How to Hollow out A Wooden Pole

[sjs94]

Hi,

 

I have offered to help my mate create a staff for his play, but now I'm struggling both to source the wood and a way of hollowing out the pole to allow me to run wires through it. Does any one have any suggestions where I can easily source the wood? or how i would go about hollowing out what is virtually a mop handle?

 

(Note: the bottem of the staff cant have a hole in it and the top is going to have a block on top)

 

any help will be sooo helpful thanks

[+Ms.Scrabbler]

wires and a cache container - Don't do it.

[+The A-Team]

I have offered to help my mate create a staff for his play...

I'm struggling to find the connection to geocaching...

Maybe you should try asking on a wood-working forum or something similar?

[+cerberus1]

Hi,

 

I have offered to help my mate create a staff for his play, but now I'm struggling both to source the wood and a way of hollowing out the pole to allow me to run wires through it. Does any one have any suggestions where I can easily source the wood? or how i would go about hollowing out what is virtually a mop handle?

 

(Note: the bottem of the staff cant have a hole in it and the top is going to have a block on top)

 

any help will be sooo helpful thanks

If I'm getting this right, you're hollowing out a rod for a (maybe school) play. Adding wires for what? A Gandolf glow on the end?

You could pick up a metal mop or broom handle (most are already hollow) and spray paint to appear like wood.

- Probably your best bet.

Lamp makers drill bits would work, but the length of a mop would probably require a very steady hand or a drill press to make it work.

Obviously, the odds of finding a six foot lamp bit are rare, so you'd have to drill from each end.

- Good luck with that.

Most rental centers don't rent lamp bits out anymore, as they almost always come back bent.

 

But, what does this have to do with geocaching?

[+Dominoes]

Bell hanger bits are available in lengths up to 72 inches. However, the shaft is flexible, and they have a tendency to wander off course.

[+The A-Team]

Why not just use pipe? Why does it have to be wood?

[+Chief301]

I don't think there's any connection to Geocaching, the OP has probably seen some of the incredibly creative hides engineered by Geocachers and figured somebody would have some ideas how to do this.

 

I'm with Cerberus on this one....you'll probably have a much easier time starting with a hollow tube or pipe and making it look like wood, versus trying to hollow out a long piece of wood.

[+MartyBartfast]

Go and find some Aboriginal forums, some tribes make blow pipes and the Australians make digeridoos with not a drill or tungsten tip in sight.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Slice it up into chunks, drill the individual pieces, then glue back together.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Go and find some Aboriginal forums, some tribes make blow pipes and the Australians make digeridoos with not a drill or tungsten tip in sight.

 

I was in a music store the other day and saw a few digeridoos made out of PVC and one made of glass. I'd also be inclined to use something that already has a hole in it and cover it with something to make it look like wood (birch bark?).

 

 

[+Harry Dolphin]

Why do I feel that a drill might be the appropriate answer?

[+bushi]

I think I'd try using a bamboo pole since bamboo is basically hollow to begin with. Googling "hollowing out bamboo" yields many different methods for breaking through the internal chamber walls. You can always sand and paint the pole for the look you want.

[+wmpastor]

Bamboo sounds easiest. You'd have to saw a broom handle in half length-wise, cut groove, insert wire, glue handle back together, then paint it.

[+K13]

Do I smell a spam bot?

 

This is one of two threads with identical posts from an account opened on today's date which have NOTHING to do with geocaching.

[+K13]

Do I smell a spam bot?

 

This is one of two threads with identical posts from an account opened on today's date which have NOTHING to do with geocaching.

[Keystone]

I merged two identical threads together. I'm keeping an eye on this combined discussion. If the topic starter could please clarify the connection to geocaching, that would be super.

[+BlueDeuce]

Hi,

 

I have offered to help my mate create a staff for his play, but now I'm struggling both to source the wood and a way of hollowing out the pole to allow me to run wires through it. Does any one have any suggestions where I can easily source the wood? or how i would go about hollowing out what is virtually a mop handle?

 

(Note: the bottem of the staff cant have a hole in it and the top is going to have a block on top)

 

any help will be sooo helpful thanks

 

PVC pipe, 1 inch or whatever. You can get end caps. Cheap, easy to glue, easy to drill, somewhat easy to paint.

[+The_Incredibles_]

Hi,

 

I have offered to help my mate create a staff for his play, but now I'm struggling both to source the wood and a way of hollowing out the pole to allow me to run wires through it. Does any one have any suggestions where I can easily source the wood? or how i would go about hollowing out what is virtually a mop handle?

 

(Note: the bottem of the staff cant have a hole in it and the top is going to have a block on top)

 

any help will be sooo helpful thanks

 

PVC pipe, 1 inch or whatever. You can get end caps. Cheap, easy to glue, easy to drill, somewhat easy to paint.

 

Yes, but it takes about a million years to biodegrade in a landfill.

[+K13]

Hi,

 

I have offered to help my mate create a staff for his play, but now I'm struggling both to source the wood and a way of hollowing out the pole to allow me to run wires through it. Does any one have any suggestions where I can easily source the wood? or how i would go about hollowing out what is virtually a mop handle?

