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To make a connection on a rig with a rotary table and kelly, the driller picks up
the drill string high enough for the kelly to clear the rotary table – that is, the driller
uses the drawworks to hoist the travelling block, hook, and swivel up into the derrick
or mast so that the first joint of drill pipe is exposed in the opening in the rotary table.
With the kelly clear of the rotary table, the floorhands set the slips around the joint
of drill pipe to suspend the drill string in the hole. They then latch two big wrenches
called "tongs" on the kelly joint and the tool joint of the joint of drill pipe. A tong pull
line – a length of strong wire rope – runs from the end of the tongs to the breakout
cathead on the drawworks. The driller engages the automatic cathead, and it starts
pulling on the line with tremendous force. The pulling force on the tongs breaks out
(loosens) the threaded joint of the kelly and drill pipe. Once the joint is loosened, the driller
engages a kelly spinner, which is a special air motor mounted near the top of the kelly.
The kelly spinner rapidly turns or spins the kelly to back it out (unscrew it) from the drill
pipe joint.
With the kelly backed out of the drill pipe's tool joint, crew members swing
the kelly over to the mousehole, that lined hole in the rig floor the crew prepared when
they rigged up. Earlier, crew members placed a joint of drill pipe into the mousehole so
that it would be ready to add to the drill string.
They stab the kelly into the joint in the mousehole, and the driller spins up
the kelly into the joint using the kelly spinner. Crew members grab the tongs,
latch them onto the kelly and pipe, and buck up (tighten) the joint to final tightness.
Next, the driller uses the drawworks to raise the kelly and attached joint out of
the mousehole. The crew stabs the end of the new joint into the joint suspended
by the slips in the rotary table, and, using a spinning wrench and the tongs, they
thread the joints together and buck them up to final tightness. Finally, the driller
lifts up the kelly and attached string a small amount, the crew removes the slips,
and the driller lowers the newly added joint and kelly until the kelly drive bushing
engages the master bushing. The driller starts the pump, begins rotating, and lowers
the bit back to bottom to continue making hole. Crew members make a connection
each time the kelly is drilled down—each time the bit makes about 30 feet of hole.
Near the surface, where the drilling is usually easy, they may make several

connections while they are on tour.
Making a connection on a rig with a top drive is similar to making a connection
on a rig that uses a rotary table. The driller simply raises the top drive a small amount to
pick up the drill string. Crew members set the slips, which suspends the drill string in the
hole. Note that although the rotary table is not used to rotate the drill string, it still provides
a place for the crew to set the slips. Further, should the top drive fail, the driller can rotate
the string and bit with the rotary table. With the drill string suspended by the slips, the
driller actuates a control that tilts the elevators on the top drive. (Elevators are a special
set of clamps that crew members latch around the tool joint of the drill pipe. Elevators
grip the drill pipe joint and allow the driller to raise and lower the joint.) Tilting the
elevators allows crew members to latch the elevators onto the joint in the mousehole. The
driller then picks up the joint from the mousehole and straightens the elevators.

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