Before the bit turns
Mark the centre
WEN marks a hole with a centre punch, a sharp nail or its laser.
Choose the bit for the hole
A visible hole wants a brad point; a flat-bottomed or overlapping one a Forstner; a large one through framing a spade, auger or self-feed bit, in a drill. The guide to wood drill bits explains each, and the types chart sets them out; the size chart converts the diameter.
Clamp the work and back it
Clamp the work to the bench or table, and put scrap under it where the bit will come out. Every manual reviewed says to back a through hole: WEN, JET and Powermatic for the drill press, DEWALT for thin material under a drill.
Line up before starting
Lower the bit to the mark with the power off and line its tip up with it, then clamp, as WEN describes. A brad point's centering tip and a Forstner's spur both locate on the mark; Diablo says its spur resists walking.
Feeding and clearing chips
Feed with only enough force to let the bit cut. Powermatic, WEN and JET all give the same two failures: too slow and the bit rubs and burns the wood; too fast and the motor slows or stalls, belts slip, the work can break loose, or the bit breaks. With a hand-held drill, DEWALT adds that the pressure must stay in a straight line with the bit, enough to keep it biting but not enough to stall the motor or deflect the bit.
Chips that stay in the hole cause heat. WEN's troubleshooting table lists chips not coming out as one cause of a burning bit, and the remedy is to retract the bit often to clear them. When withdrawing, DEWALT says to keep the motor running, which helps prevent jamming.
Through holes and the exit
Tear-out happens where the bit leaves the wood, because the last fibres have nothing behind them. Two habits deal with it. The backing board supports those fibres; WEN, JET and Powermatic all call for one under the work on the drill press. And the feed eases off at the end: WEN says to feed slowly just as the bit is about to cut through the back, and DEWALT to reduce pressure and ease the bit through the last part of the hole. Where layout allows marks on both faces, a hole can also be started from each side to meet in the middle, so neither face is an exit — the marks must line up for the two halves to meet.
Stopped holes and depth
A stopped hole ends inside the wood and never has an exit. On a drill press, set the depth stop: Powermatic measures from the bit's tip to the work, adds the depth wanted, and sets the stop nut to that mark; WEN brings the bit down to a line drawn on the side of the work and sets the stop there. Either way, check on scrap before drilling the part. With a hand-held drill there is no stop on the tool; mark the depth on the bit, and stop at the mark.
Large holes
- Flat-bottomed or overlapping: a Forstner bit, which Freud describes as guided by its outside rim and able to bore overlapping and pocket holes. Clamp the work, as every manual reviewed asks.
- Through thinner stock: a hole saw on an arbor, centred by the arbor's pilot bit, as Milwaukee's arbor provides.
- Through framing, repeated: a spade, auger or self-feed bit in a drill, each listed by its maker for drills. WEN says not to use auger bits in its drill press.
- Speed: larger bits turn slower. The only figures for wood in the manuals reviewed are WEN's, for its own press; see the drill press guide.
When a hole goes wrong
| What happens | Causes WEN lists | Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| The bit burns or smokes | Wrong speed; chips not clearing; dull bit; feeding too slowly | Change the speed; retract often; resharpen or replace the bit; feed fast enough to cut |
| The hole is not round, or the bit wobbles | Bent bit; bit badly installed; worn spindle bearings; chuck not properly installed | Replace the bit; reinstall it; have the bearings replaced; reinstall the chuck |
| The bit binds | The work pinching the bit; too much feed pressure | Support or clamp the work; feed more slowly |
| Splinters at the exit | No support behind the last fibres | Backing board; slow feed at breakthrough |
The first three rows are WEN's troubleshooting table for its drill press; the last follows WEN's, JET's, Powermatic's and DEWALT's instructions on backing and breakthrough.
For every hole
- Centre marked and the bit lined up with the power off
- Work clamped, scrap behind a through hole
- Depth set for a stopped hole
- Feed firm enough to cut, slower at the exit
- Bit withdrawn often to clear chips, motor running
- Bit sharp and straight
Sources
Each step follows the named manual or maker; where the drill press manuals and the drill manual give the same advice, all are cited. Bit sharpening is not covered, because no maker's sharpening instructions were reviewed. Reversing a bit's rotation is not recommended anywhere here. No tool was tested.
- 1.
Model 4214 12-inch Variable Speed Drill Press manual (2015), as hosted by a retailer. WEN Products, 2015.
Used for: Marking the hole with a centre punch, a sharp nail or the laser and lining the bit up with the mark before switching on; backup material to prevent splintering where the bit breaks through; feeding slowly as the bit is about to cut through; the depth scale and workpiece methods for blind holes; feeding with only enough force, too fast stalling or breaking, too slow burning; troubleshooting burning (wrong speed, chips not clearing, dull bit, slow feed: retract the bit often to clear chips), a hole that is not round (bent or badly installed bit, worn bearings, chuck not seated) and binding (work pinching the bit, too much feed pressure); a drill press vise for small work.
- 2.
Operating Instructions and Parts Manual, 18-inch Variable Speed Drill Press, Model PM2800B (Rev. E1, 04/2019), as hosted by Purdue University. Powermatic, 2019.
Used for: Scrap below the work for clean, splinter-free holes; feed with only enough force for the bit to work, too slow burning and too fast slowing the motor or breaking the bit; the depth stop set from the bit tip; sharp bits and proper feed for best results; clamps or hold-downs.
- 3.
Operator's Manual, JDP-14J/14M/17M/14JF/14MF/17MF Drill Press, as hosted by UC San Diego. JET Equipment & Tools.
Used for: A backing piece that protects the bit and table and prevents splintering; feed with only enough force; work clamped or in a vise.
- 4.
DCD777 Cordless Drill/Driver instruction manual (English). DEWALT.
Used for: A wood backup block for thin material; sharp bits; pressure in a straight line with the bit, enough to keep it biting without stalling or deflecting it; easing the bit through the last part of the hole; keeping the motor running while pulling the bit out, to prevent jamming.
- 5.
Brad Point Drill Bits. Bosch.
Used for: A brad-point bit's centering tip for exact positioning and accurate starts, and wide flutes for chip removal.
- 6.
PB-100 Forstner Bit Set and carbide Forstner bits. Freud.
Used for: Forstner bits located by a centre spur and guided by the outer rim, for flat-bottomed, pocket and overlapping holes.
- 7.
FB-007 High-Speed Steel Forstner Bit. Diablo (Freud).
Used for: Forstner bits whose spur resists walking on the material.
- 8.
HOLE DOZER Small Arbor with Cobalt Pilot Bit (49-56-7110). Milwaukee Tool.
Used for: A pilot bit in the hole saw arbor that centres the saw.
About this tutorial
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