 

(Note: the bottem of the staff cant have a hole in it and the top is going to have a block on top)

 

any help will be sooo helpful thanks

 

PVC pipe, 1 inch or whatever. You can get end caps. Cheap, easy to glue, easy to drill, somewhat easy to paint.

 

Yes, but it takes about a million years to biodegrade in a landfill.

 

Don't put it in a landfill, use it in your mate's play.

 

Instead of paint, try using wood-grain contact adhesive shelf liner material.

 

Then place a rubber chair leg cap on the bottom end.

[+ras_oscar]

If it must be wood, go to the craft store, buy a bunch of wood donuts and glue them together. I don't think there is any way to drill the center of a broom handle without special tools. Or you could saw a broom handle down the middle, carve a trench in one side and then glue it back together. What is the hole for?

[+bpwilldo]

This can be done with hand tools but much easier with a table saw and router.

Rip a piece of wood down to 1" x 1" plus the width of your rip blade kerf and length of your choosing.

Rip this piece in half along the widest side.

Plow out the center with a dado set or router bit. Leave whichever end you want closed or fill later.

Glue up the two halves with the grain matching.

Round over the shaft until you are left with a round profile. It can be sanded to look like it was properly turned on a lathe.

 

Or, use this method to make a cache container, except use pins and not glue.

[sjs94]

No this isnt a spambot. Its just i was googling forums to help and i saw a similar post and it seemed to get some very helpful responses. I dont think im using the website right from the responses ive got but i have found it very helpful anyway from peoples responses. im sorry if i used this wrong so il prob not post again. But cant stress enough how helpful you lot have been. Il prob end up trying each idea suggested till one works.

 

Thank You

[+DonB]

This is off topic a bit but I thought it was interesting that there was a display in a little museum outside of Reedsburg, WI of 20ft. long wooden water pipes that according to the display they can't figure out how it was done. There is no offset in the hole like it was drilled from both ends and didn't meet exactly, so they believe it was drilled complete from one end. I guess those old timers were pretty smart.

[AZcachemeister]

I once had an electrician's auger bit that was at least 48" long. of course it was made to drill holes through a series of studs to place wiring and not meant for precision.

I don't know if it would work, but I could imagine drilling a hole down the 'center' of a square piece of lumber and then planing/grinding/sanding the lumber down to size around the resulting hole so the 'wandering' of the bit would be less of a problem.

 

Another idea is to lay the (very thin) wire in routed channels along the outside of the staff and fill them in (the routed grooves) with wood filler. Perhaps there is some sort of conductive tape that could be used in a similar fashion?

 

Edited to add:

 

Yup, there are many types of conductive foil tapes available, and not too expensive.

Edited June 1, 2013 by AZcachemeister

[+uxorious]

 

Yes, but it takes about a million years to biodegrade in a landfill.

 

A rock will take a million years to biodegrade, but who cares. As long as it isn't leaching harmful stuff, but just laying there in the dirt what difference does it make?

 

We love digging up things people buried a thousand years ago. Maybe a thousand years from now someone would be thrilled to dig up a pipe.

[+Chief301]

Another idea is to lay the (very thin) wire in routed channels along the outside of the staff and fill them in (the routed grooves) with wood filler. Perhaps there is some sort of conductive tape that could be used in a similar fashion?

 

This might be an even better solution. If the object is to make it look like a gnarled, crooked, rustic wizard type staff, just wrap the wire around it in a haphazard manner and use some sort of wood filler or tape to blend it it. Might make it look even better.

[+The_Incredibles_]

 

Yes, but it takes about a million years to biodegrade in a landfill.

 

A rock will take a million years to biodegrade, but who cares. As long as it isn't leaching harmful stuff, but just laying there in the dirt what difference does it make?

 

We love digging up things people buried a thousand years ago. Maybe a thousand years from now someone would be thrilled to dig up a pipe.

 

Are you sure humans will be around and healthy 1000 years from now? PVC is made of non-renewable resources and most PVC ends up in the landfill. Landfills are filling up all the time, do we really want our planet to be 1 big garbage dump?

 

As well, the plastic DOES leach toxic chemicals. The manufacturing process alone releases all sorts of toxic chemicals into the air we breathe and the water we drink. More info here:

 

http://www.knowswhy.com/why-is-pvc-bad/

 

PVC is considered one of the most harmful materials that is manufactured. The PVC product is found to be dangerous all through the life cycle to the health of humans, to the environment, in houses, in factories, and in the waste bins. There are certain chemicals released from the PVC product in its life cycle. These chemicals are considered very dangerous and harmful to humans. The chemicals include phthalates, mercury, and dioxins. These substances are thought to be harmful to the humans indefinitely.

 

http://www.healthybuilding.net/pvc/facts.html

Edited June 1, 2013 by The_Incredibles_

[AZcachemeister]

 

As well, the plastic DOES leach toxic chemicals.

 

True enough.

The problem is how we treat our 'waste products'.

Dumping stuff in landfills is not the answer...it's like sweeping dust under the rug...eventually there is no more room under the rug.

