Drilling a hole with a feather drill
At first glance, when the question arises about how to drill a hole in wood, most people have no doubt: just think, wood is not metal and can be drilled easily. Yes, this is partly true if you want to make not a hole in the wood, but a banal hole. And in order to drill a hole in wood correctly and efficiently, you need to listen to the advice of processing experts wooden structures, who are also called wood modelers.
The rules are definitely simple, but following them will help you save your time, nerves and Consumables as wooden blanks and already finished parts. So, what you need to pay attention to:
- Before drilling, you need to accurately mark the location for the hole.
- Choose the right one cutting tool. This refers to drills for working with wood, countersinks, pen drills with a drill depth limiter and annular cutters required diameter.
- When drilling, the tool (mostly a drill) must be held strictly vertically.
- Use drills designed for specific materials only.
- Wooden parts must be firmly secured in a vice.
- The cutting tool should be pressed firmly, but with uniform force.
Countersink hole for screw head
Let's start drilling simple holes for a screw or. Usually these holes are not large diameter and drilling them is not difficult. The only thing you need to do is to countersink the hole before drilling, that is, turn the surface of the wood under the screw head. To do this, firmly fix the wood and use a countersink to make a recess in it slightly larger than the height of the head of the screw or self-tapping screw. After this, firmly pressing a drill of the required diameter to the surface, drill the hole you need.
There are situations when you need to drill a “blind” hole for a tenon joint. To do this, you need to use a feather drill with a limiter, which is placed on the drill according to the size of the drilling depth
It is more difficult to make holes in large diameter wood, since the use of conventional cylindrical drills chips the surface of the material, damaging it appearance. To successfully cope with this task, feather drills and annular cutters are used.
Feather drill
For successful work When drilling with feather drills, secure the wood firmly in a vice and press the tip of the drill to the surface of the material. Then drill (at low speed) the hole until the tip of the drill appears at the bottom of the wood. Stop drilling and remove the feather bit from the hole, then turn the wood over, clamp it in a vice and drill the hole on the other side. This will prevent the block from splitting when drilling.
Wood annular cutter
An annular cutter is used for drilling holes in wood with a diameter greater than 38 mm. Drilling begins with a small-diameter guide drill, structurally connected to the cutter in one piece. This guide serves as a guide for the annular cutter.
Here are some tips from professionals that will surely help you when drilling holes in wood:
a) for vertical drilling, you can install a square parallel to the drill;
b) if you often have to do carpentry work, purchase a special stand for a drill, which allows you to hold the tool strictly vertically and controls the depth of the holes;
c) be sure to use a vice when drilling to avoid splitting the wood;
d) so that the outlet hole does not have chips, place it under wooden part unnecessary block and drill them together. This is especially applicable when making holes in a thin board;
e) if you do not have a drilling depth limiter, wrap the drill in the area of limitation with bright electrical tape or masking tape.
We continue to understand the equipment with which you can work on wood. In general, wood can be drilled with different drills; in the last article we looked at its effectiveness and figured out how and where it is recommended to use it.
There are a great many types of wood drills and it often happens that they are ideal for some jobs, but not suitable for others at all. That's why House master must understand what and how to drill into wood. Today's article will be about a screw drill, also called a twist drill.
It is for wood and will help out in cases where it is necessary to drill a deep hole. For example, you have a log house through which you need to stretch water pipe or bundle of cables. And only a twist drill can cope with thick wood. Of course, nothing prevents you from trying to use a regular one, however, as I already said, it is inconvenient to drill with it and it is not a guarantee that you will be able to complete the job.
As you can see, the tip is made in the form of a fine thread, which helps to screw the drill into the initial stage drilling. The ejection of chips occurs due to the screw edges (like any drill or brace), so drilling is easy. The shank is most often 6-sided, so the tool is securely mounted in the chuck of a drill or screwdriver.
It is necessary to work with such a drill at low speeds, so it is best to use one with speed control or a powerful screwdriver with a high tightening torque.
But it is best, if possible, to use a low-speed drill with a speed of up to 800 (I recommend a rebir drill).
The most common use of such equipment is the fastening of logs. Workers who assemble log houses often come to our store and they buy “spirals” with a diameter of 25-28-30 mm and a length of 450-600 mm. As you know, in order to fasten the logs of a log house together, you need to drill them from above and insert iron reinforcement into the hole made. It is very important that the hole is drilled deeply, which is why a long drill is needed.
The standard range of lengths is as follows:
— 220 mm
— 450 mm
— 600 mm (the most popular).
To make holes with a diameter of 30 mm to a depth of 600 mm in wood, you need a very powerful power tool, so we recommend using a drill of at least 1000 Watt (and that is unlikely to be enough), as well as screwdrivers with a torque of at least 36 Nm. Of course, the most preferable option is a low-speed drill, which has a power of 1200 Watts; for such work you can’t imagine anything better. It is very powerful and easily pushes such a thick drill bit through solid wood.
