Making a Birdcage Awl from an old drill bit

I need a lathe for the workshop. If you'd like to help here's my Patreon account: / thesmallworkshop
This project was inspired by an awl I've seen a while ago on JDCD Design's channel: / jamesdcd92
A birdcage awl is different from the regular scratch awl in the way the tip is sharpened: it has four sides, like a nail. This helps it tear the wood fibers a little when marking, creating a clearer mark and also a better start for drill bits.
I've used an old 1/4 (6mm) SDS bit for this, they are made from decent steel and I have plenty of used ones around. The brass ferrule is simply a water plug from the plumbing section of my local DIY store. The wood is from a dead apple tree that my father used to have in his yard.
Like I've mentioned before, I had to sell my old lathe, so I don't have a lathe in the shop at the moment so I've turned this handle using a drill, and it was sketchy at best. I don't feel comfortable using that again and would not recommend this method to anyone.

[@stevegrundy2169]

Absolutely brilliant, I'm a craftsman with 35 years experience and to make such an excellent end product from just basic tools is the sign of skill & ingenuity. I'm sick of watching videos with professional workshops but it takes far more talent and makes projects for amateur DIYers achievable.

[@AndyPhillipWoodturning]

Great vid .. I'm throwing my lathe and getting my old 80s drill out .. 👍

[@jeesan485]

Aaa

[@jeesan485]

Aaaaaaaaa

[@jeesan485]

Aaaaaa

[@jeesan485]

Aaaaaaa

[@kaanyildirim8972]

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[@Sascha_LB]

I am totally impressed... what a great objekt with such simple tools... Thanks for spending such an inspiration. Thanks for showing

[@alanpayne1442]

Beautifully finished and I like the way you recycled the materials...first class and we can take tips for making other tools and jigs etc - great video especially speeding up the tedious bits.

[@alanreynolds5985]

Hats off to you Sir! Necessity is the Mother of invention and you confirmed that. A lovely tactile tool made with your own fair hands with what you had available. A man after my own heart who uses his brain and not his wallet and workshop. I found you by accident and will investigate your other videos. Top Marks!

[@rockusbacchus]

You, sir, are a brilliant craftsman. There are a lot of very talented folks on KZbin showing off a lot of talent, but to do what you did with the tools you used makes you a magician in my book. I found this video after watching your new video on turning fire steels so I'm glad you got your lathe.

[@ikm64]

What a great pleasure to see a true craftsman at work, especially one that can think out of the box........Pure class

[@danburch9989]

Awesome job! Without seeing the video, one would never know it was made with "primitive" tools. It reflects on your awesome skills with the tools you have. That is well beyond my talents.

[@LetsPrepTogether]

Great work! I love how you improvise and make do with what you have! The final awl turned out beautiful.

[@mjallenuk]

Fantastic ... some impressive solutions to problems. Both my grand fathers were tool makers. You've given me pause for thought!

[@drd1924]

7:14 Part is coming loose, Drill keeps spinning!....chucks coming loose as table is bouncing.....Guy keeps on working!!!! Phenominal determination! I love it :D But seriously....nice handy work

[@pauldixon6654]

My goodness. What a truly brill way and the finished product stunning. ABIG WELL DONE for not speeding vid and no horrid music thumb up and subbed.

[@timreid9556]

That is amazing , no lathe no problem solution. Hats off to you sir

[@davidschmidt5434]

Just commenting to say you are one of my favorite creators on KZbin! Keep it up! Wish you had a new video every week!

[@loadzofhobbies4219]

Some excellent problem solving. Turned out great. The masonry bit lends an interesting design element. ATB Ryan

[@ismailkilic1931]

P0rna

[@pietuytendaal5938]

Op

[@peterszilagyi9942]

Induljunk egy úton én is egy másikon

[@killtony11]

i like this video simply for the fact that even tho you dont have all the tools you need you still make what u wanted to make its inspiring i like how u turned the drill into a lathe of sorts

[@thesuzz9141]

U R A TRUE INSPIRATION TO SOMEBODY LIKE ME WHO IS JUST GETTING INTO WOODWORKING AND WHO DOESNT HAVE MUCH MONEY FOR ALL THE FANCY NEW TOOLS. SO THANK YOU. :)

[@scotmetcalf2745]

This is brilliant!! I’m looking to teaching my Grandsons how to use their hands and brains and we have very little money but you’ve shown me that I have basic tools that I can improvise with. We are your new subscribers !

