Need Piercing info for different units

[Breck Whitworth]

I have done some piercing and own a high speed micro motor tool that works very well on 1/8" or less thick stock.(some times even 3/16) what I am wondering is to those of you who own and use a pneumatic system say like the NKS 320,000 rpm system. I believe the bits are all 1/16" in diameter and your approach must be 90 degrees from what I have read. My question is once you have pierced a hole with a bit like this drilling it at a 90 degree angle can you then cut side ways to open up your piercing holes like can be done with the slower speed tools with bits or do you need to change bits before opening up the original hole?
I realize Bin Phoe uses his on 1/16" turned stock, to be honest I am not sure my turning skills are up to 1/16" thickness yet. can these tools pierce a little thicker stock? Any experience and advice would be appreciated. I am even looking at 45 degree angle lighted ceramic bearing dental drill on e-bay then putting a regulator and filter on my compressor.

 

[john lucas]

I have limited experience with the high speed cutters because I don't own one yet. I have used them several times. They do cut sideways to shape the holes. The thicker the wood the slower they cut. T one big difference between the 400K and the 50k cutters is the high speed ones burn the wood. It looks great on some pieces and not on others. If you make a final pass really lightly especially with the rotation of the cutter you can clean up the scortch marks. There might be better techniques as I've said I have very limited experience
I generally carve thicker wood and need more horsepower than the high speed cutter give however I think they may be perfect for some things I want to do. It's just justifying the price that's difficult for me

 

[Bill Boehme]

I would say that 3/16" is too thick for piercing and the results wouldn't look very good I am guessing. Even 1/8" might be a bit thick for best looking results.

When working with wood that is 3/32 and under, I recommend that you look into getting a dental handpiece. The type that seems to be the best is the kind with a straight body at 45° to the head. The 2-hole style is easier to adapt to turning. Also ceramic bearings will hold up far longer than standard bearings. It isn't necessary, but the models that have a built-in generator and LED are a great help in illuminating what you are doing. It may not matter, but I prefer the wrench type over the push-button type for securing the drill into the head. You can enter the following search terms to narrow down the selection: handpiece 2H 45 ceramic LED wrench

These units all come from China, but the cost of shipping is very low thanks to e-packet shipping. Surprisingly the items that I have purchased arrived in a week to ten days.

 

[Hal Taylor]

Breck, there was a good discussion of units and piercing last Sept. In the Search box (upper right corner) search on piercing.

 

[Bill Boehme]

By the way, Binh Pho sells NSK units and other accessories for piercing. See his website: http://binhpho.com/