Woodturning with a hole through the centre

Discussion
1

Hi @woodtechs I ran into an issue centreing a hole for a project that I was turning on the lathe. I had originally planned to turn the shape for a handle, then drill a hole down the centre, however aligning the hole with the axis of the part ended up being much harder than I anticipated with the drill press.

I had the thought that instead I could drill a small pilot hole through the blank before I start turning, and use this through hole as the centre points for the lathe, and by doing so ensure that the hole is always concentric with the shape I am turning.

Then I could widen that hole to the desired diameter after turning, which should guide it to keep it more central (hopefully)

I would like to check if this process is recommended? It occurs to me that a small hole in the centre could potentially weaken the part as it turns, potentially leading it to split while spinning? I might be over-emphasising that risk though, as it would be a very small diameter hole. What do you think?

2

that makes sense to me.

3

Yeah I’ve done this myself. Just remember that if you’re turning between centres you’ll need to leave the hole blind (i.e. not all the way through) to keep the chuck side centred in your mark.

4

I’m not sure I’ve fully understood the context but if the piece is mounted on the chuck you can drill the hole directly on the lathe after shaping it, using a drill bit in the tailstock.

5

You told me I’m not allowed to use a chuck yet in the induction haha

6

Yep, if you’ve L1, the best way is exactly as you mentioned. I’ll be running L2 in the coming weeks.

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