Wood Harpoon Drill

You want to make a calumet? A flute? A bagpipe? A blowgun? A didgeridoo?
You need to drill a very very long tunnel in a piece of wood?

You'll like this!

All you need:
- a flat wood drill bit
- a tube of aluminium or steel (with an inner diameter slightly bigger than the outer diameter of the extension of the drill bit)
- chemical anchor
- pliers

All you do:
- cut the tube to the size you want (mine's more than two feet!)
- put some chemical anchor in one end and on the bit
- slip the bit into the tube
- pince the end of the tube and push the bit a bit further
- let it solidify a few minutes

Now you've got the longest and cheapest wood drill bit ever!

Use: Make 'pumping' movements while drilling.
This allows you to evacuate the sawdust and avoid being stuck.
Use lots of natural oil to cool the drill bit.
I made a calumet with it and it worked just perfect!

Cheap, yak-proof, powerful, effective!

Enjoy!!!

Comments

[bricabracwizard]

Brilliant! How do you keep it centred as you drill?

[M2aestro]

You might want to check out data on the old wood bed gun drilling machines, too, if you want to make long but really straight bores.

[bartworker]

Fix the log with a clamp or in a vice. Drill a small hole first, if you like, and put the harpoon in place. The longer the harpoon, the easier the way to keep it centered. Drill from both sides - it's a bit like sharp-shooting but it works perfect!
Good luck!!!

[balisticsquirel]

IF you can find a metal tube that the mandrel of the cutter / bit / drill only just won't fit into (or is a very very tight fit), then heating the tube (torch or similar) and cooling the cutter (freezer) might let them slide into place but then clamp together when they're back to room temperature. If the fit is right, the friction will easily be enough to stop the cutter spinning in the tube. Without a 'glue'.

[M2aestro]

Shrink fits like what balisticsquirel describes are often much more slip-resistant than bonded fits. It you choose your metals correctly, for example, a high coefficient of expansion tube, such as either aluminum or most stainless steel alloys, and have a normal tool steel bit (most tool steels have lower coefficients of expansion), have some linear barbs on the tool shank, then you'd more likely break the tool shaft or tube before causing the fit to slip when you assemble (very quickly) the cold bit into the hot tube. Note that you can ruin some bearings by assembling them into machinery with too much compression by the process described above, so consider the precision of fit that you need and what you have for components before you extend this process to fitting precision bearings.

[bartworker]

Clever, always in for improvements!

[Fikjast Scott]

Great idea and work

[ionut_mystic]

How clean is the resulting hole? Can it really be used for flute making? I am about to buy a not so cheap wood auger, so this can save me some money:D

[bartworker]

If you start with a brand new drill bit you'll obtain a real nice smooth hole. Hope it will help you - and I'm looking forward to see your finished project!

[Building all the way]

Hi I have always been looking for means to bore long holes into wood for my Native American 'Style' flutes. I finally purchased a drill bit extension on Amazon and built a track for my drill using 80X20 aluminium extrusion. The stock piece is clamped to the other end of the track. The track ensures that the drill does not move during drilling. Wish i had seen your post before. I would have saved quiet a bit of money shipping the drill bit extension from Amazon. Will post some pictures of the contraption. Am attaching a drawing.

[rimar2000]

Very useful instructable!