[@MrCpolzin]

I made a beautiful one yesterday after watching this video.Thank you so much for sharing mate

[@pauldevey8628]

Love your lathe and mandrel set. Proof that you don't need a perfect setup to do really good work. A handsome and useful tool.

[@grizwoldstad9956]

Nice build. With your skill set and ingenuity I look forward to future builds

[@grumblepus]

Wow, there are some incredibly clever ideas in this video. Fantastic work!

[@BruceAUlrich]

It was fun to watch you develop this from a sketch into a full product. Thanks for sharing!

[@deanthomas5466]

Nice looking project under some very strong tool challenges. Well done.

[@shripadlale7476]

Brilliant design! Great results with minimal tools. Thanks for sharing!

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

The choice of materials and adapted equipment is so inventive. The design and execution of the final piece is exquisite.

[@harrigoldsmith8280]

Agreed

[@santoshgolasar3615]

Santosh. Golasar

[@hweepiangteo2637]

Andrew Dolinski UK

[@MrToolmaker23]

Beautiful job. Love the "one-speed-fits-all" lathe.

[@williamlott7612]

Beautiful result. One of my favorite movie lines is Clint Eastwood as Gunny Highway in Heartbreak Ridge, “You’re Marines now. You adapt, you overcome, you improvise.” I dare say you have done just that. Darlington, South Carolina

[@UberDreww96]

Wow, that looks great. It's amazing what people can make with a small amount of tools.

[@ZafarKhan-qs5ry]

Brave man, no one else could dare to operate his lathe. Good work

[@obamagamer5531]

You are insane. The most frugal thing I've seen in a while. Mad props

[@TheSmallWorkshop]

If you are interested in the tools used in this video: www.thesmallworkshop.com/my-tools/

[@hdebrieder5681]

A piece of art. I like the way the you use simple tools to make something like this. Thank for the upload and i try to make one by my self.

[@commando340]

an example of doing the best you can with what you've got. nice job.

[@arjojotadape]

never seen making such a beautifull lathe by hand...you are very very smart to do that...all my cmpliments from the netherlands gr. Arie

[@lkkjhtemmexv1838]

a good tool has no glue , in it fabrication

[@johnbesharian9965]

@@lkkjhtemmexv1838, yes, he could have threaded the end of the bit and installed it in a threaded insert in the handle and topped it off with the ferrule, but he didn't.

[@ellisc.foleyjr9778]

I keep forgetting the idea of using a drill for a lathe. great reminder of what can be "duplicated with ingenuity .excellent craftsmanship.good show on the heat treating too! another reminder of what to do properly. Thanks for taking the time to do the video and best of all for sharing.

[@RRED2]

Absolutely loved it and of course thank You for sharing.

[@pedroroman3344]

Como marcar en metal

[@alext9067]

What a great looking tool. You made it from nothing! Truly insane. Great video.

[@juanjeronimopoljaner722]

4ffffgfffffffffffffffffgffffggfffffgfgfffffffffffffffffffffffgffffffffffffffffffffffffffffgfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffggfffggtt5

[@GBOB68]

A thing of beauty. Should be in a display case. I'm making one this weekend. Very watchable video as well.

[@Take_And_Make]

Awesome idea! Turned out to be very beautiful awl! Love it!

[@petermacander5039]

BEAUTIFUL! YOU SHOULD MAKE SOME OF THESE AWLS AND OFFER THEM FOR SALE! NOT EVERYONE CAN MAKE SO BEAUTIFUL A TOOL!

[@5025spd]

Love this - no way you should be able to do something that noise without a lathe! But you did. Inspiring.

