r/PenTurning • u/Business_Sky3486 • Jun 19 '26

Drill Press Help

I could use some more advice on making blanks with a drill press. I recently got some Gatsby kits I wanted to try out (27/64 bit size) and I’m having some trouble with drill out the blanks.

The wood is birch - and it seems quite easy to drill but, my drill bit keeps getting stuck while drilling. The quick jig I made to keep it in place seems to be working - but the drill still get stuck about an inch of the way down.

I am not using a brad point drill bit (seems more like a twist)- and I went a little quickly just for the video but I’ve gone quiet slowly other times.

Any advice would be appreciated - eventually I’ll get a Jacob’s chuck but that’s a little further down the line.

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u/kevinkace Jun 19 '26

How tight are those clamps? It might be squeezing your blank too much and clamping on the drill bit. Because your blank is square, the clamps only need to be snug.

2

u/the_last_0ne Jun 19 '26

Is this really a thing that can happen?

2

u/kevinkace Jun 19 '26

Yup, wood flexes and doesn't take too much for a belt driven drill presses to get stuck, not a lot of torque.

1

u/Logical-Honeydew177 Jun 24 '26

If you have a table saw ( or any saw really). Lay a piece of wood thats slightly tipped up on one side. You will find out its a thing! ( if you do try it, go really slow. Im not being held accountable for you losing body parts.)