closed for business
Invalid Declaration
Registered: 02/17/07
Posts: 7305
Loc: South of Columbus OH
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Working on my bench and I'm starting to think about drilling dog holes. First plan was to us roller stands and my drill press to move the top around. The top is in the 200# neighborhood so I'm thinking that might be rough. Would drilling a hole through a chunk of wood be enough to make accurate holes with a hand drill? I'm thinking making a block that holds half or three quarters of my 3/4 frowned bit but is open enough on one side or corner that I can see to line it up accurately.
Holdfasts. I blacksmith a bit and think it'd be neat to try and make my own old fasts. I've been researching that and it looks like a slight negative angle is ideal. With 3/4 holes, should I use 3/4 round stock or kick it down to maybe 5/8 or 11/16ths?
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My Day Job
Good spin, but I didn't conveniently ignore anything. I addressed what I chose to address. ~CharlieD 9/15/11
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Gregory of Sherwood Forest
Honored Veteran
Registered: 10/16/07
Posts: 10124
Loc: Fallen UP the stairs 4/2013
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Many folks use a router to drill out as far as the bit will reach, and then finish with a brace and bit.
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" The founding fathers weren't trying to protect citizens' rights to have an interesting hobby." I Learn Each Day 1/18/13
www.RUSTHUNTER.com
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closed for business
Invalid Declaration
Registered: 02/17/07
Posts: 7305
Loc: South of Columbus OH
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Interesting.. I bought a few router bits that are 4" or so long... Anymore information on how they get good holes with a router? Guide template and a top bearing? That's all I can think of. Drill a 3/4" hole in mdf and then use a top bearing to ride on the mdf and then progressively plunge deeper.
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My Day Job
Good spin, but I didn't conveniently ignore anything. I addressed what I chose to address. ~CharlieD 9/15/11
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LLaRoque
Member
Registered: 01/24/03
Posts: 117
Loc: Lorena, TX
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I used a 3/4" augur bit and "eyeballed" the vertical angle. The human eye is pretty accurate. I don't remember the exact size of my Gramercy hold-fast, but 11/16" sounds about right you don't want them to be too snug in the hole as the canter in the hole is what snugs the hold-fast down.
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Larry LaRoque
I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken
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Gregory of Sherwood Forest
Honored Veteran
Registered: 10/16/07
Posts: 10124
Loc: Fallen UP the stairs 4/2013
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Just a plunge router and plunge bit. Clamp it in place and plunge. It gives you a perfect vertical hole with clean walls.
Some folks even get a bit extender to allow them to use the router to get as deep as possible. I haven't tried one of those as the brace and bit can finish the job very well once you get a good vertical start from the router.
As has been said, just using a sharp bit and brace - preferably with a guide block that you drilled vertical on your drill press to get started- can give good results as well.
.
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" The founding fathers weren't trying to protect citizens' rights to have an interesting hobby." I Learn Each Day 1/18/13
www.RUSTHUNTER.com
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AHill
Honored Veteran
Registered: 01/16/06
Posts: 5148
Loc: Antelope Valley, California
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+1. That's what I did and I have zero problems with my holdfasts. I really didn't care about tearout on the bottom side and I didn't get much anyway.
LLaRoque said:
I used a 3/4" augur bit and "eyeballed" the vertical angle. The human eye is pretty accurate. I don't remember the exact size of my Gramercy hold-fast, but 11/16" sounds about right you don't want them to be too snug in the hole as the canter in the hole is what snugs the hold-fast down.
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Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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Jason_D
Member
Registered: 12/27/10
Posts: 487
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LLaRoque said:
I used a 3/4" augur bit and "eyeballed" the vertical angle. The human eye is pretty accurate. I don't remember the exact size of my Gramercy hold-fast, but 11/16" sounds about right you don't want them to be too snug in the hole as the canter in the hole is what snugs the hold-fast down.
Same here. Drilled them out with a brace by eye with no problems.
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My dovetailed tool cabinet, Custom coffee table
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Carl Grover
Neander heretic
Registered: 07/07/03
Posts: 3998
Loc: North Alabama
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I found a portable "drill press" at a yard sale for just this purpose. You clamp an electric drill in it and set it on the bench.
A plunge router would be just as easy though.
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... The garbage bag just gives it class.
Carl
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Window Guy
Honored Veteran
Registered: 06/03/01
Posts: 10240
Loc: St. Cloud,Fl., USA
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I am going to use a Brace and Bit and measure where my holes will be then tack 1 X 3 on the bottom to eliminate any blowout and keep me from having to flip the top.
Steve
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Bibliophile 13
Moderator
Registered: 09/08/06
Posts: 7077
Loc: South Alabama
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My benchtop is pine layered over ply, so I used a brace and bit to start the holes and then a spade bit to finish them because I didn't feel like dulling my good bits in dirty ol' plywood. It worked fine.
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Steve S.
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Tradition cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour.
- T. S. Eliot
Tutorials and Build-Alongs at The Literary Workshop
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Blacky's Boy
Moderator
Registered: 06/17/07
Posts: 8970
Loc: Buck's County PA USA
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Carl Grover said:
I found a portable "drill press" at a yard sale for just this purpose. You clamp an electric drill in it and set it on the bench.