 

But (on the bright side), today's landfills will become the resource goldmines of the future. Someday we will want all that junk back for reprocessing.

 

Finally, the pipe has been made, and will probably continue to be made for some time.

Using four or five feet of it for a prop in someone's play will hardly make a difference, and possibly that piece may become a keepsake and won't go into the landfill after all.

[grub54891]

Just rip the broom handle about half way deep,lengthwise. No need to split it completely in half. Install what you need in there,rip a peice of pine the width of the groove,glue in,trim/sand smooth and viola! You have an electric walking stick.

Grub

[+jeffrae]

Why not just use a battery device on the top for whatever you need. Or a glowstick if there is supposed to be light on the top.

[team tisri]

Slice it up into chunks, drill the individual pieces, then glue back together.

 

Or cut it in half lengthways, use something like a router to take a chunk out of the middle, then stick the two halves back together again.

[+ras_oscar]

This is off topic a bit but I thought it was interesting that there was a display in a little museum outside of Reedsburg, WI of 20ft. long wooden water pipes that according to the display they can't figure out how it was done. There is no offset in the hole like it was drilled from both ends and didn't meet exactly, so they believe it was drilled complete from one end. I guess those old timers were pretty smart.

 

Yes. I was doing some work in a city water station on the east coast. They had a length of wood pipe that had been laid down in the colonial days. It was a log 18" dia that had a hole 2" dia drilled down the center. I suspect it was a hand auger and an extention. They relied on the thickness of the wood "wall" to allow the auger to wander and still end up on the other end. I always wondered how the do the end joints. I suspect pine pitch and an open flame.

[+MartyBartfast]

I suspect it was a hand auger and an extention.

 

Nah, they used trained beavers.

[+Chief301]

I suspect it was a hand auger and an extention.

 

Nah, they used trained beavers.

 

It was a log 18" dia that had a hole 2" dia drilled down the center

 

Tiny, tiny beavers.....

[+MartyBartfast]

I suspect it was a hand auger and an extention.

 

Nah, they used trained beavers.

 

It was a log 18" dia that had a hole 2" dia drilled down the center

 

Tiny, tiny beavers.....

Beaver-Hamster cross ;-)

[+cheech gang]

[beaver-Hamster cross ;-)

 

Finally this thread has become geocaching related.

[+DonB]

This is off topic a bit but I thought it was interesting that there was a display in a little museum outside of Reedsburg, WI of 20ft. long wooden water pipes that according to the display they can't figure out how it was done. There is no offset in the hole like it was drilled from both ends and didn't meet exactly, so they believe it was drilled complete from one end. I guess those old timers were pretty smart.

 

Yes. I was doing some work in a city water station on the east coast. They had a length of wood pipe that had been laid down in the colonial days. It was a log 18" dia that had a hole 2" dia drilled down the center. I suspect it was a hand auger and an extention. They relied on the thickness of the wood "wall" to allow the auger to wander and still end up on the other end. I always wondered how the do the end joints. I suspect pine pitch and an open flame.

Unless they had a way of turning the outside down after they drilled the hole these pipes had a uniform wall thickness of about an inch. Not much room to allow for an auger to wander.

[+ras_oscar]

This is off topic a bit but I thought it was interesting that there was a display in a little museum outside of Reedsburg, WI of 20ft. long wooden water pipes that according to the display they can't figure out how it was done. There is no offset in the hole like it was drilled from both ends and didn't meet exactly, so they believe it was drilled complete from one end. I guess those old timers were pretty smart.

 

Yes. I was doing some work in a city water station on the east coast. They had a length of wood pipe that had been laid down in the colonial days. It was a log 18" dia that had a hole 2" dia drilled down the center. I suspect it was a hand auger and an extention. They relied on the thickness of the wood "wall" to allow the auger to wander and still end up on the other end. I always wondered how the do the end joints. I suspect pine pitch and an open flame.

Unless they had a way of turning the outside down after they drilled the hole these pipes had a uniform wall thickness of about an inch. Not much room to allow for an auger to wander.

 

Sorry; 18-2=16/2=8, not 2. It was a log. It still had bark remnants and branch stubs.

[+TeamRabbitRun]

I suspect it was a hand auger and an extention.

 

Nah, they used trained beavers.

 

It was a log 18" dia that had a hole 2" dia drilled down the center

 

Tiny, tiny beavers.....

 

No, no, no.

 

Remember, in colonial days child labor was common. Obviously these were juvenile beavers.

 

Thank goodness those days are over. Most likely, it was the passage of child-labor laws that caused the industry to develop better pipe materials with larger bores to accommodate bigger workers.

[+va griz]

If you are still looking for a source for a long wooden dowel you might try just cutting the handle off an old broom. If that's not as thick as you're looking for, a good hardware store will have handles for shovels, that should be fat enough. As for the hole, it will be almost impossible to drill a hole through the center. You could saw it in half lengthwise and carve out the center, but do the wires have to run through the center? You could route out a groove on the side, and just cover the wires with filler such as RTV or wood putty.