The prices for such “consumables” are quite high, at least it is much more expensive than feather and Forstner drills. For example, 22*600 costs around 300 rubles. And the thickest ones come with a price tag of a piece of rubles. They are taken only when you need to drill a hole in the log house for sewer pipe and so on.
However, if you consider that the drill is powerful and heavy, and it is used to perform specific work, then you should not worry about the price. Because anyway, nothing else can drill through 3 logs at once.
Often when working with wood and wood-based materials, it becomes necessary to drill an even round hole. You can use a jigsaw or a router, but such a tool is not always at hand or it is simply inconvenient to do the work with them. A woodworking ballerina can make the task easier.
Circular adjustable ballerina drill is a device that is designed for drilling round holes of large diameter. The tool has simple design. It consists of a shank with a transverse rod on which movable carriages with cutters are attached. The rod has markings according to which you can set the required spread of the cutters relative to the center of the intended hole. A core drill is fixed in the middle of the shank. It serves as a centering element and support when drilling.
In addition to designs with two cutting elements located symmetrically, there are ballerinas with one cutter or even three. In the latter case, they are located on the base in the form of a disk with grooves.
A high-quality ballerina is made of high-strength steel, which makes it possible to use the device in working with soft and hard wood.
This tool has an adjustable drilling diameter. This allows you to make holes of almost any diameter. The limitation of the drilling range depends on the size of the ballerina. Manufacturers produce devices with the following cutter spread limits:
The maximum drilling diameter is limited by the rod on which the cutters are mounted. The minimum is the thickness of the shank.
The ballerina drill can be used in any places where the use of a jigsaw or hand router will be inconvenient. For example, this could be assembled and installed furniture, in the parts of which you need to drill a neat hole, taking into account limited space. Another example is an uneven (curved or concave) surface. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to do everything smoothly and neatly with a jigsaw or milling cutter. It will be difficult to control the inclination of the tool relative to the surface. A ballerina can easily cope with this task.
The principle of working with a circular drill is simple. A hole is drilled using a centering drill, and then the cutters are put to work. They gradually make a narrow groove, gradually cutting through the material in a circle to the full depth.
The materials used in working with the ballerina are varied: wood, fiberboard, chipboard, MDF, plasterboard, plastic. One common point is that the thickness of the part should be no more than 15-20 millimeters. This parameter is limited by the length of the incisors. Usually the manufacturer indicates the maximum drilling depth on the packaging. If you try to drill into thicker material, you may experience problems with ragged edges.
The use of a tool with one cutter is characterized by runout. This is caused by a lack of balancing relative to the longitudinal axis of the drill. The beating will be especially noticeable when cutting large diameter holes. Cut holes using a drill at low or medium speed. When working on drilling machine no such problems arise.
Also, a laminated or veneered surface can cause inconvenience when working. After passing through the decorative layer, drilling proceeds without problems.
A feature of the circular drill can be considered the ability to adjust the diameter. The distance between the cutters can be set using a scale on a rod or more accurately using a caliper. This is convenient if you need to make a hole without gaps for a pipe or round part.
The spacing of the cutters relative to the center is adjusted individually. It is necessary to align the cutting parts as accurately as possible. This will get rid of extra effort during operation and will extend the life of the tool.
Choosing a high-quality circular drill is quite easy. The main thing is to know the main points that you should pay attention to first, but also not to lose sight of the little things.
The design is very important point: a woodworking dancer comes with one chisel or two or more. For frequent use It is better to purchase an option with two or three cutting elements. It is easier to work with such devices and the quality of the processing performed will be at an acceptable level.
It wouldn't hurt to replace it individual parts. Inexpensive circle drills can have a solid shank with a permanent center drill and rod.
Metal, its quality determines its strength and ability to withstand workloads. High-quality tools are made from high-strength steel or alloys. The shank and cutter holders are shaped using a machine tool. The rod is usually stamped and made of the same metal.
Cheap options often use soft metal or alloys, which can be brittle. Under load, parts may become deformed or break. Such a tool will not last long and it will also be difficult to achieve accuracy from it.
The quality of workmanship, the main feature is the absence of backlashes and distortions. All parts must fit together and be securely fastened with fixing screws.
The markings of a high-quality ballerina's barbell are stamped. Sometimes the divisions are highlighted with bright paint for better visibility.
Cutters, high quality cutting elements made from hardened tool steel. They are secured to the holders with rivets or soldering. Solid cutters with holders (made of the same metal) quickly become dull and are not durable.
Manufacturer, when choosing any tool and consumables, preference should be given to well-known and long-proven brands and brands. The most common are Topfix, Stayer, Irwin, Strum.
Purchasing an adjustable circular drill for use at home, or if you need to drill several holes, is completely worth it. This eliminates the need to purchase an expensive tool that may only be needed a few times.
The article will be useful to a person both planning this work for the first time and having the “bitter” experience of labor intensity.
I was faced with a problem - to drill through a thick wall consisting of several layers, namely: a concrete block 200 mm thick, a sleeper 240 mm, plastered with 80 millimeters on each side, plus an “air cushion” of 100 millimeters is provided between the block and the sleeper , not less. I may be wrong with the dimensions somewhere, but having measured the thickness in doorway, the wall was 730 millimeters.
