How to make long drills and reamers

If you already do something like this then it will be little use for you

But if you ever need a drill 10" 28" or even 20 foot long

This is a quick inexpensive method I've used for nearly 3 decades

Am I missing something?

For this project we needed a 28" long .125 reamer

Get some long stock....in my case a long DME EX pin made of H13

Secure it in a V block

My V block has slots....this helps in this task

Put your drill or reamer in the V block up and but it up to the long shank

In this case the reamer shank is .008 smaller so I shimmed with .004 paper

Now TiG the two together using Brutus or Tigtectic 680

Any high strength rod will do but remember this is the weak link

The next steps can be done many ways but I indicate the ramer straight then grind off the weld

Finishing it off with a propane torch draw back to a purple or straw color

Last step.....use it!!

The same steps of procedure will produce XLong and XXLong bolts

Just for a trade Ted:

I have done something very similar for years. I lock the drill rod in a collet in the lathe and center drill it. Then I put the shank of the reamer or drill, which is usually quite soft in the collet and mirror the dimensions of the center drill on the shank of the drill or reamer. (less the flutes of course) Then I hold them in V Blocks the same as you do except I coat both with high temperature flux and silver solder the two pieces together. Got the trick from watching a couple of different barrel makers solder on buttons and reamers.

Hard to stir up folks by making long drills

Well, some fawkers just don't know how to have fun like we do and book in work that requires doing foolish stuff like that Ted. But one day they will and they will think back and say: "I remember how a couple of old peckerheads said they used to do that!"

he he he

Thank you Ted!!