Same here. Except I got mine when Wood Workers Warehouse went belly up.  
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See ya around,
Dominic
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Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak
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JGrout
member
Registered: 08/04/02
Posts: 23281
Loc: Axial CO
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I would not suggest you use those long bits as your starting router bit, The way I do it:
drill a hole in a board big enough to clamp to the bench. Calmp the board to the bench and drill a rough hole with a spade bit, I would suggest about 5/8" diameter.
Using a router next use a shorter bit no longer than 1 1/2" with a top bearing and plunge into the hole so the bearing is in contact with your hole in the jig. start router and trim hole to the proper size as deep as the bit will allow.
Remove the jig board reintroduce the router bit in the holle and deepen it again as far as the bit will allow.
Now either use a brace to complete the holes or you can try the longer (4") router bit to finish up.
If you try to use the long bit the amount of material left in the bench top will strain the router possibly forcing the bit to begin vibrating and the holes will either be very rough or terribly out of round neither of which you want.
Edit to add: instead of a bearing guided router bit I really prefer a bushing guided router bit. It really does simplify the entire process
Joe
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Edited by JGrout (08/01/12 09:44 AM)
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Rob Young
Member
Registered: 10/02/09
Posts: 754
Loc: Lawrence, KS
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Gregory of Sherwood Forest said:
Just a plunge router and plunge bit. Clamp it in place and plunge. It gives you a perfect vertical hole with clean walls.
Some folks even get a bit extender to allow them to use the router to get as deep as possible. I haven't tried one of those as the brace and bit can finish the job very well once you get a good vertical start from the router.
As has been said, just using a sharp bit and brace - preferably with a guide block that you drilled vertical on your drill press to get started- can give good results as well.
.
Benchtop I recently finished at the KCWG is nearly 4" thick. Bought a couple of 3/4" down-spiral, face cutting milling bits (cheaper than router bits) with their shanks turned down to 1/2". Marked out their positions on the edge of the top and using a 1-1/2 HP router with edge guide and plunge base, routed as deep as I could before finishing with a brace and bit.
A few things about this set up:
1) Make sure all the things that can be tightened and secure on your router are both tight and secure.
2) Clamp the edge guide in place to the benchtop before starting the plunge.
3) Make some marks on your router base to indicate how you are going to square up to your marks.
4) Be patient and clear the chips frequently. Even with what amounts to a pretty light-duty router I was able to do this no problem.
5) When you go back with the brace and bit, SHARPEN THE BIT. Learn how to sharpen an auger bit properly and they work a treat.
6) If you can manage a larger sweep brace, do so.
7) Don't blow out the back side, stop when the threads poke through. Then get some help to flip the benchtop over and finish from the backside.
Having said all of that, this particular benchop is too thick to work properly with the holdfasts I have on hand (made by Junior Strasil) & 3/4" holes. On my bench at home, only slightly thinner, I found I had to counter bore the holes from the underside to make the effective thickness in the doghole less. I still need to flip the Douglas Fir monster over and do this. Your mileage may vary. Holdfasts like the ones from Lee Valley that have a split shaft wedge & screw mechanism won't have a problem with a thick top.
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Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things. -- G. Carlin
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EdL
Slow Day
Registered: 07/08/05
Posts: 3567
Loc: Mi.
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Heres how I did mine.
When I drilled the holes in the leg, I used a Forstner bit, went as deep as it would go, then switched over to a 3/4 diameter taper length drill to finish.
Ed
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Admiral
Member
Registered: 06/26/07
Posts: 6682
Loc: NJ
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Sometimes a brace and bit make the most sense. If you've got a 12" sweep brace, its a bit easier, more torque.
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Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
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jossimbyr
Psychic. Or was that Psychotic?
Registered: 03/22/11
Posts: 397
Loc: Troy, AL
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EdL said:
Heres how I did mine.
When I drilled the holes in the leg, I used a Forstner bit, went as deep as it would go, then switched over to a 3/4 diameter taper length drill to finish.
Ed
Haha. That's a manly tool right there. And the SpeedBor bit you've got chucked in there is one awesomely aggressive little bit. I bought a set several years ago when building my house and have used them on occasion. Unfortunately, I always forget how well they bite, so I end up smashing my hand into nearby objects when I over-torque it on the initial trigger pull. 
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sylvius
Member
Registered: 02/03/08
Posts: 891
Loc: Philly, PA
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Rob Young said:
Bought a couple of 3/4" down-spiral, face cutting milling bits (cheaper than router bits) with their shanks turned down to 1/2".
Where would you get such a bit, or did you turn down the shanks yourself (I don't have any tooling to do that)?
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Rob Young
Member
Registered: 10/02/09
Posts: 754
Loc: Lawrence, KS
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sylvius said:
Rob Young said:
Bought a couple of 3/4" down-spiral, face cutting milling bits (cheaper than router bits) with their shanks turned down to 1/2".
Where would you get such a bit, or did you turn down the shanks yourself (I don't have any tooling to do that)?
McMaster-Carr, Enco, etc.
The ones I bought are high speed steel or the like and NOT carbide. It would take me a while to find the link again but I think they were much less than $20 each. The shanks were already at 1/2"
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Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things. -- G. Carlin
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