It's best done on a milling machine using an edge finder to find the side of the round stock, then moving one half the diameter of the EF + one half the diameter of the stock. That puts the spindle directly over the center of the stock. If that much accuracy isn't needed, you can get or make a drilling jig with a hole centered in a V-groove.
Full Answer
How do you drill a hole in a stock?
Hold your stock vertical in the mill (securely) and use an indicator to sweep the head into the center so you know your hole is dead nuts in the center of the stock. Drill the hole with a smaller sized drill bit and Then use a 3/8 center cutting flat bottom end mill to square up the bottom of the hole and bring it to final depth
How do you bore a hole in a round rod?
Repeatedly bore accurate holes through metal, wood, plastics or other round shapes with this simple method and a drill press. The principal is quite straightforward; easily find the top dead center (T.D.C.) of a round rod, usually a difficult task without specialized tooling.
What is the best way to center a drill?
It’s how people drill gun barrels, for instance, since the drill is self-centering when used this way so it’ll run right down the middle of the stock. It is also a good technique if you need to put a centered point on the end of a rod: chuck it in the drill and spin it against a bench grinder. You’ll get a nice sharp well-centered point.
How hard is it to drill centered holes in bolts?
I can drill centered holes in bolts using my eyeballs and a decent drill press or vertical mill. It’s not difficult. Report comment Reply Roberto DiStefanosays:
Step 1: How to Setup
Obtain a short piece of flat metal to serve as the indicator, and a centered pointer of appropriate size to act as a fulcrum. Apply slight downward pressure of the quill against the setup and observe the flat for parallelism to the fixture.
Step 2: Finding T.D.C
Adjust work and fence to make the flat parallel, thus top dead center is found. To complete, spot drill, bore to desired diameter, repeat as described below if needed.
Step 3: How to Do Serial Drilling
Fasten a deadweight- I used a handscrew- through a previous bore, let free hang to ensure a vertical lineup of sequential holes for boring.
Step 4: Why Do This?
Cross drilling the end of a shaft is commonly used for economically retaining bearings, wheels, spacers, etc with cotter pins. A more demanding use is to insert a roll or dowel pin to transfer rotary motion such as driving a wheel, engaging a clutch, cam, or other mechanical connection.
Do hand sharpened drill bits drill straight?
First, hand sharpened drill bits do not drill straight. They chatter. The holes they make will be out of round and off center. Sharpening the flutes symmetrically and with proper angles requires specializes jigs or highly configurable grinders like the beauty recently featured on Hack A Day.
Is a lathe a hack?
As someone who isn’t a machinist by trade or any standard for that matter, this is a hack.