I'm making a bed with the main frame made from 7cm square lengths of pine. In several places, one of these will be secured to another using wingnuts and 10mm bolts going through two adjacent blocks. (The bed will be heavy but quickly dismantlable). Has someone got some tips for avoiding splintering the back of the timber when drilling the holes? What kind of drill bit should I use - brad point, auger, paddle, holesaw?
Thanks!
Harold
One trick I have used is use a small diameter drill say of 3mm. drill through from one side to the other.
Then change over to your required size of drill bit which in your case is 10mm..
Then drill half way from one side using the 3mm pilot hole as your guide.
Then drill from the other side again using the 3mm pilot hole and then you should have a nice clean hole.
Simply back the wood to be drilled with a piece of scrap wood so the drill bit does not exit the nice bit and splinters the scrap bit on exit..
A few small pieces of scrap and at most two clamps to fix one to the back of the pice to get the hole.
I have also found a sacrificial block clamped to the main one underneath as you drill can stop this effect.
Brian
Clamp a bit of scrap timber to the back of the hole so that it supports the exit of the drill.
That's how I was taught to do it in woodwork classes at school.
Or drill from the show side, of course....or use washers under the bolts...
+1
Also, use a flat bit & as son as the point emerges from the other side stop & drill through from the reverse.
+1
Or for smaller holes use "dowel" bits, which also have a point
Best to clamp a bit on the front face too, if you need it to be clean.
NT
EricP wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
What type of clamps should I use?
Will something on here do:
I'm new to this...
I'll be fixing one 7cm square stick to another, and would like to be able to drill all the way through both in one go, to avoid misalignment problems!
Thanks!
Harry
The Irwin quick grip clamps are very nice for this type of job - they are very quick to apply and release.
You can stack a number of them together. You just need a scrap piece to protect the exit from the bottom one of the stack.
You might want to use a drill press to guarantee alignment if the pieces are thick. Failing that use a set square to align the drill in one orientation and ask a friend to confirm the other orientation.
Just depends how accurate you want them
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