I have the shape roughed out and ready to fine-tune. I am not going to remove any more stock until the pin is holding the two plates together, even though I have to fight to get the barrels lined up right now. For the first time in my life I was really stingy with the material I removed, so instead of having to figure out how to add material to overcome a sloppy fit (something I still haven’t figured out after all these years), this time I have to refrain from removing more to make the joints freer.
The hinge is 20” long and 6” wide, each plate being 3”. The hinge flats are ¾” thick and the barrel is 1 ½” in diameter. I have a ¼” brass threaded rod that will act as the pin, held in by an acorn nut with twin shoulder washers on each end. Drill the ¼” hole, slide the pin in and Bob’s your uncle (he is, actually – God bless him).
I have been putting this little drilling job off now for two weeks.
So what’s the hold up?
That 20”!
I’m scared to death that I will not get the bit aligned right, especially because I will have to drill from both ends and meet in the middle. If that isn’t enough reason to stall the job, I can always add the reality that a ¼” drill bit travelling 10 or 11 inches is definitely going to have some deflection along its way, so even if I get the alignment bang on, how can I be sure the drill won’t decide to head south a quarter of the way through?
Any ideas?
Peace
Mitchell
Cut the hinge in half, drill the two halves, then glue it back together? Actually the glue would be unnecessary as structurally there is probably no reason it has to be one hinge instead of two.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I know it is not the ideal answer. Good luck.
Maybe remove the center knuckle and have two hinge pins or remove material from the center knuckle and have two pins one from each and, now your drilling 6" deep not 12. Why not use a larger rod? Larger drill less chance for drift?
ReplyDeleteJust my thoughts,
Bill K