tailstock alignment

[Cue Crazy]

There could be other reasons for not drilling straight, the main one being a wore out or cheap chuck in the tail stock. There is a reason that Chinese chucks cost 10 or 15.00 and a good Jacob's chuck is 150.00 or more and it's not just name. Cheap drill bits can be bent easily and if a bit has slipped in the jaws once then chances are there is a slight burr somewhere. The drill head may not be perfectly aligned to the Morse shaft or there can be a little burr, dirt or wear on the inside of the tail stocks barrel or shank. Just start with the easy stuff to check ruling them out and continue until the problem is corrected. Drilling holes into wood is never a precision technique as the wood grain often deflects the tracking of the bit. If using a spur bit it must be a good one as if the spur is not exactly centered on the bit with a concentric shape, it can deflect a bits travel. I use the proper size spotting bit to start all holes that I drill if I'm not intending to come back and bore.

Dick

That sounds like the way to go, I read that the center drills are really just for running things between centers, and that the spotting bits are better for starting drilling operations. Something about the angle better matching the angle of the drill bit used. I know that when using center bits you really have to be carefull with how much preasure you apply to the tailstock at the beginning of the hole, so it does'nt grab on the missmatched angles, the more you force It the more It seems to want to walk, and once It's off It's off the whole way through. Usually though, if I Get a clean start I'm in good shape, but I prefer to bore the final ID whenever possible anyhow. Just depends if I have a boring bar on hand that will work with what I'm doing.

Greg