Boring a Maglite D body for 4AA - with a home made drill press and a bi-metal hole saw.

No you didnt!

Thats like "Home Improvement" without explosions.. :D

Hope I do not spoil anything by asking about dimensions?
Your saw says 1 3/8”. My Maglite is bigger inside than that,about 34mm.
Do Maglites differ in dimensions? What size do you aim for?
(Saw is also marked 35mm to ad to my confusion)

Thanks for sharing your work with us.

Lennart

Great idea, I’ve got a couple of quad bored Mags, also 1 FM 4xAA holder (unfortunately 200 miles from me!), just upgraded one of them from a P4 to an XML-U2. I’m thinking of a multi LED set up for the other and also am going to have a go at making a holder, already have a drill press, still in the design / thinking mode tho’.

1 3/8" = 1.375" = 34.925mm = ~35mm

So O-L is making the tube about 1mm wider.

Nice mod O-L! Thanks for sharing!

Nice job, O-L!

Well done! That is not easy to do at all. I must say that I am surprised at how nice it looks on the inside. I would have thought it would come out with a more rough surface. This is a sweet idea you just passed on. TY Justin.

Ohh,Hard for me to make such a simple mistake.Have worked on British 1960s cars as a hobby for 40 years :frowning:

Lennart :wink:

It’s Ok, I make them all the time. I have never “gotten” the metric system and I still have to use a conversion chart every time I measure something with these flashlights.

Yes, passed it on is correct.
I am hoping others, who have access to a drill press, will try this themselves!
One note; If you try anything like a 2D, you will need one of those extensions to add to the hole saw, to be able to reach the depth. This one barely did the 1D and that’s with just grabbing on to the very end of the 3/8” spindle. I actually need to have a short extension piece myself and I will be making one for it.

Yes I thought as much OL. I wonder if a hex ratchet top could grap it well enough if you wrapped the shank in a bit of tape? Probably not - I’m just spitballing here :wink:

I am impressed .

Bravo !

Once again an innovator in the DIY Maglite modifications - I love it!

You can buy extension bars, we get ours from a building supplier.

There’s two sizes in the UK (dont ask what they are, possibly 3/8” hex and, well, littler) take yours along to a decent commercial hardware suppliers and they should be able to sort you out, the extensions are 10” or so long and may not be suitable for your drill press.

I have turned them up before, just bored to suit the diameter across the points and tapped for a grub screw, but this would be best done in a lathe.

Found this on Ebay.

-Garry

Nice job , I need a hole saw like that, can you point a link to ebay?

Thanks

Here's one for $10.99 (but doesn't say shank size).

-Garry

IVY Classic 27022 I bought the only two I saw, but there were several other manufacturers that I saw there. The reason I bought these was the price and the fact that the weld wasn't larger than the body OD. Here's a search for them.

Just make sure it's bi-metal. Diamond or full carbide ones will not work well and make sure it is Not for wood only. It should state for metal, wood, etc. I just went by the photos, to see if there was a weld ring sticking above the rest of the body, as you will see in some of them. Some don't come with arbors and you have to buy the arbor too. This one might work

Hex drive to square drive to 3/8” socket to bit? Likely too much wobble.

Nice job!

The correct tools really make modding a lot easier, don’t they? (Wish I had a lathe….)

I recall boring my first 2Dmag to fit an 8AA holder using a drum sanding wheel on my drill - what a pain, and it took FOREVER. I did finally manage to get it done, but getting it complete in 2 minutes would have made my day.

Looking forward to many more mods using your new toy!

[quote=Hill]

The correct tools really make modding a lot easier, don’t they? (Wish I had a lathe….)

[quote]

Ya, I wish I had one too. A lathe and an End Mill. Chop saw, band saw, buffer, sander, welder…………