Long Reach Drill

[75Plus]

I did a search but did not find anything like this so here it is.

Ever need to drill a hole that is in some inaccessible location for the drill length you have? This is how an old tool and die maker taught me to do it.

Start with a suitable piece of round stock. (This one has been turned down for a 1/4" drill.)

Long Reach Drill

Chuck it up in the lathe and, using the drill you intend to drill the needed hole with, drill the RS about 1" deep.

Long Reach Drill

Now file or grind a slot approximately 3/4" from the end and half the diameter of the RS exposing the end of the hole. Poor picture BTW.

Long Reach Drill

Now file a flat on the end of the bit so that it laps over the end of the hole.

Long Reach Drill

After drilling the desired hole the drill bit can be removed and returned to the index and the extension can be saved for another project. I have several extensions that I made about 25 years ago. They have been handy many times over the years.

Joe

[dsquire]

75Plus

Wow, that's one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments.

Thanks for posting that. I am sure that many here will use that one in the future.

Cheers 

Don

[chuck foster]

i have made extensions but i always silver soldered the drill bit it place.................i like this idea much better 

chuck 

[dsquire]

I am going to refresh this topic to bring it to the top to allow more of the newcomers to stumble over it and see what kind of response it gets. 

Cheers 

Don
473

[Rob.Wilson]

Thanks Don for refreshing this topic ,,i missed this one 

Joe thanks for showing the top tip  well worth remembering , better than brazing the drill bit into the rod as i have be doing , when i had to dill the throat plate on my traction engine boiler



Cheers Rob

[ieezitin]

Great!. And it really works

We need a thread started with just little tricks like this, so people can just add there little tricks and knowledge.

What happened to tool & die makers anyway?…  oh that’s right they followed the Dodo off the cliff.

Anthony.

[ieezitin]

Rob.

Nice welding on that Sch40 pipe. Are those real rivets if not how did you get that effect? What did you use?.


Thanks Anthony.

[John Stevenson]

Rob.

Nice welding on that Sch40 pipe. Are those real rivets if not how did you get that effect? What did you use?.


Thanks Anthony.

Photoshop   

John S.

[Rob.Wilson]

Hi Anthony  Thanks

Yep they are real riveted boiler stays ,, screwed in first then riveted over  .

John ,,,,,,,,one day   



I knocked this up to do my reverting  ,,,,,,,quieter than me air hammer
 

Cheers Rob

[ieezitin]

Rob.
I started my apprenticeship back in 79 got out in 84, they taught me how to rivet with the form and hammer, but I never in the real world done it. All cleats and high tensile bolts then and now.

Wonderful I like those pics. Considering the Titanic was plate and rivets construction and was water tight that form of bonding  was a superior and effective technique.

Your rivet driver is superb. Well done sir.

John S.   must be Photoshop 3-HD.

[No1_sonuk]

Considering the Titanic was plate and rivets construction and was water tight that form of bonding  was a superior and effective technique.

LOL "Titanic" in the same sentence as "water-tight", "superior" and "effective"... 

[John Stevenson]

My granddad built the water tight doors for that boat.

John S.

[spuddevans]

My granddad built the water tight doors for that boat.

John S.

It's true, My granddad watched him do it.


Tim

[Bluechip]

My granddad built the water tight doors for that boat.

John S.

It's true, My granddad watched him do it.


Tim

Neither of 'em thought to query the cat-flaps then ??

Dave BC

[No1_sonuk]

  It wasn't the watertight doors that were the problem.  It was the skylights at the top of the walls!

Paradoxically, some people believe the ship could have stayed afloat longer if the WT doors were open.

[fatal-exception]

That's a great idea, BUT maybe I'm missing something here....how does the drill lock axially into the extension? Wouldn't the drill tend to pull out of the extension when retracting?

[John Stevenson]

That's a great idea, BUT maybe I'm missing something here....how does the drill lock axially into the extension? Wouldn't the drill tend to pull out of the extension when retracting?

It's because it works in a time / space environment bubble.

You start drilling on October 31, 2009 when the first post was made and by today it's forgotten which way it was turning so it also forgets to fall out.

simple innit?

[Lew_Merrick_PE]

That's a great idea, BUT maybe I'm missing something here....how does the drill lock axially into the extension? Wouldn't the drill tend to pull out of the extension when retracting?

Fatal -- For this set-up to work well, the bore in the extension shank needs to be a close fit to the shank of the drill bit.  The chisel-edge ground at the butt of the drill bit not only locks it radially, it also jams the bit in the bore.  My experience with such things is that you need to "drift" the bit out of the extension shank in a manner not dissimilar to removing a Morse Taper bit.  Does that clarify things?

[75Plus]

That's a great idea, BUT maybe I'm missing something here....how does the drill lock axially into the extension? Wouldn't the drill tend to pull out of the extension when retracting?

It's because it works in a time / space environment bubble.

You start drilling on October 31, 2009 when the first post was made and by today it's forgotten which way it was turning so it also forgets to fall out.

simple innit?

Perhaps I missed it but I cannot find the rule setting the length of time before a "How To' becomes a "Don't Bother".
Can anyone point it out to me?

Joe

[crabsign69]

here is one i made and boy did it work good and it did not come out  i had to get a punch and remove the drill bit from the tool holder
Long Reach Drill
i cut everything at an angle the bit and the tool and its works very good

[fatal-exception]

Ok, Thanks Lew, I had a feeling like it didn't have anything to do with a time/space bubble, as not many things related to machining do...   

Anyways, I think I'll make a small one and throw it in the drill index so I don't forget...