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ok, i'm having major problems with fitting stems with delrin tenons. i am working with a drill press and i make sure when i face the stem stock and drill the hole for the delrin that i do not move the rod stock or the vise holding it. and i repeat the process for the mortise, faced and drilled as one. but when i try to fit the tenon to the shank more often than not i am faced with a small gap only on one side. I'm not sure how i have managed to mess such a simple process up but I still do it time after time. im probably missing something extremely simple, so..... where am i messing this up?

Is your delrin stock straight?

Josh B. wrote:where am i messing this up?

By using a drill press.

Are you facing the delrin?

Hey josh b. Does the gap repeat itself at the same position and size aprox.? What drill press are you using?


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im using a pretty cheap drill press and yes the gap is near exact everytime. its just a hairs width gap on one side every time

and also yes i face the delrin and my stock looks good all my stem making stuff came from steve and i have had no problems with it at all except i just cant seem to get a nice flush fit

How deep is your mortise on the stem side? I could see it having more troubles if it's a short mortise.

Try shortening the tenon by just a hair and see if the gap goes away.

If it doesn't go away, you're probably facing with a dull tool. Sharpen it properly and then you can basically sand the shank face with the tool and a light tough. But only if it's sharp enough. Dull bits will leave gaps.


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There is also the question wether the table is square to the bit. It could be out of square just a smidge. If you rotate the stem 180 does the gap move, increase, decrease?


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i thought it was my tools at first but after lots of time with a whetstone and buying a new forstner bit...no luck. as far as rotating the stem sometimes it will make it will solve it and sometimes it will only complicate things.

Drill press is the problem, hobby ones have play in the table when a bit of pressure is applied.

Try using Ez-Lap Diamond Hones. They are much easier to use for sharpening drill bits of all kinds. If your tools are sharp enough, there should be no need to apply pressure enough to make the table wobble even on a poor quality drill press.

Having said that, you will soon find a mini metal lathe or a Taig to suit your stem work needs better than a drill press. But sharpening tools is the ticket here, I think. As long as your table and vise are square to the drill.


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Make slower cuts. It is most likely play in the table when pressure is applied.