Anybody have any tricks or ts for drilling a hockey puck???

I want to use a few hockey pucks as tap handles. Should I freeze them prior to drilling, any particular type of bit?

Never done it, but I'd secure the puck in a vise of some sort and drill away. Start with a small bit to drill a pilot hole and then step up the bit sizes until you get the hole you want.

I wouldn't have thought of freezing it first.

My friend did this as mendesm described. His was frozen, but he kept his pucks in the freezer all the time (I dont play but he claimed warm pucks are slow). So, I don't know if it helped, but it did work.

I have drilled a few, they make great body mounts for cars. Normal sharp bit, drillpress is all I have ever needed. I have never drilled one on end though, I am sure some sort of vice would help to keep the puck from spinning wildly and breaking your hand.

I would chill them prior to drilling. Warm rubber would probably muck up the drill bit and you'd have to stop a few times to clear it up.

Hi

Rumor has it that a sharp bit and fairly high RPM's on the drill are both good ideas. Freezing it (or at least keeping it cold) will certainly reduce the stink while drilling it.

Bob

You might want to try adding oil while drilling, if it gets too hot.

Or even better, if you can find the right size Spade Bit, that might work best.

Thank you guys, this is why I love this site. Can always find folks with good info.

I've done it twice so far. Spade bit (can't remember the size), no oil and no need to freeze the puck. Works like a charm. Very easy. I glued the threaded inserts (picked up at Home Depot in the hardware section) with plain white (carpenter's glue) and they've been holding tight ever since, mainly because the hole I drilled was smaller than the insert so it grips the rubber. The next ones I do, I'll use better glue though.

Hope that helps.

FirstStateBrewer said:

You might want to try adding oil while drilling, if it gets too hot.

Or even better, if you can find the right size Spade Bit, that might work best.

Click to expand...

The spade bit was my first thought when I read the op, which is exactly why I also thought about fixing the puck to a vise, as it may get "stuck" and cause the puck to spin like crazy and cause injury. But a regular bit may not NEED the vise, but my gut tells me it would make more of a stink.

I have never drilled a hockey puck but I would guess that freezing them would make them more brittle and more likely to chip/break out. I like the idea for a tap!

Wish I could take total credit for it. Somebody on here has a.....yuck.....Washington Capitals keezer with puck handles. It is a bad ass one minus the team choice.

bassmaster911 said:

I have never drilled a hockey puck but I would guess that freezing them would make them more brittle and more likely to chip/break out. I like the idea for a tap!

Click to expand...

Hi

They are amazingly durable when they are at ice temperatures ...

Bob

Someone recommended on this site to drill out rubber stoppers they used dry ice to freeze them solid and made them much easier to drill.

Don't use a pilot hole if you are using a spade bit. I'd use a forstner bit in a drill press. If its sharp, I wouldn't go exceedingly high rpm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill_bit#Forstner_bits

Wow were on two pages on drilling a hole in a hockey puck...it's hard rubber, I'd think just about any drill bit in any type of power drill would work...no?

thought maybe you'd be interested in this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAMPA-BAY-L...ultDomain_0&hash=item231bfee54c#ht_2302wt_183

It's just a hockey puck. . .any bit will work. You don't have to freeze it at all (unless you're playing hockey. . .game pucks are all frozen)

It won't burn really, it will drill fast and easy.

Just clamp it in a vice or to the bench like you would anything you needed to drill a hole in.

Clamp it for sure. A drill press vice is advised. As soon as you think your hand is enough of a clamp, you're going to get hurt.

I made all of my taps from hockey pucks. I just put them in a vice and drilled them by hand with a wood bit. I'll admit that they aren't all perfectly straight but good enough for me.

I also got some dry erase paper, cut circles to fit on the pucks, and glued them on. Makes it easy to change the beer name.

Thanks for the replies guys, appreciate it. Went ahead and drilled them when I got off duty today. I didnt freeze them and used a regular wood bit. Worked like a charm.

Oh geez, if I would have know how you were going to disgrace that keezer with the big stain on the front I would have never replied to this thread. . .

Nice work otherwise!

Nice work...nice,very nice and I don't even like hockey.

Lol, hopefully we can make the playoffs this year. Thanks for the complement, I'm happy with it.

Just wondering, did you tap the pucks to mount them or did you use nut inserts?

I once drilled a puck for use as a starter wheel for a radio controlled car. I threaded it with 3/8 and just used a counter nut. It was tight as hell. That rubber is stable!

Nice work! here is a picture of a one I made, the other is an elk antler.

Old thread, but I wanted to show an idea I had for a puck tap handle that is non-obtrusive to the puck (in case you have a souvenir that you don't want to drill holes into). I did a mock-up using a piece of a 2x4 to make sure the design will work. I'll re-do it with some much nicer wood, smooth the edges, and put a nice gloss on it for the final piece.

That keezer the OP did is epic and the tap handle with the wood is awesome. Great idea!