onewomanarmy
has rocks in the head
Carpe Silicis!
Member since January 2007
Posts: 645
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Post by onewomanarmy on Jun 7, 2007 14:03:27 GMT -5
Hi - This is a little off the typical topics but thought with all the experience here that if anyone could help me out it would be you guys. I'd like to try to make a candle holder or bud vase type of thing with fairly large, nicely rounded river rock. I was envisioning something fairly oval shaped to start with - kind of the typical river rock - using saw to cut about 1/4th to 1/3rd off one end (to make a flat base) and then drilling down into the other end (which would now be the top) a hole of fairly decent size - large enough to hold a candle or a few flower blooms. Has anyone on here done something along these lines or have any experience drilling larger holes like this? I would assume I'd have to use a drill press, large diamond bit and plenty of water...but feeling a little unsure a) whether it will work and b)whether I can find a drill bit large enough (that I can afford!). I don't know whether I would need to start with a smaller bit - would that help keep the rock from cracking or would that be a concern? I guess I should say, at this point the only piece of this project I have is...well, I have plenty of access to water... I don't have the bits obviously nor do I have a drill press - but think I can use a friends. I also haven't gone in search of the rocks yet since I wasn't sure this would even work... Any advice? experience? reality check? thanks!
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Jun 7, 2007 14:27:48 GMT -5
Hey OWA, I've carved a cane handle out of rock a couple of years ago. I used to have some pics on here, but I think they are all gone now. I had to drill a hole in order to mount it to the cane shaft. What I did was, I used a 14mm diamond core drill. That size diamond drill has to run very slow, and under water. I just used my battery powered DeWalt drill and clamped the rock handle under water in a laundry tub. I used the same technique of applying pressure by pulsing my pressure on the drill and frequently pulling out to make sure that all the debris clears out and that the drill stays cool. When I had it deep enough, I had a hole, with rock column sticking up the middle. I just put a screwdriver on the edge of the column, and tapped it with a hammer, and it snapped right off, leaving a nice clean hole.
Hope that helps with what you were asking.
bd
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,777
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Post by adrian65 on Jun 7, 2007 14:29:01 GMT -5
I've seen at a glass cutting shop a sort of cilyndrical drill for drilling large holes in the glass. It's like a short pipe made of steel, and has at one of the ends diamond resin. But instead of trying to explain in words, better take a look here: advantage-drillbits.com/glass.htmlAdrian
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Jun 7, 2007 14:31:06 GMT -5
Hey OWA, I went looking through my archives and found a couple of pics showing the hole that I drilled. bd This is what I'm talking about in a core drill:
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yogibear
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2006
Posts: 100
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Post by yogibear on Jun 7, 2007 14:39:17 GMT -5
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Post by deb193 on Jun 7, 2007 15:05:16 GMT -5
My Harbor Freight drill press did not seem to work well with soem RichonTools core bits I had. I sent them to Stoner, and he got them to work well with his Craftsman drill press. I still have not figured out that one.
At any rate, I think the problem is how to break the core out of the hole after you drill down an inch or so, because it is still solid rock at the bottom.
I would cut the river stone at both ends, drill all the way through the middle piece, and then glue one end back on. The line should not show much, and the job gets a lot easier.
Also, most of these drills can only go down an inch or two, but they do sell some more industrils 5" depth core drills.
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onewomanarmy
has rocks in the head
Carpe Silicis!
Member since January 2007
Posts: 645
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Post by onewomanarmy on Jun 8, 2007 14:08:56 GMT -5
That's a very cool idea bd - I bet that made a nice cane handle - also would have served as a nice weapon if needed! Looks like it would have been nice in the hand - the coolness, the weight, the smoothness - as well as sharp looking. Using a vice like that would be much easier if I can get it to work since I don't have a drill press handy. I'm sure a friend would let me use theirs but it's always easier to have the stuff you need at home.
I can see how breaking the core out could be a problem - I'll try it both ways - the tap method BD used as well as the cutting into sections suggested by Daniel.
