Wood drills: types, design features and applications

General tips for drilling wood

Wood is a relatively soft material that can be easily processed. Of course, there are hard varieties, and there are also exotic ones, which in their properties are not inferior to every metal, but still in Russia most often you have to work with fairly soft varieties. On the one hand, working with soft wood is easy, but on the other hand, you need to follow some rules.

• Before starting work, it is worth applying markings, especially if several holes are needed. The center of the hole is marked with a regular pencil, after which many make a recess there with an awl or a nail. This is necessary so that the drill does not move to the side at the very beginning of work. If the drill has a centering sharp tip, then you can do without it.
• If you have to work with a separate piece of wood, then it must be securely fastened. The ideal option is to use a vice; if you don’t have one, you can simply press it firmly against the wall. Working without fixing it would not be the best idea, since the hole may turn out to be of poor quality, and the wooden part itself may begin to rotate.
• If you need to make a through hole, then you need to place a piece of wood under the wooden part, which will prevent damage to the surface on which the drilling takes place. Surprisingly, many people forget about this. By the way, this will also prevent the fibers from breaking on the bottom of the workpiece (where the exit hole will be).
• For each type of drill (as well as diameter) there are recommendations for the maximum permissible speed. You definitely shouldn’t exceed them, and it’s even better to drill with a small margin, at slower speeds. What are the consequences of high revs? It's simple: chips and cracks. And if you need to make a large hole, then it would be correct to first use a drill of a smaller diameter, and then a larger one.
• Always select drills that are suitable for your task, especially when large diameter holes are needed. And when using very large diameter crowns, they often use an additional blank with an already drilled through hole, which will not allow the drill to go to the side (it is placed on top and the existing and future holes are combined, like a stencil).
• When drilling blind holes, the most important problem is depth. There are types of drills that have limiters in their design, but if they are not there, you can get by with marks that are attached to the drill. You don’t need to buy anything: rubber rings, adhesive tape or electrical tape will do.
• Do not allow the accumulation of chips and especially sawdust, this reduces work productivity and is fraught with jamming of the drill. This is true even when using screw drills, which, in theory, should remove chips, but this does not always happen.

Follow these simple recommendations and you won’t have any difficulties drilling wood. This process requires only accuracy, slowness and the right approach.

Drill bits for tiles and glass

It is extremely difficult to work with such materials - they are easily damaged. For example, ceramics and glass crack when the drill is misaligned or overheated. Therefore, only two types of drills are used for them: crowns and feathers. Crowns can have a diameter from 13 to 80 mm and, as a rule, are coated with diamond dust.

Feather drills. They are an ordinary metal rod with a sharp spear at the end (usually made of pobedit). They allow you to make holes with a diameter of 3 to 13 mm - ideal for dowels.

But keep in mind that after you have gone through the tiles, it is worth changing the drill. Otherwise, you will simply dull it on the concrete and get a crack in the tile the next time you use it.

How can I make a hole in chipboard?

Hole in chipboard.

1. Small diameter holes from 2 to 12 millimeters are best drilled with ordinary wood drills.
2. Holes of average diameter from 10 to 50 millimeters are made with special drills, such as a feather drill or a Forstner drill.

21 Jan
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What is a wood ballerina

A circular adjustable ballerina drill is a device that is designed for drilling round holes of large diameter. The tool has a 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.

Features of working with the tool

The principle of working with a circular drill is simple. 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 a drilling machine, such problems do not 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 eliminate unnecessary effort during operation and extend the life of the tool.

Techniques for drilling holes in wood

Countersink hole for screw head

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, spoiling its appearance. To successfully cope with this task, feather drills and annular cutters are used.

Drilling with feather drills

For successful drilling with feather drills, secure the wood firmly in a vice and press the tip of the drill bit against 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.

Drilling with an annular cutter

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 the 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) to ensure that the exit hole does not have chips, place it under wooden part with an 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 at the limit location with bright electrical tape or masking tape.

