Process steps to keep holes true?

[LastChanceWoodshop]

Hope everyone had a joyous Christmas!

I tapped my mediocre turning skills to make a whistle for my daughter.

She loved it, bit it took a couple of tries to get a concentric hole down the axis of the whistle.

I'm using a Craftsman lathe with a Nova chuck and drilling with the tailstock.

I used a spade bit this time but have had similarly spotty success with both a forstner and Brad point.

Are there process tricks to get this right?

 

[Dave Richards]

Are you drilling before turning or the other way around? Could you use a steady rest to support the whistle while drilling?

 

[bowman]

try drilling your hole first, I use a brad point bit

 

[LastChanceWoodshop]

Are you drilling before turning or the other way around? Could you use a steady rest to support the whistle while drilling?

I haven't been drilling off the lathe. So far I've marked the center and center punched it, then drilled with the tail stock

 

[Dave Richards]

I haven't been drilling off the lathe. So far I've marked the center and center punched it, then drilled with the tail stock

I understood that you are drilling on the lathe. Assuming your lathe is properly set up with the axes of the chuck and the tailstock on the same line, problems with concentricity would most likely be caused by the work not remaining on axis. A steady rest would help with that.

 

[Mike Davis]

Your tailstock may not be in line with your lathe head. Try drilling with the bit in a vise grip plyers and feed by hand. I usually get better results that way because my tailstock is off center of the lathe. One of those things I need to fix... someday.

 

[LastChanceWoodshop]

I understood that you are drilling on the lathe. Assuming your lathe is properly set up with the axes of the chuck and the tailstock on the same line, problems with concentricity would most likely be caused by the work not remaining on axis. A steady rest would help with that.

Dave,

Apologies, I misunderstood your question. I have been drilling the hole first and then using a live center in the tail stock for the actual turning.

 

[Mike Davis]

If the entry hole is centered and exit is off then turn the piece around after you drill so off centered hole is in the live center. Turn the whistle then plug the hole. Just another way to skin the cat.