[@RICCARDINDALCIUFFOLO]

A ''WOOOOOOW~NDERFUL'' ARTWORK MY FRIEND.... what you do is the real craftsmanship of many years ago, today everything is used a few times and then you throw away, you must instead learn to repair the old tools, or build new ones like you, you're really very good. congratulations. ps. Sorry my bad English, I'm Italian and I studied English at elementary schools.

[@budgillett9535]

Riccardo Boscolo Cegion I’m American and your English is VERY good! Much, much better then many American High School graduates.

[@RICCARDINDALCIUFFOLO]

@@budgillett9535 thank you my friend, I am happy.... Ilike very much the your works, are fantastics!!!

[@rotay4900]

Love the way you use the tool before it is finished!!☺️👍

[@ataarjomand]

Absolutely fantastic; both metal work and wood work. Thanks a lot.

[@wimvandenbosch6657]

What a great piece of work using off cuts. Love it. Great skill. 👍👍👍

[@budgillett9535]

I watch a lot of KZbin videos. This is one of the absolute very best!!!

[@iverson2095]

Hey I love your small projects. All the little things you make with limited space, it inspires me to work around my own limitations. Keep it up!

[@TheSmallWorkshop]

Cheers mate! That's kinda the motivation behind this channel, to encourage people to make stuff even if they don't have the space for a proper shop or a lot of tools.

[@mikevanin1]

Now, *that's* an awl! Beautiful video production too - well done!

[@TheVocalMale]

Nice work, mate! The use of everyday tools was impressive.

[@jackmiller3628]

Great video. Love the awl and very interesting how you repurposed things to build this!

[@ProfessorDIY]

You are very resourceful and talented, you got a new fan, thanks for the video!!

[@stephenbridges2791]

Very well thought out. And; very well executed. My compliments.

[@theguywitheyebrows]

absolutely flawless awl! great work on the DIY lathe, ima copy yours as soon as i get the chance!

[@andy1986a]

proper job with half the tools, gotta love this!

[@10224me]

Awesome!! Especially like how you did all the work with common tools!!!

[@anarchessthorson3556]

I wouldn't be able to resist calling everything I made with it "Apple wood poked"

[@robertcloosterman9336]

Love it. I have been putting it off but now I'm inspired to start. Excellent work and video.

[@thomasmarliere2505]

A beautiful tool and an interesting video, even more enjoyable due to the fact that you don’t need a lathe 👍 Thanks for sharing

[@garygerard4290]

beauty - Beauty - BEAUTY and it was fun watching it being made 'gonna see what else you've made thanks

[@tex6285]

Making do with what you have!!!!! Awesome job . The results say you are a true craftsman...

[@ianvicedomini2648]

That is a beautiful looking awl.. it'll last years too.. great video mate

[@keithrobinson5594]

Dude, your a hero! What a great job. Hope you get some decent tools soon. Now I know why I keep collecting those coffee stirrers.

[@BrassLock]

Fantastic result, even though you don't recommend using a drill - lathe, you've inspired me to modify my amateurish version I've been fiddling with recently. I'm sure your Patreon account will get good results, which you justly deserve, but I hope you still demonstrate the use of "ordinary tools" that most of us in developing countries still use on a regular basis, which is a large part of the attractiveness of your channel for myself.

[@hart1mart]

Very well made, I really like your unconventional approach of making things & also using tools in a way that they were not originally intended for, I to use similer method's, great work well done 👍

[@martynferguson1387]

Love the choice of reused materials and inventive use of tools, think I've found my design to go on, thanks...! :0)

[@Osk.S57]

Great job, well done. A tool that will last a lifetime and you've had the satisfaction of making something for yourself. Not enough people do this in our throw away buy a new one society.

[@davidcampbell7209]

This was a pleasure to watch thanks for showing your work beautiful but very practical work

[@JDCDDesgins]

Beautiful work! I’m happy to hear I inspired the build! It turned out great. The drill bit definitely add a lot of character to the piece.

[@TheSmallWorkshop]

Thanks James! Would love to see more videos from you!

