# Unusual request...!



## robutacion (Nov 18, 2010)

Hi everyone,

I had a interesting request that I'm working on and there is a, make various wood species "sticks" (these have a proper name but I'm protecting the inventors request for secrecy in its use...!:wink 350mm long, 10mm on one end and 8mm on the other finished to 400 grit and oiled,  These require to have a hole through the centre (350mm length) from 5mm up, these have to be perfectly drilled, straight, dry, medium density and perfectly balanced.  

One on the woods request is hight figured Olive wood and I'm ready to start drilling (engineering modified special drill) of 6mm but I'm thinking the possibility to drill slightly bigger and try to get a brass tube (pen type) with at least 350mm in length and under 7mm OD, possibly with a thicker wall thickness than the pen tubes, so that I can epoxy to strengthen the stick.

I know I can get the normal 10" long 7mm pen tubes but these aren't long enough and I want need one piece brass tube so, does any of you know of a source that I can contact for such type brass tubing...??? 

Info will be appreciated...!:wink::biggrin:

Cheers
George


----------



## CREID (Nov 18, 2010)

try  a hobby store, they usually have long brass tubes.
Curt


----------



## ldb2000 (Nov 18, 2010)

www.speedymetals.com These guys have brass thin wall tubing in any length you want at very reasonable prices and fast shipping . Hope this helps .


----------



## DurocShark (Nov 18, 2010)

ldb2000 said:


> www.speedymetals.com These guys have brass thin wall tubing in any length you want at very reasonable prices and fast shipping . Hope this helps .



I can second this recommendation.


----------



## robutacion (Nov 19, 2010)

Thanks guys,

I have found what I need at Speedy Metals, unfortunately they don't accept Paypal.

I was also quite surprised when I saw a charge of $105 to ship 5 x 350mmx1/4" hollow brass tubes (1/4" OD {A} x 0.120" ID {B} x .065" Wall {C}) which costs $94.50...!

If I can't get the wood sticks to make it/be acceptable without the brass tube inside, I may have to accept the charge of the tubes but I will have to find a more economical way to get them to me, no way I'm going to pay such ridiculous freight cost for 690gr of brass, this is just crazy...!!!

Well, I've gotta thing of something quick smart...!:biggrin:

Thank for this link, I may need it again..!

Cheers
George


----------



## DurocShark (Nov 19, 2010)

I think the problem there is you're on the other side of the PLANET. :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


----------



## desertrat (Nov 19, 2010)

try onlinemetals.com I have used them in the past and gotten excellent service and very reasonable prices.
Good luck

desertrat


----------



## snyiper (Nov 19, 2010)

McMaster-Carr.com


----------



## Steve Busey (Nov 19, 2010)

George, have you checked with a local machine shop or independent hardware store to see if you/they can find a source closer to home?


----------



## robutacion (Nov 20, 2010)

Steve Busey said:


> George, have you checked with a local machine shop or independent hardware store to see if you/they can find a source closer to home?



Yeah, someone sent me a PM with a link for a fellow in Melbourne, he appear to have what I need, I will contact him soon as see what happens...!

This request project has been consuming some of my time, yesterday and today, I don't know why I keep saying yes to things people "thing" but they have no idea of the complexity of its manufacturing, and this is the case with these 350mm long, 10mm one end, 8mm on the other end, with a 5mm hole straight through, using olive wood and other timbers required, is just a pain...!

Drilling is a nightmare, turning it is another, success rate for a day in a half working on it, one 100%, one 80% and other 70%, eight drilling attempts stuffed-up and 4 turned pieces unusable as the centre hole (never totally straight) come through the side wall...! What I bugger...!:frown:

I should have told him that I would make them if I could laminate a round brass tube with the wood he wants.  The problem is always the stepped sizes from 10 to 8mm but I could easily rip a thin piece of wood with the different thickness needed on each end. Taping the thin layer of wood is quite easy...!

I know that he wants one single solid piece of wood for these things, lets see that he is going to say when I tell him how much each one of these "sticks" are going to cost him...!!! when I manage to destroy lots of wood and plenty of my time...!:biggrin:

There are "challenges" and there are "challenges", I'm getting both...!:wink:

Cheers
George


----------



## soligen (Nov 20, 2010)

Another option for tubes is to go to an archery shop and look at the aluminium arrow shafts to see if one meets your size requirements. Arrow shafts come in quite a few diameters and wall thicknesses.


----------



## robutacion (Nov 20, 2010)

soligen said:


> Another option for tubes is to go to an archery shop and look at the aluminium arrow shafts to see if one meets your size requirements. Arrow shafts come in quite a few diameters and wall thicknesses.




Thanks mate,
I haven't though of that, even tough I thing they would be just too big for this project and I would prefer brass, it possible.

Cheers
George


----------



## robutacion (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi everyone,

I will have pics when I have them totally finished, at the moment and after the efforts of last Saturday and Sunday, I finished the day with 4 sticks submersed in Fungishield.  There are 3 Majestic Olive sticks(1x100%, 1x95% and the other about 90%) in my "QC" grading, and one of my She/Bull-Oak, in fact, the most impressive of the lot.

