I have about a five-foot-long log that I’d like to make into a floor lamp. Is there a tool that would drill a hole up the center of the log (5 feet) just large enough to run an electrical lamp cord? Thanks.
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easy answer
5 ft long drill bit.
2-2 ft 10" drill bits and hope for the best-good aim-lotta luck.
http://www.lashen.com/vendors/BES/Fish_Bits.asp
There should be something there that will work. I would start with a long auger bit (ship auger 12 to 18 or more inches), then switch to the really long bits. Remember to go a little way then back out and clear the chips.
Thanks
just biding time till someone with more brains or a better memory showed up.
I've got one of those 6 foot bits, 1/2" diameter. You will end up in bad shape without the fancy guide or some homemade thing to guide it.. They will give you a whipping if you aren't careful. Never tried drilling a log though.
What you really want to do is find a rifle maker. (Halfway serious about that.)
The problem, of course, is that you need a loooong bit AND some way to keep it from drifting off-center. Simply chucking a long bit in your power drill won't hack it. (Or rather, it WILL hack it up.)
Basically you need a TALL drill press. I've seen pictures of jury-rigged units that apparently worked pretty well, but have no idea where you might find plans.
I think you'll find this article informative. http://www.gartsideboats.com/boring.php
I have to credit 'Dinosaur' at Breaktime Classic for introducing me to the concept. I'm not sure if he's the guy who actually wrote the ariticle.
At any rate, I took this concept and modified it with a machinist and we developed a boring bar that I used in the construction of an elevated deck. I had to drill something approximately 80 holes through 8 X 12 timbers, and each hole had to accomodate a 7/8 inch bolt with very tight tolerance. It was time consuming to set up each hole, but the holes came out perfectly.
Without building a custom tool (like the boat hole bore) or buying and expensive tool (super long bit), I think you could do the job using a couple drills and alternate with two bits: A hole saw bit and a forstner bit.
First, you start the tube with the hole saw bit, say at 1.5" size. Make the tube about an inch deep, then pull it out. Switch to the forstner bit. Use it to hog out the inside of the tube you just made. Switch back to the hole saw for the next inch, then hog out that next inch. The rest is just swapping back and forth and adding extensions. I'd also periodicly move up to at 1/8th larger hole saw to kerf the sides larger to swelling doesnt sieze the bits. Use a long plug to keep the saw centered in the hole as you start and guide it down the shaft.
So I guess that's 3 bits: 1.5" hole saw, 1 3/8" hole saw, 1.5" forstner. Extension, extension, extension.
Long Drill Bit
D'versibit.: Thats what I got off the net, it's long enough but it will be hard to keep it straight, Home Depot supposed to have them.
We actually did this a lot at a furniture shop I used to work at. We made all sorts of furniture out of logs, including tall floor lamps. The technique was a bit simpler than the other posts. We would drill with a long (18-24in) bit, intentionally poking through the outside of the log. Then another hole would start, go as far up as possible, then poke through the other side. Repeat this process until the cord is at the top. Then we'd bore the channel between each set of holes so a cord would lie flat. Thread the cord all the way up, then we cover the area with the two holes and the channel by glueing on a knot, branch nub, or other species matching piece. We kept various shades of sawdust to help match with the glueing.
I know this technique won't appeal to all, but our furniture was very rustic, and many customers made requests for pieces with maximum character (ie knots, grain, coloration, etc.)
Brett
Interesting - essentially you made multiple wire pull boxes in the wood by zig-zagging.
simple, must be no machinists left here?
weld a 5 foot 1/2 steel rod to a 5/8" regular bit.
Grind the 5/8" bit to a flatter angle on one lip, grind OFF the other lip.
This is called a 'gun drill' below is 1st internet hit on a pic for you to see how to re-grind the point.
View Image
Of course, you also need a jig to hold the bit in correct alignment. A long lathe is the obvious choice, but even here few readers have a lathe.
How many logs do you have you are willing to screw up?
I would just try this with a diversabit (the smallest you can find) and pull it out to clear the chips often. If you do have a blow out, use the "glue on a knot" trick.
You could perhaps improve on the "glue on a knot" technique by using a thin kerf saw or some such to cut out a chunk of wood, then aim the drill at that point, then glue the chunk back in place after all is done.
Having just successfully completed drilling through the center of an 8' 6x6 for an outdoor lighting project, I thought I'd add my two cents. Most people, like me, will not have a horizontal boring machine. That leaves few options, all of which have been discussed here. I chose to start by drilling a 1" starter hole on each side that I was confident I could keep fairly straight (I used a 6" spade bit on one side and a 4" forstner bit on the other, just to test the difference, which there was none). Then, I then used a long 4' flex auger bit with my hammer drill. This is not quick and there is certainly risk. You can create all sorts of elaborate horizontal boring jigs in an attempt to keep the bit perfectly steady, but those will also not be perfect over such a span and I didn't use a jig. What I did was drill as straight as I could by sight, turning the post a quarter turn every 2-3". This is tedious, so be prepared, especially if you are working on your own and clamping the post in between turns. My theory was any drift, as long as I was being consistent, would self correct to a certain degree. I drilled from one side and then the other and this did work. I was off by approximately 1/2", so the meet was not perfect and I certainly couldn't fit a 1" conduit through it, but I was able to fish my outdoor electrical wire through it. A final note, I did use a speedbore extension giving me an extra six inches to finish from both sides. Drilling two four foot holes in an 8 foot post will get the tip of the auger bits to meet, but you need the full 1" (or whatever your diameter) to pass over each other. For completeness, I'll mention I did this three times, will the same success each time, so that was scientific enough for me to consider it not to be "luck" the first time.