Replies

1. 
   dherzig | May 01, 2007 01:37am | #1

   Do it with a brace and bit or with a hand drill and a drill bit extension. all the way through.

    

   
   

   ---

   Edited 4/30/2007 6:38 pm ET by dherzig

2. 
   JohnWW | May 01, 2007 01:42am | #2

   I would suggest getting a long twist bit that will go all the way through the block.  Then drill half way through the block with the bit in a drill press, as far as you can based on the stroke of the drill press.  Now clamp down the block on it's side on a bench and finish off the hole with the long bit in a hand held drill.  With 3 1/2" of the hole already started straight with the drill press, the bit will be guided straight through the rest of the block.

   John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine

1. 
   dgreen | May 01, 2007 02:03am | #3

   Why not just clamp some scraps to the drill press table to align the block on four sides and just flip the work?------------------------------------

   It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump. ~David Ormsby Gore

1. 
   citrouille | May 01, 2007 02:25am | #4

   If you have a drill long enough, drill as far as the stroke of the drill press lets you, turn it off, clean the hole and crank the table up, the drill will sink in the hole, when you are deep enough finish the hole.C.

2. 
   unTreatedwood | May 02, 2007 07:32pm | #10

   That is how I did it last week.  I had to retrofit a newel post that the client wanted installed, but did not know it before framing..  so I took some hard maple and put a very long lag screw into the floor joist and cut off the bolt part once it was screwed into the floor.  In order to get the hole lined up in the bottom of the maple, I had to line it up on a drill press, and adjust the movement of the bit.  I used a twist bit and it was not hard to continue the hole once started on the drill press.  End of the story...worked like a dream."The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a governmental program"  -Ronald Reagan 

3. 
   cmiller231 | May 01, 2007 04:17am | #5

   I would use a 12" drill . I would then obtain  a  piece of steel  about 2" thick and drill a 3/8" hole through it so that it could be used as a drill bushing. I would use a 7/32 drill and then a 15/64"and then  a 3/8". Sharpen the drill with a split point .Clamp it ,screw it or what ever to the end of your part.I would use a power drill to drill it through from one side with the work clamped to the bench.   Chris

4. 
   [email protected] | May 01, 2007 04:54am | #6

   If you haven't completely sized the piece; Cut it in two, cut slots with a router, and glue it back together. 

   Failing that option, how critical is the alignment?  If it's not terribly, just get along drill bit and go through.   If it is critical try coming from both ends, with an undersized drill, and then ream out to the finish diameter. 

1. 
   vwalla | May 01, 2007 02:52pm | #7

   Thanks guys.  I'll let ya'll know the outcome.

    

   V

1. 
   byhammerandhand | May 02, 2007 03:45am | #8

   Look for something called a "bell hanger's bit." Available in 3/8" and much longer than you need.E.G.
   http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW1770-12-Inch-Bell-Hanger/dp/B0001LQZDE/ref=sr_1_4/104-9822440-3198333?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1178066471&sr=8-4
   http://doitbest.com/DoItBest/Main.aspx?PageID=64&SKU=301943

5. 
   philip | May 02, 2007 02:08pm | #9

   Question: " Any sug. on how I can make sure that these holes align perfectly when I drill from each side?"
   Answer: Be sure the block is perpendicular and top and bottom surfaces are parallel and co-planar i.e top and bottom are square with the sides. Mark centre on one end,and use pointed rod in drill chuck to place the work on the table. Clamp at rear against a fence- when the work is flipped the same face must reference against that fence.But for the other axis there must be stops on either side of the block to centralise it.
   Slow steady feed speed with frequent withdrawing to clear chips, rpm's to suit the wood.
   We assume the drill is square to the table....
   Pointed rod? Made by turning in lathe or chucking in cordless drill and rotated against running bench grinder-so that the point is central.
   That is if you must drill from both sides.

   Philip Marcou
6. 
   highfigh | May 03, 2007 05:41am | #11

   Go to a hardware department (almost anywhere) and buy a long paddle bit. Once you go to the 3-1/2" point, stop, raise the table and start boring again. Or make a jig by taking three pieces of wood- one oversized to be used as the base (which is clamped to the table) and two longer pieces that can be joined at a right angle, which is then attached to the base. Cut some additional pieces to be used to raise the piece being drilled in specific increments, adding up to the total depth of the hole needed. If you make sure to keep the paddle bit straight and you set the drill press up so the drill head is square to the table (and setup is repeatable), using a mark at the center of the base as a guide for placing the jig, you can clamp it to the table and drill as many holes as you want.

   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."