Thread: Drilling Scales

Originally Posted by Kenrup

Yours too? I thought I had the only and I didn't want to say anything.

Yes indeed, I quite like my eeeeevil dremel

now i do mine a little different than when i started. before, drilling the hole was the last thing before the finish. now i drill them prior to shaping them. but i also like the thinner shaped scales vs. the thicker ones. this helped me. just a thought.

vgod

I secured my new scales to a work bench with a pair of vise grips. An thin piece of wood was placed between the grips and the scales. I used a variable speed drill with a small bit.

I usually use a Dremel drill press. On occasion I use a full size drill press but fine the Dremel easier to work with. My Dremel does not do tricks.

Originally Posted by zman

My Dremel does not do tricks.

Oh Man, you got jipped! It's great entertainment.

Use a drill press, put two small squares of double stick tape between the scales to hold them together so they do not move while drilling (not foam double stick). Put a scrap chunk of wood under the scales to serve as a backing so the exit hole does not round or splinter when the bit exits the back side. Put a little square of blue painters tape over the point that you will be drilling into to prevent splintering, clamp the scales and wood backing to the drill press table and drill. Don’t forget to use a sharp bit. That is what I do when drilling anything that is delicate. The double stick tape is a nice option when you are cutting several sets of scales as well. Just stick your stock together, mark the top and cut 3 at once on the band saw. Down side, if you make a mistake, you ruined three sets at the same time.

Disclaimer, I am new to cutting scales but I use the above method when I drill anything that will be a finished product