Sharpening a Track style ramrod drill

[rich pierce]

I picked up a 5/16” ramrod drill that is if the kind Track of the Wolf sells. It’s a length of drill rod ground to a point with a 90 degree slot milled in it. It appears to have a leading edge. It’s doing more rubbing than cutting. Ones I’ve made in the past have modified twist drills doing the work.

What’s your experience with this other style, and do you have sharpening “tips”?  I polished the 90 degree cutout and touched up the leading edge.  I’m left wondering if the center is really cutting.

[Craig Wilcox]

Rich, put some blue layout fluid on the tip of the bit, you can then see where it is touching/cutting the wood.
Only bit I've drilled with (and have to do another that is patiently waiting in line} is a 3/8" Forstner bit - I do hone it regularly when it's in use.
What are the cuttings like?  curls or chips?  You know it is sharp when you get clean curls.
Was drilling an Exacto knife last night to make a handle for the graver you sent me, and drilling into the handle, I was getting 6 to 8" long curls, telling me I had a sharp blade, the right speed, and the right pressure.  Always a thrill when you do something really well.
Let us know how the drilling goes.

[rich pierce]

Craig, I’m getting dust! I tried the DyKem trick but it rubbed everything. Never a good sign. I’ll try again with just one turn of the drill.

Ya gotta persevere in this business!

Glad the graver is cutting nicely for you!

[msellers]

The cutting edge sounds like it is a little to blunt. What degree is the leading edge?

[rich pierce]

About standard drill bit angle. I ground my 3/8” twist drill ramrod drills completely flat at the tip then grind it till it looks like a shallow “W” at the tip. Vicious cutting machine. I spent an hour last night cranking my brace with this drill and got about half done. Good thing I’ve been hitting the gym 2x a week or I’d be sore today.

[msellers]

Not sure ot helps, but here it the bit I am reworking for my shorter ramrod holes. All of my old bits cut beautiful shavings and some curls.
Mike

[JPK]

I make mine out of cold rolled steel. The style of drill is called a gun drill. It cuts straight but you have to clear chips often. Sharpening is easy as I don't harden the edge at all, no need for wood. This one is four feet long and the edge has a fair amount of relief. Chips are small but the hole can be done in a reasonable length of time

[Dennis Daigger]

I picked up a 5/16” ramrod drill that is if the kind Track of the Wolf sells. It’s a length of drill rod ground to a point with a 90 degree slot milled in it. It appears to have a leading edge. It’s doing more rubbing than cutting. Ones I’ve made in the past have modified twist drills doing the work.

What’s your experience with this other style, and do you have sharpening “tips”?  I polished the 90 degree cutout and touched up the leading edge.  I’m left wondering if the center is really cutting.

Here is a photo of two gun drills I have used regularly to drill deep holes.  The smaller one is a 5/16" and the larger one is a 5/8" with a 5/16" pilot.  These are used to drill butt stock through bolt holes.  The are extraordinarily efficient but slow as they need to be cleared frequently.  I don't think there is anything that will drill a hole straighter without wander.  I use drill rod and harden the tips.  Drill rod has a smoother surface than other rods thus less friction I think.

The photo that JPK posted clearly shows how the leading edge protrudes beyond the remaining face of the cutting edge.

[rich pierce]

JPK that helps. I will re-grind that edge significantly.

[Goo]

I looked at the picture of the track o W. drill I think there are two things wrong with the drill #1 the tip should be slightly greater in diameter for about an inch along it's length.if not this will cause the drill to bind and overheat.   #2 the slot is too short so the chips can't go anywhere ( it's constipated, pun intended).    You can make your own I purchased a 14"  deep hole gun drill off of eBay tip is larger and slot is full length cut the fat end off brazed it to steel rod and have no problems.

[rich pierce]

Yes it’s a binder all right!  Done with this one.

[Jim Kibler]

I think the single flute gun drill style bits are best for drilling ramrod holes.  I sharpen mine so they have about 12 degrees of back clearance.  Not sure if this is best or not.  At any rate, It's very important to make sure you have clearance behind the cutting edge. 

As far as being tight in the hole, a few things help.  First is to make sure the corner of the cutting edge is very sharp.  If this becomes rounded, the hole has less chance of being cut to size and binding can occur.  You can also use a hammer to slightly peen the corner of the cutting edge such that it's a few thousandths wider than the drill body.  This might not last a really long time, but it does work.  Finally, it's a good idea to relieve the body of the drill a little.  It only takes maybe .010" or so.  Leave some bands to provide support and guidance to the drill.

All the best,
Jim