Thanks for the links to the bits Adrian and Yogi! The Water Swivel on your link Adrian caught my eye - I've not seen something like that before - could be I've just not been paying attention - but that could be a handy little piece of equipment!
thanks for the input!
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Jun 8, 2007 15:22:28 GMT -5
Hey OWA, that cane is a real conversation piece when people see it. I carved a likeness of John, Paul, George and Ringo, with a red rose behind John and George. It does have a really great feel in the hand, and does make a dandy weapon besides. I like using it, but it really draws too much attention, so I keep it as a display item in my home. In the second pic, you can see the post that I snapped off from the center of the hole that I drilled in the first pic. Normally one inch is as far as you can drill with a core drill, but then one inch is normally enough. I drill an additional half inch by drilling one inch, removing the post, and drilling another half inch, and then removing that little post. If you need to clean out the bottom of the hole a little, you can always use a Dremel type tool with a carbide grinding tip.
bd
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Post by deb193 on Jun 8, 2007 17:10:15 GMT -5
cyberrockhound has the water swive, heck, the rock shed might even have it. I see them around.
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chassroc
Cave Dweller
Rocks are abundant when you have rocktumblinghobby pals
Member since January 2005
Posts: 3,586
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Post by chassroc on Jun 9, 2007 9:21:48 GMT -5
My wife and I did precisely that last year. We gathered naturally rounded beach rocks( from Rockport, of course). I cut off one rounded end with my saw to make a stable base and then drilled candle holes with a drill press and diamond hole saw. Pictures follow: For the drill press you don't need anything elaborate (although a good drill press makes the work much easier. I bought a cheap frame from the local tool warehouse store for about $30.00 and loaded an old hand drill into it. I bought the diamond hole saw bits on EBay(maybe 11 or 13 or 14MM?). You can buy anything from pencil thin tapers to votive candle sizes. I did not use progressively larger drill bits and with a hole saw you would not do so. I put a cup or was it a bowl (any suitably sized container will do) under the drill press and the rock(with other rocks snug around it to restrict side sway. I guess I should warn you that you could get electrocuted anytime you mix water and electricity. I exercised the precaution of a Ground Fault Interrupt circuit, but you should always consult your electrician before attempting such a dangerous task. I filled the cup or container with water to the top of the rock and drilled away. You should use moderate pressure and raise and lower the bit to permit rock to wash away. When you reach the desired depth, remove the rock and place on a surface suitable for hammering; chisel away the material in the middle(of the hole made by the hole saw). It's fun and fairly simple. One thing I would do differently the next time...As you can tell from the pictures, you might want to either: 1) Select very symmetric rocks or, 2) use more care than I did in when I cut the bottoms to get a very symmetric base. Have Fun...csroc
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Iowahound
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2004
Posts: 72
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Post by Iowahound on Jun 10, 2007 7:30:26 GMT -5
Here's an idea for you. You can make your own diamond core drills. I've been meaning to do this but haven't got around to doing it yet. I buy diamond brazing rods to make grinding cups for my sphere machine. You just braze a bead onto the metal cup and they will grind rock quite well. I noticed that the company that sells them had an example of making your own core drill by brazing the end of a metal pipe. My idea was to use an old hole drill instead of pipe. You know the kind for drilling large holes in wood. It would be much easier to use with your standard drill. The same company sells a form to help braze the metal pipe so your brazing doesn't just run down the side of the pipe. Here's the links www.xmission.com/~ranthon/lapidary.htmwww.xmission.com/~ranthon/core-bit-mold.pdf
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misguidedone
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2007
Posts: 94
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Post by misguidedone on Jun 10, 2007 10:04:20 GMT -5
While I haven't drilled any holes like that myself, you reminded me of some vases I got while on vacation. What a good idea for those rocks you cut that won't make a good slab. These are just 3" tall with a hole 2" deep. The guy had a device on his drill which injected water into the core bit, he drilled 1 inch, knocked out the slug and drilled another inch. Show us pics when your done and let us know how it goes. Misguidedone
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