Eurika!!
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:31 am
I am a shape first and then drill pipe maker from the 1970s. Some of you may have seen my elaborate clamp to drill the mortise and face the tenon a couple of entries down. I redesigned my clamp and was in the process of building it when I came up with another solution.
I had been intrigued by Scott Thile's presentation in Pipedia using the lathe and a pin with little briar blocks. I was sure that I could not do that because my lathe is a tiny 7"x10" from Harbor Freight. With a pin in a Jacobs chuck, I had a max of 2.25 " to work in.
While I was waiting for the glue to dry on my new design custom clamp, the solution popped up. I had an extra arbor for a chuck and I proceeded to grind it into a pin. I also ground off the last 3/4" from the arbor which gave me additional space.
This eliminated the chuck and gave me almost 5.5" to work in with the combination counter bore and drill from Vermont Freehand. Except for the vent hole drilling, I can both drill the tobacco chamber and mortise and face almost any size pipe I contemplate
I was able to mortise and face the straight stummels in my queue in just a few minutes.
One change that I made in Mr Thile's method was to use the thermo malleable plastic as buttons instead of briar blocks. It took me almost an hour to shape and glue the briar blocks on 5 stummels, and only about 10 minutes to use the plastic on 10 more. I also didn't glue most of the plastic, it stuck well enough except for 2 which popped off (which I glued).
I still have to work out the drilling of the stummels which have mortises on different axes from the vent holes, and I have to grind the ears off the counterbore, but I am extremely happy that I could work out a method to use my lathe.
DocAitch
I had been intrigued by Scott Thile's presentation in Pipedia using the lathe and a pin with little briar blocks. I was sure that I could not do that because my lathe is a tiny 7"x10" from Harbor Freight. With a pin in a Jacobs chuck, I had a max of 2.25 " to work in.
While I was waiting for the glue to dry on my new design custom clamp, the solution popped up. I had an extra arbor for a chuck and I proceeded to grind it into a pin. I also ground off the last 3/4" from the arbor which gave me additional space.
This eliminated the chuck and gave me almost 5.5" to work in with the combination counter bore and drill from Vermont Freehand. Except for the vent hole drilling, I can both drill the tobacco chamber and mortise and face almost any size pipe I contemplate
I was able to mortise and face the straight stummels in my queue in just a few minutes.
One change that I made in Mr Thile's method was to use the thermo malleable plastic as buttons instead of briar blocks. It took me almost an hour to shape and glue the briar blocks on 5 stummels, and only about 10 minutes to use the plastic on 10 more. I also didn't glue most of the plastic, it stuck well enough except for 2 which popped off (which I glued).
I still have to work out the drilling of the stummels which have mortises on different axes from the vent holes, and I have to grind the ears off the counterbore, but I am extremely happy that I could work out a method to use my lathe.
DocAitch