gun drill bits were would i get some from

[johnphilip]

i want to have a go at making a penny whistle on the wood lathe i am looking for some gun drill bits , but dont know were to buy from, they seem to use them a lot in the states. i am looking for a 12 or 13mm x app 350mm . they are to fit into a chuck thats in the tailstock.

 

[Turnr77]

Search ebay for long drill bits, but they are £££££££'s

Nick

 

[chipmunk]

Hi John,
I think that D-bits would be a pretty usual way to drill straight holes for something like a penny whistle and these can be made yourself out of silver steel.

There's a thread on making them here... http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/gunsmithing/d-bits-127324/

The only problem is though that I'm not sure where you'd get long lengths of silver steel. Chronos sell 13" (333mm) lengths which seems to be a pretty standard size...

http://chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Metric_Silver_Steel_13__Lengths.html

So you may have to attach the "business end" to another rod to create the full length you need but then getting it straight can prove a bit of a challenge. I have brazed together my own long hole borer though and this seems to have been ok so it's not impossible.

My suggestion would then be to drill right through undersize with conventional drilling methods (say a lamp auger) and then counterbore a short section to the right diameter to help centre the D-bit start and then take it nice and slowly through, withdrawing often.

HTH
Jon

 

[CHJ]

I suggest you make your own up similar to this, only problem will be size of tailstock access bore to fit 13mm in.

 

[monkeybiter]

This any good? It might be a bit keen but if you use it in a chuck in the tailstock you should be able to control it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/13mm-1-2-...Wood-Boring-Auger-Drill-Bit-New-/360510928490

If you are only making one then making do might be preferable to fabricating your own.

 

[chipmunk]

The trouble with augers and twist drills is that they can wander and are not stiff enough to guarantee straight holes. D-bits and gun drills use short straight flutes which are stiff and so cannot flex in-use.

Augers and twist drills also only cut at the front end. A D-bit is a bit of a cross between a reamer and a drill and cuts on the tip and side resulting in a smoother bore such as is required for wind instruments. Rough inside bores can cause multiple acoustic reflections and muddy resonances.

Jon

 

[procell]

Found this lot on Ebay. no sizes given but may be worth a look. It is from USA so postage is a bit steep
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/long-Drill-bi ... 2ecc97eddd

 

[woodfarmer]

It is easier to bore a long hole straight if the work is rotating one way and the drill another.

Might be worth trying a flat bit with and extension through the hollow tailstock with the drill bit driven by an electric drill.

hope that helps

 

[Harry 48]

The only gun drill I've seen Capt Eddie used in one of his videos it had a air line attached to blow the shavings out as you drill I don't think they are available in the UK about 200 dollars in the US

 

[jasonB]

If you do want to make your own D bits and don't want to join the metal then silver steel can be had in 39" lengths in imperial diameters or 1,000mm for the metric sizes

"aircraft extension drills" are available in long lengths, though 12" is teh longest I have seen at 1/2" dia, these have flutes for about 1/3rd the length and the rest of teh shank is plain.

MSC/J&L do both

 

[Engineeruk1]

I use Hammond and company for gun drills, always had a good service from them, there in the UK too.

 

[MikeD]

When I was in the aerospace industry we used a company called Mollart for gun drills. Their products are mainly for metalwork but they may be able to give you some advice

 

[bugbear]

When I was in the aerospace industry we used a company called Mollart for gun drills.

Bet they're not cheap!

BugBear