Mass Wood working

Shooting Board Update

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