Need technique help for a driftwood lamp

[Yelverton]

My parents have been holding onto this piece of drift wood for ~20 years with the intent of turning it into a lamp base. As you can see from the pictures it doesn't sit flat and more importantly, needs a bore down the center for a threaded rod. I have some ideas about how to do these things but would appreciate input from others.

For the base, my thought is to rough trim the "low" spots and sand things down to get a stable base. Getting the main trunk vertical will be a test and repeat exercise unless others have a better idea.

More problematic is how to drill a straight 7/16" hole down through the center of the trunk. I have a large capacity drill press and lots of normal length bits of various types.

How would you do this? When I was a kid my father used to run the White Furniture factories in Mebane and Hillsborough, so he's no slouch but has never had the shop equipment to tackle this project. I'd like to give it to him as a 70th birthday present. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mike Davis]

Use wedges under the base to set the trunk vertical. Then check around the base and get a rough idea how much needs to be trimmed. Then cut a scrap piece of wood to hold a pencil or marker to that height. Mark all around the base the cut everything below that line.

Does the hole have to be 7/16? Larger would be more stable for a long bit and easier to hit center from each end. Drill halfway through from top and bottom. You can order drill bits up to three feet long or use a hex base drill with an extension rod. I have some of these if you don’t find or don’t want to buy. Be glad to help.

 

[Mike Davis]

Amazon.com

7/16 x 18 auger
Scroll over. Several sizes on that page

 

[bowman]

Electricians, cable, & alarm installers use these
Flex bit

 

[Gray R]

Show us some work-in-progress pictures when you get going!

 

[Yelverton]

Thanks to everyone. I think the first step is getting the base stable so that I have a good platform for the drilling. My thought is to start the hole from the top with the drill press then extend it using a handheld drill. Any thoughts on that? I'm hoping that an auger bit will track pretty straight if it has a straight hole to start in.

 

[Jack A.]

I have a 5/8" x 16" long spade bit you're welcome to borrow.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

Thanks to everyone. I think the first step is getting the base stable so that I have a good platform for the drilling. My thought is to start the hole from the top with the drill press then extend it using a handheld drill. Any thoughts on that? I'm hoping that an auger bit will track pretty straight if it has a straight hole to start in.

An old fashioned bit and brace auger bit with a screw thread tip should track straight as long as you get it started straight. Second choice is a forstner bit with a spike. Making the first part of the boring on your drill press should help guide the rest of the bore. Either way you will need to do a lot of in and out plunging to clear the shavings.

 

[mkepke]

Lamp augers and/or gun drills are designed for this purpose..they reduce the tendency of the bit to wander.

-Mark

 

[Yelverton]

Lamp augers and/or gun drills are designed for this purpose..they reduce the tendency of the bit to wander.

-Mark

I had never heard of a lamp auger or a gun drill, that's interesting. Probably overkill for my ~16" hole but an interesting idea.

An old fashioned bit and brace auger bit with a screw thread tip should track straight as long as you get it started straight. Second choice is a forstner bit with a spike. Making the first part of the boring on your drill press should help guide the rest of the bore. Either way you will need to do a lot of in and out plunging to clear the shavings.

Wiley, I do have a brace and auger bit set that was my grandfather's but I've only used it a couple of times, mostly just to test it out after I refurbished them, so it doesn't really come to mind readily. I'll need to see if I have a bit long enough for this job but I do like the gentler approach of using that instead of a power drill. If I can't find one in what I have I'll probably just have to go buy a power drill auger bit since it's hard to justify (and probably find) a long brace auger bit that will be used so infrequently.

 

[Roy G]

Mitch, a gun drill is used in a lathe with the material spinning and the drill fed into it. Looking at the pics of your wood, you would need to find a large lathe and some way to hold your wood.

Roy G

 

[Yelverton]

Mitch, a gun drill is used in a lathe with the material spinning and the drill fed into it. Looking at the pics of your wood, you would need to find a large lathe and some way to hold your wood.

Roy G

Yep, understood. That's not going to be a feasible approach for this piece. I think I'll get it vertical and stable, make a small flat with a 1" forstner bit with a point, then use that center point to use the drill press with a long auger bit to start the bore. Unless the chip extraction is really excellent I'll need to use a hand drill to finish instead of just raising the DP table as I go along.

 

[mkepke]

Mitch, a gun drill is used in a lathe with the material spinning and the drill fed into it. Looking at the pics of your wood, you would need to find a large lathe and some way to hold your wood.

Roy G

I don’t think the workpiece or the drillbit will know which one is spinning and which one is not

A gun drill may not be right solution here for a number of other reasons tho.

-Mark