I am building an all composite/rubberized cork grip for the first time and I wanted to get a few of your thoughts on the most efficient way to go about reaming the cork rings. I used a dremel on one, just to see how long it would take..there has to be a more efficent way! I am reaming 1-1/4" rings out to about 7/8" so I am looking for a way to maximize time spend on reaming these rings to slip onto the blank that I am building on.

Thanks in advance.

So if I understand correctly you want to enlarge the 1/4" bore to 7/8" keeping the OD 1.25".
If so, easiest/fastest way is to use a hole saw or a paddle (Irwin) type drill bit fitted with a 1/4" pilot tube like Flexcoat's.
Herb

As Herb said or use a Dream Reamer or Wonder Reamer in a lathe or drill. Herbs options is best as it cuts through the composite cork better. The Dream Reamer works also but you have to go slower as it doesn't cut the cork as fast.

DG

I think I will try the hole saw!

Here's an alternate method - go ahead and glue up your rings as they are. Then use the Flex Coat reverse pilot bits to enlarge the bore to your desired ID. This achieves the same thing but might save you a bit of time as the boring of the cylinder all at one time only takes a few seconds.

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Having been a woodworker I like jigs, so I made a wood jig I use to drill a larger center hole using a brad point bit turning in reverse. That makes a better centered and smoother cut than other methods I dabbled with.
I measure the blank diameter where the front of the handle will be and subtract 1/16 (then round down to the nearest 1/16th if needed) to get my drill size. After drilling the rings I glue up on a steel rod the same diameter as the drill bit. Then I rasp & sand on the power wrapper to size & shape. Finally, I ream the handle with a reamer I made using a scrap blank and a narrow roll of sandpaper from mudhole. Having drilled to a larger bore, there's less reaming and it's easier for me to keep the hole in the center. Some guys can ream from the 1/4" hole and get a nicely centered hole, but not me.
Ok, so maybe this isn't fast and efficient but it gives me the results I want. I'm still in the early learning stages of this hobby so I don't build a lot of rods but I do enjoy the experimenting with different products and methods while having a couple builds in the works at any one time.

John Shear
Chippewa Falls, WI



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2016 10:45AM by John Shear.

Brittan,

Make a jig for your drill press if you have one. Basically, use an adjustable hole saw and take a 2X4 or similar piece of wood. Check the diameter of all of your rings that need drilling. Then, drill a hole just deep enough in the lumber stock, so that a ring can be dropped into the hole - leaving about half of the height of the ring - staying above the piece of lumber.

You want the hole in the jig to be just large enough so that the largest of your rings will just drop into the hole.

Then, using your adjustable hole saw, adjust the size of the hole saw so that it is the same size as your smallest hole that you want in the cork.

Finally, go ahead and drop the cork rings, one at a time, grab the ring, and drop the hole saw in and through the ring. Move on to the next one.

Here is an example of a very superior hole saw that you can use to drill flat bottomed holes, as well as holes that you drill all of the way through a piece of stock.

You can use a piece of scrap material and do test drilling and adjusting your hole size as needed, to get the exact diameter that you want to be drilling.
[www.amazon.com]


By the way - when using a drill press, adjust the bit speed so that it drills and cuts quickly, but not so fast that you overheat the drill bit. Most drill presses use various sized pulleys to dial in the drill speed that you want.

Of course, this entire answer is based on the fact that you have access to a drill press.

Remember, to also, use a pair of clamps to clamp the jig that you made, to clamp the centered jig tight to the table of your drill press.

Be safe

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Brittan
If you use the hole saw make a cut almost - but not all the way through the ring. Withdraw the hole saw and insert from other side to finish cut. This way the waste is not inserted all the way in the saw. It will stick out enough for you to pluck it out.
Herb

Thanks for all of the replies. I have the flex coat bits and they don't get me even close to the diameter I need to have. That method would work great for regular cork, but not this rubberized stuff. I found a few hole saw bits and they work great. I squeeze the rings just enough in a vice to hold them as I cut. I cut half way on each side and pop the ring out by hand.

Brittan,
That's great.
For future jobs - if you need a slightly smaller hole than the hole-saw will provide - you can tweak the outer-facing teeth of the hole saw by filing them down so they are parallel with the side of the hole-saw. I port my cork rings that way for my reel seat hoods.
Herb

For the next ring set up

PRE drill the rings use a drill regular bit Drill undersized Room to ream Glue the rings

Then make the reamers from the strips on MudHole 36 grit They cut fast -- Yet you cut slow a little at a time and stop often Clean the reamer often

Bill - willierods.com