There’s nothing scary about it, it’s work and work, installing a water supply in the room attached to the house and that’s all, but the difficulty lies in the drilling different materials, plus drilling is available only on one side, from the extension.
In fact: plaster, block, sleeper, plaster. In addition to the hammer drill, you will also need a drill with a wood drill bit.
Orders of this kind occur quite rarely, once every five years, so to speak, and accordingly, a rarely used tool will be needed.
1. a drill for a hammer drill with a diameter of at least 22 mm (or better yet 25, remember that polypropylene expands for hot water supply?), and a length of at least 300 mm, this is the thickness of the plaster and concrete block. Have you ever drilled a sleeper with a drill?.. you'll be shocked...;
2. a wood drill, of the same diameter, at least 650 mm long, here I take into account the thickness of the conventionally drilled plaster and block, plus the “air cushion” and plus the sleeper itself;
3. a drill for a rotary hammer with a diameter of 12, a length of more than 730, here is the full thickness of the wall (do we remember that you can only drill on one side? Yes, and the horseradish holes towards each other will coincide with two, and if you measure thoroughly, then the slope is any will be different).
Drilling a wall at once with a large-diameter drill is very labor-intensive and time-consuming; it is much easier and faster to drill a thin one, and then expand the hole with a larger one along the guide. I use this method up to several passes with different drills in increasing increments, depending on the ultimately required diameter. The “old-fashioned” method, very effective, saves a lot physical strength, and what is relevant in my case is the time - the work at first glance is “the cat cried”, all it takes is to remove two tubes, BUT the wall...
So, I went to the store, not familiar with the prices for the tool I need? The price tag for hammer drills, along with the length and increase in diameter, grows not just proportionally, but catastrophically, however, the same applies to screw drills.
Here are some screenshots with price tags:
Normal, right? And this is here in the provinces! I wonder what the cost is in regional and capital cities?
An alternative to a long screw drill is a feather drill, the condition of suitability is that you buy an extension cord, one is missing, you take two, luckily connecting them together is as easy as shelling pears. That's exactly what I did, I already had one extension cord.
As a result, I received the required tool at a reasonable price, but you can’t explain to the customer that the tool is expensive; to put it mildly, he’s not interested. Visibility is only two half-inch tubes installed, but how you did it is your problem. The point is that an identical order, as I wrote above, will probably go through in the next five-year period, and the instrument will lie idle.
1. from the side of the attached room, using a hammer drill with a 12 mm drill, I drilled through the plaster and block;
2. widened the hole with a 25 mm drill;
3. drilled the sleeper with a 25 mm feather drill;
4. then, again installing a long thin drill, I drilled through the plaster at the exit;
5. with a 25 mm drill, on the other hand, I expanded the diameter towards.
In order to (one-time, or not one-time) drill concrete wall, say a meter thick, and a diameter of 32, it is not necessary to buy an expensive drill, but you will need one meter of millimeters 12÷16 in diameter. The second in increasing order may be 25, but already half a meter long, and the next passage is thirty-second, but again half a meter long, you drill them towards them. This is how I, for example, convey the idea in an accessible way, with variations depending on the occasion.
And one more thing: with feather drills, the option of gradually increasing the diameter does not work, you drill immediately with a wide feather, the price for them is a pittance in comparison with drills, and I have never seen wooden walls of great thickness.
When installing pipes, in addition to water supply, I also install sewerage if necessary. It’s no secret that the diameter of the pipes here is larger, from 40 to 150 millimeters; I don’t have a drilling rig with diamond bits, so I fulfill orders using the same hammer drill.
I proceed as follows: I mark a circle of the required diameter on the wall, drill holes along its perimeter with a thin long drill, then, using the same principle that I highlighted above, I expand the diameter of each hole to the maximum available in the arsenal. Then, replacing the drill with a spatula and switching the hammer drill mode to chiselling, I get rid of everything unnecessary. So... I agree the work is not pleasant, but this is just one of the disadvantages during installation. It should be borne in mind that this process is relevant for a small wall thickness, say a maximum of 300 millimeters, but for a much larger thickness you present the customer with a fact: ordering a drilling rig is a device, as noted above, using bits with diamond tips. The operation is not cheap, but with all the “breadth” of choice... the customer pays, then we come in with the installation.
Let’s say you carry out the first step yourself: you drill a concrete wall, trying to get a hole with a diameter of 140 millimeters, and you have a “surprise” in the form of reinforcement (usually in the walls panel houses).. You can’t take it with a drill, electric arc welding can help, in the absence of a grinder, which is problematic to use, access is difficult, you have to puff, creating access... in short, I don’t advise you to bother.
Exit: cut by welding or gas cutting. There's no such thing? Find it! As in that saying: “It’s better to lose a day, but then fly in five minutes!”
Questions, additions: in the comments column, but that’s all I have for today, with respect
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