 

[jaguar1201]

"I am a painter: that's what I do, I like to paint things."
What galleries can I view your paintings in?

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED USING A WOODPECKER DRILLING OPERATION (TO CLEAR CHIPS)?
ALSO A COMBINATION OF A MULTI-STEP DRILL AND A WOODPECKER OPERATION TO CLEAR CHIPS.
I HAVE USED BOTH THESE TECHNIQUES TO DRILL CAST IRON 36" DEEP ON MILLION+ WORK PIECES. THE FINAL HOLE SIZE CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH A FLAT BOTTOM REAMER.
RICK

 

[John Smith_]

"I am a painter: that's what I do, I like to paint things."
What galleries can I view your paintings in?

Harry - I don't paint "artwork", per se: I make 3-D signs and paint them, and I've shipped them all over the world.
I also have painted homes for a living for a few years and I've painted a lot of boats. I just like painting (vs clear coating and stains).
but, that can be a totally different thread if anyone wants to know more. (let's not jack this one).

 

[ken in minnesota]

i would think a lathe with a boring bar setup would be best

 

[MarkJonesRanger]

Lots of ways to make it. Forstner bit with a shank extension would be the easiest for sure.

Make up 2 jigs to cut it out on your table saw. One would be at a angle ploughing out the 2" parts out of 1.5" of wood sides then glue them together. The other jig would be to turn the glued square stock using drill to turn it as you run it over the saw blade.

Izzy Swan has a couple of videos on youtube that demonstrate those methods.

Grinwood has a great dowel jig that can be made large enough to cut those on the table saw as well.

 

[dbur]

I need to drill a 2" wide hole 7" deep in hard maple end grain. I used a 1/2" 3 flute 4" long spiral bit in a 2 1/2" bit extender and 3 holes. Now I'm getting a lot of vibration from what may be imbalance at high speed. I have tried Forstner bits, but they won't cut through end grain. Maxi-cut bits made in Germany were made to cut through end grain but are discontinued. Has anyone had success with creating a hole this size in hardwood end grain?

That's too deep for a 1/2" bit to run clean. You could use an adjustable boring bar with a much heavier shank. Also a rigid milling machine, not an ordinary drill press. Drill as large as you can first and don't try to cut too much at a time. Otherwise lathe with boring bar.

 

[bfblack]

Browse the gun barrel drilling community. While their bore is much smaller than yours, perhaps their work will suggest something that you can adapt to your problem. Good luck.