Pocket holes with messy edges

[Greg Guarino]

I think I have mentioned this before, but I consistently get "hanging chads" around the edge of my pocket holes. I'm using the Kreg bit, and have probably only made a couple hundred holes with it. They're usually on one side only, which I believe is the left side of the hole; the side where the drill bit edge "exits" the wood. Sometimes they're 3/16 long. If memory serves, it's more pronounced in plywood.

I don't really use pocket holes where they will be visible, but I still prefer the holes to be neat. I found a really quick way to clean them up too, with a mini drum sanding bit on a dremel-like tool.

Is this common? Does Kreg acknowledge the issue?

[Leon]

It is the nature of the beast. BUT BUT you are going to way too much trouble to clean up the tear out.

Simply lightly push those whiskers back away from the hole with a block of wood wrapped in sand paper and then sand with the grain.

Almost always I can simply use my finish sander over the hole and that is enough to remove the whiskers.

[Greg Guarino]

My method took only about as long as it would take to "push the whiskers back". It was more luck than design; that attachment was on the tool, and the tool was hanging over the bench I was working at. But it turned out to be very efficient, a couple of seconds per hole. One or two quick swipes did the job. The other nice thing was that I was able to clean up each set of holes immediately after drilling them, with the wood still in the vise.

[dadiOH]

I wouldn't consider it an "issue" because it is normal with anything that rotates so it is cutting from the wood to out. Upcut router bits do it too.

The type of wood has a bearing too...soft and fuzzy = edge fuzz, hard/brittle less so.

[Leon]

A couple of seconds to long. You have to sand anyway... might as well let the sander di ot all in one step.

[Greg Guarino]

I think I have mentioned this before, but I consistently get "hanging chads" around the edge of my pocket holes. I'm using the Kreg bit, and have probably only made a couple hundred holes with it. They're usually on one side only, which I believe is the left side of the hole; the side where the drill bit edge "exits" the wood. Sometimes they're 3/16 long. If memory serves, it's more pronounced in plywood.

I don't really use pocket holes where they will be visible, but I still prefer the holes to be neat. I found a really quick way to clean them up too, with a mini drum sanding bit on a dremel-like tool.

Is this common? Does Kreg acknowledge the issue?

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[Leon]

It is the nature of the beast. BUT BUT you are going to way too much trouble to clean up the tear out.

Simply lightly push those whiskers back away from the hole with a block of wood wrapped in sand paper and then sand with the grain.

Almost always I can simply use my finish sander over the hole and that is enough to remove the whiskers.

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[Greg Guarino]

My method took only about as long as it would take to "push the whiskers back". It was more luck than design; that attachment was on the tool, and the tool was hanging over the bench I was working at. But it turned out to be very efficient, a couple of seconds per hole. One or two quick swipes did the job. The other nice thing was that I was able to clean up each set of holes immediately after drilling them, with the wood still in the vise.

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[Mike Marlow]

Yeah - it's how it is Greg. Not really a big deal though. Knock them down with a sander really quick and you're on your way. Kinda comes with the territory when using a drill bit.

[dadiOH]

I wouldn't consider it an "issue" because it is normal with anything that rotates so it is cutting from the wood to out. Upcut router bits do it too.

The type of wood has a bearing too...soft and fuzzy = edge fuzz, hard/brittle less so.

[none]

On Mon, 08 Dec 2014 10:52:14 -0600, Leon

Hey! I clean up tearout mess too, whether it's in view or before it's buried under five tons of concrete. *Some* of us are wired that way. Nothing wrong with that, we just like to take special care with our projects.

[Puckdropper]

Greg Guarino wrote in news:m64jss$69e$ [e-mail]:

Would it do any good to use a wood shim between the jig and workpiece? That way, it'd tear out on the shim and not the workpiece. You'd have to adjust the jig for the shim thickness, but that shouldn't be too bad.

Puckdropper

[Leon]

Probably not, there is a tight fit between the jig and the work already and the jig has a pretty precise fit with the bit. AND it would throw off the location of the hole in the work.