Monday, November 6, 2017

Modified Spade Bit


Spade bits  are used for boring in wood  and if you grind out the center point  and cut out different  profiles you can make very interesting designs.  You can buy the inexpensive or used bits and make a few test pieces. 

These are very easy to make and i'll show 3 simple steps to make your own bits.



                 Here you can check out the video.




1. Mark the spade bit

  Using a bench grinder is the quickest way to remove material or you can use a Dremel tool and small grinding stones. I like to first start with a grinder then finish up with a Dremel tool to clean up the blade.

All pieces should be clamped because without the center point on the spade bit it will wander and make a mess.




I used this plastic bolt gauge and clamped the bit to the right size hole to get the right profile I needed for the spade bit. After clamping them together  I made a mark with a sharpie pen. The black ink is what I want to remove.

Any size hole can be used depending on what size you would like and if you have the right size grinding stones.


2. Grind the bit

The quickest way to remove most of the material is with a bench grinder. 


A Dremel tool and fine grinding stones can be used to make the cut perfect. The spade bit was put in a vise and slowly ground down to match the mark. With a good eye and steady hand the bit can be cleaned up in minutes.



3.Set up drill press

Three different size spade bits are ready for testing. 

 I made a quick table top for drilling, just a piece of plywood and  a block nailed on the back to act as a guide and for clamping.  This table top can be clamped to the drill press table.

 Clamping is very important since there is no longer a centering point on the spade bit the bit will wander all over.  Believe me I tested it.





Here is the first test, it just needs a little bit of clean up. A small chisel or some sandpaper will do the job.   This is a good time to make sure you have the right speed on your drill press and check  the sharpness of your bit.   



Here the bit is modified and a new center point is made.  This makes an interesting cut. It could be used to make wooden wheels and such.  







A couple of of pieces of trim are made from some scrap pieces of wood. To make these the piece has to be clamped after each circle is drilled.

To reduce chatter you can always shorten the shaft of the bit by cutting it.

There are so many different possibilities with different size bits and how they are reshaped. I yet have to try it on different types of wood.


See Also


                                  Angle drill gauge                                                   Alignment jig 3 in 1


                 


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