The order was 2 Majestic Olive Heartwood for now (immediately) and more of other woods (not yet specified but has to be from my woods) later...!

One of the requirements is "high figure"/busy wood, making the hole manufacturing process even more complicated as, these woods have all different densities through the grain and figure, a 5mm hole 350mm long with a nearly 400mm long drill bit is no easy task...!

Anyway, I have to downsize the hole from the original 6mm, which I had the drill extended for this purpose but, and after a few attempts at turning the stick after drilled, the hole come trough the side wall at about the middle of the stick, at the required diameters requested, just not enough wall thickness for the 6mm and the slight curve my best drilling attempts have achieve.  

After the 3 consecutive sticks being destroyed (come through the side wall) and about 12 blanks drilled (9 never made it to the lathe...), I decided to do one more using a slight different drilling technique, using a bigger drill with less speed but a lot more torque, the final result was quite disastrous, as when the drill was about 2/3 in it got stuck good and proper so, I decided to change the blank/drilling position on my large bench vice, hold the drill with everything I had (it would spin my harms off, if I let it to) and with the swish in reverse, I gave it a squeeze hopping to unstuck the drill but the result was not surprising and expected some how, there is, in between the strong hold I had of the drill, the well secure blank on my heavy duty bench and vice and the amazing power/torque of this drill, and the fact that the extension welded into the drill bit wasn't as hard as I though, the force of all this totally chew the 1" 1/4 of bit end in the drill chuck, it stripped that metal as if I was shaving wet wood with a carbide gauge. 

What I had left coming from the drill chuck as I well roughed thinned piece of metal rod that wouldn't be 2mm in diameter from the 5mm originally so, that was the end of that drill as the length with the damaged bit cut off, was just about the 350mm needed to drill so, and instead of having it re-done I decided to have one done in the nest size available as these were a set of 3 drills sizes (5, 6 & 8mm) I got from a local shop, the 8mm being 300mm long and about 1/2" shorter for each size under...!

So, the idea of using the brass tube inside the hole to strengthen the stick, is out of question for now, is just not enough thickness in the stick OD to drill to accommodate a brass tube and have still enough room to have 2 electric wires (thin gauge tough) to get trough...! Well, I'm giving a good hint here..!:wink:

I suppose, there would be ways of making these sticks "perfect" in solid wood, including a perfectly drilled hole, that would require a lot more equipment that what I've got to work with, including no "steady" to assist with the turning, I don't have one any more, my work-shop is only a very small fraction of what I once had, many years ago and in the other side of the planet (country of birth).

It really stresses me out sometimes, when I'm asked to do certain things that I know how to do well, and done many times before but, I only realise later, normally when it is time to do the job that, the experience and knowledge are essential but, the right tools are needed also and that is not the case any more, leaving me with a job that was suppose to be "simple", turning into a nightmare to produce, I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about, huh...!!!!:frown: 

Improvising, improvising..., is the name of the game and I sure do lots of that...!:wink::biggrin:

The sticks come out yesterday from a 24 hour Fungishield soaking (stabilize and soften the wood) and are now rapped tight around a flat and solid piece of wood to support them straight as they dry, I would expect another couple of days before I will finish them with a rub with steel wool and a couple of coats of Arganoil (natural wood oil) and then buff to a lustre..!:wink:

We will see how they will come up...!

All for now...!

Cheers
George


----------



## robutacion (Dec 3, 2010)

*All done, packed and posted...!*

Hi everyone,

Well, this project ended today with the postage of all pieces I was request to make, including the first job as the 350mm hollowed sticks.
After making 4 of them, there was a request to make some base cones with solid Teflon material for elimination of vibrations, some more base cones but a little simpler to make, and 2 little pieces (shells) made out of Platypus Gum that were a pain to get right.

Anyway, all is on its way to its owner, rapped very very carefully and supper protected with lots of bubble-rap so, lets hope our Australia Post people don't mess-up things for him/us...!:wink::biggrin: 

Attached are a few pics of the items that went into the box...!

This will be, this story END also...!

Cheers
George


----------



## maxwell_smart007 (Dec 3, 2010)

I cannot figure out what those are used for....maybe i missed something in an earlier post of yours...


----------



## snyiper (Dec 3, 2010)

It is a project /invention he is helping with but will not disclose as of yet if I read correctly.


----------



## robutacion (Dec 4, 2010)

snyiper said:


> It is a project /invention he is helping with but will not disclose as of yet if I read correctly.



Sorry about that *maxwell_smart007*, *snyiper* is correct, I have done these pieces as a request from someone in Melbourne (Australia) which he is involved with the "music" industry from the old days.

This is all his idea and invention, he requested me not to disclose "clearly" what these will be used for and I will respect that but, is no harm in showing the pieces finished to "validate" what I wrote in the beginning on my thread...!

I reckon someone out there, will put 2 and 2 together and work it out, after all I have gave some nice hints, already...!:wink::biggrin:

When it comes to "other things we make" is just no limit in what I'm asked to do, if is made of wood...!

Cheers
George


----------

