pianoman wrote: > > Dear Delwin,Ralph, Warren,Kent,Ronald, Thomas. > After going over your various suggestions I have decided to do this plan. > I have ordered from Harbor Freight the Boa-Constrictor strap wrench > (industrial strength cost $23.94 including shipping), I will get a propane > torch when the wrench comes and heat the bolt and epoxy till it gives. I > will drill out the hole with a 1" forstner bit James, I had to drill out a grand leg recently to replace the center dowel that had broken. This was very difficult for two reasons: 1. Because it was a hole and not solid wood and I didn't have a big lathe to do the drilling, the bit chattered in the hole and made it too large and oval shaped instead of round. This of course, made fitting the dowel very challenging! When I do this again, I plan to fill the hole first with Bondo Auto repair filler to guide the drill point and keep it from jumping around. 2. It is very difficult to drill a large hole into the end grain of hardwood! The bit cutters become dull very quickly and require sharpening or a new bit is needed which will quickly blow your P&L out of the water! What I finally did was buy a power tool wood auger bit. This is like the bit that goes in a hand tool brace-and-bit, but with a hex-shaped straight shaft design for a lathe or drill press. These are easily sharpened with a Dremel sharpening stone tip or a fine file and the usable shaft length is 16 inches for a 1-1/2 inch bit. All of the Forstners I could find only had 6-8 inches usable shaft. And finally, you will need to estimate the depth of the hole you've drilled and drill a small hole through the side of the leg to allow the air to escape when you glue in your wood plug or you will never get it all the way in. Or put fairly deep grooves on the side of the plug. If the hole is tight anywhere it may flatten out shallow grooves and close them up. Half way in is no time to discover this! Good Luck! Warren -- Home of the Humor List Warren D. Fisher fish@communique.net Registered Piano Technician Piano Technicians Guild New Orleans Chapter 701
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