[@eCitizen1]

Exceptional quality. Great video. Thanks

[@traceyosterlind14]

You did a great job making do with what you had. I would be proud of that handy work.

[@sapphodesigns2377]

Looks amazing..love the brass ferrule you made

[@SW33TB33s]

I love how you used the awl while making it

[@framel44]

That is a beautiful Awl. Well Done!! Frank

[@boozoochavis7506]

I had to cover my eyes a couple times during the process, I was a'feared for your safety - but it is certainly hard to argue with the results! It helps sometimes to sharpen a secondary point on the tip to make these square awls cut better. Thanks for posting this and keep up the good work!!

[@johnroth8275]

Beautiful. Love your creativity and ingenuity.

[@jackiefelker8263]

Neccesaty is the mother of inventions. Well done.

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

A very nice tool and cleverly worked out how to make it without a lathe.

[@mikevanwieringen9883]

Wow, nice man..This also shows you don't need to have fancy high end equipment to make something awesome !

[@68cristian]

great work mate! and superb outocme from a basic set of tools, excellent problem solving ! excellent vid too ! thanks

[@skateboards5298]

I like how you use the tool you're making to make the tool you're making.

[@andreasvestervig6754]

Lol yeah. xD

[@abde4645]

Wait what!????? 😮

[@SatnamSingh-lo4fb]

Nice

[@GREMLINS516]

It's is secret. .. chut!

[@LegoMan-cz4mn]

Just like how you need a plane to make a plane :)

[@luisstanker1491]

Great Idea and fine HANDWORK 👏👏👏👏👏

[@danielmiller2977]

Very cool. I can't wait to try this. Well done!

[@corrupiola]

I made my own bookbinding tools and just subscribed for your channel. Very good images, thank you!

[@MrLibertyordeath]

Nice tool and great use of the other tools to make this one. Ingenuity.

[@rolandberendonck3900]

This was really breathtaking! Wow, thank you :)

[@jeffjones3246]

Very nicely done, creative use of tools, but mostly just craftsmanship

[@mcorrade]

Nicely down!!! That apple wood looks great and great use of brass and drill

[@girliedog]

You did a great job on this piece, particularly love the "wood lathe"

[@newyork819]

Two thumbs up for this project, absolutely excellent

[@carlinhosswing8490]

very cool his work, amateur yes and for this much more valued for being a single piece and how to improvise, clean beautiful and good quality. Congratulations and thank you for sharing. Hugs

[@donscottvansandt4139]

Love that ferrel! I've replaced a few with spent shell cases and I like that but yours is much more heavy duty AND much more refined...

[@johnellison3030]

Apple Wood.... Damn, Apple makes everything now.

[@rossandersen942]

Impressive lathe skills on a little drill

[@c.a.m.6276]

You have done a very nice job. Congrats (from Brazil)

[@PMichaels]

Another awesome video. Your stuff is the best!

[@joselacera8716]

I LIKE THE PATIENT AND THE TALENT THAT YOU HAVE GOD BLESS YOU FROM A D.A.VETERAN THANK YOU

[@Braeden123698745]

The old wizened drill bit now helps the new ones find their way.

[@bpcaboutpconapc5461]

my granddad had many a saying about his old tools that went something like that. I've tried to remember them especially his ones on his old tools hanging up with cobwebs on em and a big old auger there. i haven;t got it but thanks to your words floods of memories came back. the one i do was hen i asked why not clean them, his reply ahh they built many a thing for a home now retired they have become a home for many a thing he'd have loved thids vid

[@stevegrundy2169]

All of a sudden there's a severe, worldwide shortage of 6mm sds bits 😀

[@shripadlale7476]

Very well said!

[@udanbug]

I love your lathe. Not having one myself, and being on a fixed income, I intend to try this with my drill press. -- Very cool vid.

[@brave_ulysses5958]

I made one of these last year based on this video. Every time I pull it out at my local makers' space I get Ooohs and Ahhhs. And that's the most important thing about an awl right? How many Oooohs and Ahhhs you get when you use it in public. I love mine. Yours looks nice too.