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Idea sticks it to a drilling problem

June 30, 2005
I often drill 1/16-in.-diameter angled bleeder holes deep within workpiece cavities.
I often drill 1 /16-in.-diameter angled bleeder holes deep within workpiece cavities. Since standard-length drills don't reach, I use an extension made from drill rod. The trick, however, is securing the drills in the extension.

After inserting a drill into the extension, I soft soldered it in place, but the drill loosened and broke. To remedy this, I applied a few drops of 910 cyanoacrylate adhesive on the drill's shank before inserting it into the extension and gave it a few minutes to dry.

The drill didn't break or get stuck when dull. Instead, it completed the hole and then gradually loosened. I removed the drill with needle-nose pliers, reglued it into the extension, and drilled the next hole. This setup eliminates a lot of broken drills.

Nils Bradley
Westerly, R.I.
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A shim-stock organizer

My idea is a simple, easy-to-construct shim rack that keeps shim stock in proper order. I cut 32 pieces of 1.5 2.5-in. aluminum tubing with 0.125-in. wall thicknesses to 12-in. lengths. I then weld these pieces together four tubes/sections wide and eight tubes/sections high and mount a back to the construction. One shim-stock box fits in each individual section, and boxes stick out about 3 /4 in. for grabbing.

Tony Grant
Milford, N.H.
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Pick the winning Practical Idea!

Select the best Practical Idea in this issue by logging on to the associated URL. Winners receive an award of $100. An honorarium is paid for each item published in this column. Submitted ideas are subject to editing, and sketches will be drawn to conform to AM's style and format. Submission of clear, close-up photos is encouraged.

Send material to Practical Ideas, AMERICAN MACHINIST, Penton Media Inc., 1300 E. 9th St., Cleveland, OH 44114-1503. Please include your name, address, zip code, and Social Security number.

Winner for May 2005: NoshirKapadia,"Handlingchuck-wrenchsafety," p. 84.