How to center drill a hole in the end of a rod (Updated Post)
01-13-2023, 09:26 AM
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Boone & Crockett
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Join Date: Apr 2007
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How to center drill a hole in the end of a rod (Updated Post)
NOTE: This a re-do of one of my old posts in which the pictures were lost in Photobucket. I have uploaded the pictures to Flickr and tried to add them to the old post, but the EDIT function didn't work. Hence, this re-do.
Do you need a perfectly centered and straight hole in the end of a solid rod?
I did. I wanted a 10-32 threaded hole for mounting a cleaning jag on a quarter-inch brass ramrod. I don't have a lathe, so here's how I did it with a simple cordless drill.
THIS EXAMPLE IS FOR A 1/4" ROD. The system will work for any diameter rod so long as you correctly match the inside and outside diameters of the components used.
One thing you must do - fully withdraw the drill bit after every 1/4" of drilling to clear chips. Do the same with the tap. Also, if you use a threaded aluminum spacer the drill bit won't quite fit into it. You will need to put it in the vice and run the drill bit through it before drilling the rod. (Other size spacers, such as those for 8-36 or 6-40 screws, can be drilled through with the #21 bit and used if a 10-32 spacer is not available. Most hardware stores have an assortment of aluminum spacers.)
Do you need a perfectly centered and straight hole in the end of a solid rod?
I did. I wanted a 10-32 threaded hole for mounting a cleaning jag on a quarter-inch brass ramrod. I don't have a lathe, so here's how I did it with a simple cordless drill.
THIS EXAMPLE IS FOR A 1/4" ROD. The system will work for any diameter rod so long as you correctly match the inside and outside diameters of the components used.
One thing you must do - fully withdraw the drill bit after every 1/4" of drilling to clear chips. Do the same with the tap. Also, if you use a threaded aluminum spacer the drill bit won't quite fit into it. You will need to put it in the vice and run the drill bit through it before drilling the rod. (Other size spacers, such as those for 8-36 or 6-40 screws, can be drilled through with the #21 bit and used if a 10-32 spacer is not available. Most hardware stores have an assortment of aluminum spacers.)
Last edited by Semisane; 01-13-2023 at 09:29 AM.
