# Drilling question - lathe or drill press?



## joycetang (Mar 21, 2006)

I'm new to kit pens and have a metal lathe; I don't have a wood lathe. My lathe has a tool rest though and the previous owner did turn wood with it. 

I've drilled acrylic blanks using the lathe by putting the blank in a chuck in the headstock and the drill in the tailstock. For wood blanks, would this setup be better or would a drill press be better and why?

Also, can wood be turned with a cutting tool mounted in a toolholder on the compound of my metal lathe (that would give nice accuracy) or is it better to use gouges freehand? Thanks!


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## Dario (Mar 21, 2006)

WELCOME!!!

While you may be able to turn using your toolholder, I doubt it will give you as nice a finish that you would with a skew.

Drilling with the lathe is great from what I've read [].


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## alamocdc (Mar 21, 2006)

First, welcome! As Dario said, you can drill with the lathe. I've done it often with both wood and plastics. Dario seemed to confuse "toolrest" with "tool holder". As long as you have a tool rest, you should be able to use the lathe, but speed might be a limiting factor. I'm not sure of the speed range of metal lathes, but some comparisons would be in order.


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## its_virgil (Mar 21, 2006)

Drilling on the lathe with the blank at the head and the drill bit at the tail is a very accurate way to drill...more so than a drill press in my opinion. It's just not as handy as a drill press. mI know some who drill entirely on the lathe.

I don't have a metal lathe. How does sanding dust and the oil related to working on the metal lathe affect the lathe when they mix? Oil on the gears, lead screw, half-nut, etc + sanding dust seems to be not good...at least to me.  But then again, I'm sort of a half-nut myself.[]
Do a good turn Daily!
Don


> _Originally posted by joycetang_
> <br />I'm new to kit pens and have a metal lathe; I don't have a wood lathe. My lathe has a tool rest though and the previous owner did turn wood with it.
> 
> I've drilled acrylic blanks using the lathe by putting the blank in a chuck in the headstock and the drill in the tailstock. For wood blanks, would this setup be better or would a drill press be better and why?
> ...


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## kghinsr (Mar 21, 2006)

Welcome  The only reason for using a drill press over a lathe for drilling is it is quicker with a drill press. If not in a hurry use the lathe. If you are using a metal lathe with a tool holder it would be no different than using a duplicator with a tool holder on a wood lathe. I use sherline equipment which is a small metal lathe for turning anything I want. When you get the piece round and to the OD you want finish turning by hand with the tool rest this will let you shape your piece any way you want
hope this answered your question
ken
slippery rock, pa


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## Dario (Mar 21, 2006)

> _Originally posted by alamocdc_
> <br />Dario seemed to confuse "toolrest" with "tool holder".



Nope...not confused at all.  She asked if she can turn wood using her toolholder.  I just made a little comparison between finish that can be attained using a skew vs a cutting tool that is tool holder mounted.


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## alamocdc (Mar 21, 2006)

Oops! You're right, I'm the confused one... as usual. I actually missed that part completely. [B)][:0] Sorry, buddy!


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## RussFairfield (Mar 21, 2006)

Most drilling problems start when the drill first enters the wood. 

If the drill pulls to one side from dead-center in the lathe, it will follow that angled path until it exits off-center at the other end or the forces and heat destroy the wood melt the plastic. 

If the drill pulls out of line at the start in a drill press, the vise can be moved to bring it back to straight again before continuing with the hole. If the vise is clamped to the table, it doesn't make any difference. 

It is faster to move the drill bit in and out of the hole to clear the chips in the drill press.

Other than those differences, they both drill holes.

You can grind a radiused tool bit for the metal lathe that will make a shearing cut and leave a surface that is equal anything that can be done with a skew chisel. Power feed is the secret to a fine finish.

The only problem with the metal lathe is that you will have to be satisfied with straight bushing-to-bushing pen barrels. If you want curved surfaces, you will have to use a hand-held tool after the blank has been turned to round; and there is nothing wrong with doing that.


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## Chuck Key (Mar 21, 2006)

> _Originally posted by RussFairfield_
> <br />Most drilling problems start when the drill first enters the wood.



Using center drills will eliminate that problem.

Chuckie


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## mick (Mar 21, 2006)

Joyce anything I want or need to be dead on center(for instance a checkerboard blank or a blank with very little excess stock) I drill on the lathe. Anything that it doesn't matter goes to the drill press. I've found over time that drilling on my lathe can be quicker for me at times! Also the lowest speed on my jet is something like 500 rpm my drill press(a ShopSmith) only goes down to 900rpm.


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## joycetang (Mar 23, 2006)

Wow thanks for all the great information! 
I'm relieved I won't need to go out and buy a drill press [][]


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## Max (Mar 27, 2006)

I'm trying to figure out this process of drilling blanks on the lathe.  I understand that the blank is held in the headstock and that's what's turning.  My problem is that I don't understanding how the tailstock part of this set up is supposed to work.  The bit is held in a Jacob's chuck, ok, got that....but what happens, when you're drilling, and you try to back the bit out??  Why would the chuck stay in the tailstock if it's just a MT?  What's gonna hold it in?

I must be missing something....

Thanks,
Max


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## Pipes (Mar 27, 2006)

Iam  sure my old shop teacher could explain it I can't BUT it do work and stays in place even when you back the drill bit end out !! duno why thou LOL !!!I drill with my lathe a LOT and never had it come out on me backing it out !!![]


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## Pipes (Mar 27, 2006)

One more thing on my metal lathe I got so much grease and oil on and around it I would not even try to do wood on it !! But Iam sure not everyone oils and greases theres as I do and I cut a LOT a brass and that is a dirty metal IMHO !!! so for me I have to use a wood lathe  be to much trouble to use my metal lathe.. I could drill wood with it IF I had to thou Im sure !!![]


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## Max (Mar 27, 2006)

Ok, Pipes, I'll give it a try tomorrow.  I was afraid I had missed something about the set-up... and was a bit phobic about the whole process...

Thanks for the help.
-Max


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## Daniel (Mar 28, 2006)

Drilling on the drill press is quicker. (by the way at least my drill press holds the chuck with nothing but the Morse taper). 
I've heard that drilling on the lathe is more accurate. I've done it with my metal lathe before, my wood lathe will not slow down enough for me.
Yes you can turn with the tool holder. I turn blanks to round and just larger than the bushings and then finish them by hand. you will need to find a tool cutting profile that will work for wood though. I use one very much like an aluminum cutting tool. and it still does not give a great finish cut.
As for sawdust. you have to clean and maintain the snot out of a metal lathe anyway. on mine the dust getting into the gears seems to be the biggest problem. I sand and finish all my pens on my metal lathe. It corrects any little out of round issues I got from my wood lathe. Actually turning the blanks by hand is faster than using the tool bit though.


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## joycetang (Mar 28, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Pipes_
> <br />One more thing on my metal lathe I got so much grease and oil on and around it I would not even try to do wood on it !! But Iam sure not everyone oils and greases theres as I do and I cut a LOT a brass and that is a dirty metal IMHO !!! so for me I have to use a wood lathe  be to much trouble to use my metal lathe.. I could drill wood with it IF I had to thou Im sure !!![]



I've been using Superlube synthetic lubricants with PTFE (Teflon) on the metal lathe so it's not really very greasy. The teflon penetrates in the pores of the metal and gives an incredible lubricant effect without having to be copiously applied.


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