Pipe making drills from the USA.
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- Tell us something.: I play Uilleann pipes, they have three regulators, three drones bass tenor and alto, also a chanter, bellows and bag.
- Location: Scottish Borders/Northumberland,
Pipe making drills from the USA.
Greetings Pipers, I bought some drill from Ebay six weeks a go sixteen in all, after asking the seller what sizes and lengths they were I started getting suspicions that theses drills were used for making Uilleann pipes,
I got the lot for $10.00's, when they arrived two weeks and after opening the box I was totally amazed that I had been right in my suspicions, the set of sixteen drills was exactly what I've after for making Concert D pipes, there were 3x12"x13/64th for the chanter bore,2x12"x3/16th for the baritone drone, 1x6"x9/64th and with 13/64th or 3/16th for tenor drone, makers choice of the two sizes, 11/32nd and 9/32nd for the bass drone, won't bore you to much with all the other sizes, but they are all there even for the chanter note holes every one for the job, there came from
"Wilton, CT. U.S. Phoenix" am I right, anyone kwon any old or modern pipemakers from this place that they might have belonged too, any help or idea's would be most appreciated. all the best Stew.
I got the lot for $10.00's, when they arrived two weeks and after opening the box I was totally amazed that I had been right in my suspicions, the set of sixteen drills was exactly what I've after for making Concert D pipes, there were 3x12"x13/64th for the chanter bore,2x12"x3/16th for the baritone drone, 1x6"x9/64th and with 13/64th or 3/16th for tenor drone, makers choice of the two sizes, 11/32nd and 9/32nd for the bass drone, won't bore you to much with all the other sizes, but they are all there even for the chanter note holes every one for the job, there came from
"Wilton, CT. U.S. Phoenix" am I right, anyone kwon any old or modern pipemakers from this place that they might have belonged too, any help or idea's would be most appreciated. all the best Stew.
- billh
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IMO the best pipemaking drills from the USA are from Drillmaster in Vermont:
www.drillmasters.com (don't forget the 's' unless you need marching shoes)
They make to order, and Doug in technical sales knows what pipemakers are using in the product line.
These are pneumatic "gun drills" and they'll set you back about $85 each, but they are a lot faster and more foolproof than long spirals or D bits. Of course you'll need a compressor, but I'm sure you'll find one on eBay
- Bill
www.drillmasters.com (don't forget the 's' unless you need marching shoes)
They make to order, and Doug in technical sales knows what pipemakers are using in the product line.
These are pneumatic "gun drills" and they'll set you back about $85 each, but they are a lot faster and more foolproof than long spirals or D bits. Of course you'll need a compressor, but I'm sure you'll find one on eBay
- Bill
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- billh
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Even slower is better IMO, say 1 mm/sec or less. You can get drift down to under 0.5mm in 50 cm, and for finish bores in cylindrical drone sections the slower speed makes for a glassy finish.Jim McGuire wrote:Using a gun drill for pilot holes is an essential activity for a pipemaker. A pilot hole can be drilled *perfectly* in about 10 seconds.
YMMV
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- Tell us something.: I play Uilleann pipes, they have three regulators, three drones bass tenor and alto, also a chanter, bellows and bag.
- Location: Scottish Borders/Northumberland,
Nice site billh, I've seen gundrills working, I can do just as good of job with with a 16"x13/64th HSS drill bit, I can drill a chanter blank on a old Record lathe in 20-30minutes and the bore is pretty straight, the lathe centres must be cock on, and you must use the right speed and with a little patients you can get a pretty straight bore through the chanter blank, I've seen a gun drills come through a chanter blank wall, dangereous things if used incorrectly or put in the wrong hands, I'll stick to the more saver way I know. all the best Stew.
Got the PM reedman.
Got the PM reedman.
- billh
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Well, this is first time I've heard this opinion from someone who's used both (gun drills and HSS long bits). If you can do as good a job with a HSS drill bit you are surely in the minority.stew wrote:Nice site billh, I've seen gundrills working, I can do just as good of job with with a 16"x13/64th HSS drill bit, I can drill a chanter blank on a old Record lathe in 20-30minutes and the bore is pretty straight, the lathe centres must be cock on, and you must use the right speed and with a little patients you can get a pretty straight bore through the chanter blank, I've seen a gun drills come through a chanter blank wall, dangereous things if used incorrectly or put in the wrong hands, I'll stick to the more saver way I know. all the best Stew.
Got the PM reedman.
I can't imagine how horribly someone would have to abuse a gun drill to get it to go through a chanter wall - those things are self-centering! Frankly I think gun drills are a lot safer than HSS twist drills if used with a modicum of sense.
- Bill
Last edited by billh on Fri Sep 17, 2004 6:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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- Posts: 510
- Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2003 6:00 pm
- antispam: No
- Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
- Tell us something.: I play Uilleann pipes, they have three regulators, three drones bass tenor and alto, also a chanter, bellows and bag.
- Location: Scottish Borders/Northumberland,
Yes billh, well there you go, wether the lathe was off center or the wrong
speed or pushing the gun drill to hard, or the wood its self,but something coursed the gun drill to run out of centre, its a case of what tools you prefer and are happy with when doing any work, Hi tech tools don't necessarily mean a better product or job , it might be quicker, there is a lot of skill needed to make a great set of pipes, but there again Peter Hunter can also do a pretty good job with a HSS drill bit also. . all the best Stew.
Still waiting for any idea's or who's drills these might have belonged too.
speed or pushing the gun drill to hard, or the wood its self,but something coursed the gun drill to run out of centre, its a case of what tools you prefer and are happy with when doing any work, Hi tech tools don't necessarily mean a better product or job , it might be quicker, there is a lot of skill needed to make a great set of pipes, but there again Peter Hunter can also do a pretty good job with a HSS drill bit also. . all the best Stew.
Still waiting for any idea's or who's drills these might have belonged too.