How to drill a long hole in wood - All about timber and woodworking

One of the most popular jobs during construction and any renovation is wood drilling. However, every year it becomes more and more difficult to find high quality wood drill sets. That is why it is worth figuring out in advance how to choose the right tool.

Drill classification

Today, there is more than one classification of this tool that cuts almost any surface.

Depending on the design of its working part, we can distinguish: spiral types of drills for wood, centering ones, as well as flat and even drills with exclusively one-sided cutting, and used only for deep drilling.

If you look at photos of wood drills, paying attention specifically to the design of their tail part, you can distinguish the following types:

• conical;
• cylindrical;
• 3,4,6-sided;
• SDS drills.

Also, all tools can be divided into several groups, based on the type of material they can process. So, these are long wood drills, as well as drills for hard concrete, glass, high quality metal, stone and ceramics, as well as universal tools.

Important points when choosing a tool

The basic rule when choosing any drill is that its structure must be significantly harder than the structure of the material used for processing. For example, if you have to drill plastic or drywall with wood, then the simplest drill made of high strength steel will do. In this case, the size of the drills will not affect anything.

But if you have to drill into a material such as brick or stone, then during the work you will have to turn to a carbide drill, whose tips are distinguished by plates made of alloys that are much harder than any other material.

When choosing a drill, you should also pay attention to the appropriate type of work being performed. The actual dimensions of the tool are also significantly influenced by the mass of the surface for subsequent processing. As it becomes longer and much thicker, you will have to purchase the drill itself.

At home, various drills are mainly used, the diameter of which is no more than 12 mm. If you need to secure curtains for future curtains, even a drill with a diameter of no more than 8 mm will work perfectly.

But to secure the toilet, you will need a drill with a diameter of about 10 mm. Accordingly, the more specific the job, the greater the likelihood that a non-standard drill size will be needed.

When purchasing a drill, you should also pay attention to the functionality of the tool. This can be done by simply trying to drill a small hole in the plastic/wood.

You can do this with any mechanical drill, but using an electric drill or even a screwdriver will make your work much easier.

These tools can become indispensable assistants for you if you need to drill metal/stone surfaces. But, if you have to drill even a small hole in concrete, then it is advisable to turn to a hammer drill.

When choosing a drill, it’s a good idea to pay attention, including its appearance. A high quality instrument will not have scratches, even small chips or various defects.

Working with drills and sharpening them

When working with drills, there are a number of quite important points that it is advisable to pay attention to. First of all, they relate to the careful use of tools and compliance with safety precautions.

First, before starting drilling, you need to make sure that the body of the material in the future hole does not contain any foreign inclusions, such as staples or nails. Otherwise, this may be the main reason for the tool being pulled out of your hands.

Secondly, if it so happens that you need to drill, for example, wood with a tool designed for metal, then sharpening the drill with your own hands should be done as close as possible to the horizontal scan and only at an angle.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that if you follow all the rules for working with drills, then their service life will not make you upset, and the ability to sharpen and restore them yourself will significantly allow you to save on their purchase.

Photo of wood drills

Tips for choosing

An instrument of any form has its own criteria and must meet them. You can determine the quality of the instrument you are purchasing by its appearance, color, and also by the material from which it is made.

• Material. It is impossible to visually determine the quality of the material. Therefore, before purchasing, you need to make sure that the product has a quality certificate. Chinese counterfeits are often sold without documents.
• Appearance. A high-quality product has a flat, smooth surface. Various cracks, scratches and damage are defective. The cutting area must be carefully sharpened. Long drills must be straight. It is very easy to check their quality; just roll them on a flat surface. All irregularities will be immediately visible.
• Color. To ensure that the tool has additional strength, it is manufactured using a special technology. You can find out which processing method was used by the color of the product. The steel color indicates that no additional processing was carried out. The yellow-gold spraying relieves metallic stress. A product treated with titanium nitride (a tool with a bright gold color) will have a long service life. The black drill has increased strength. Steam was used to process it.
• Package. Products from well-known manufacturers have good, high-quality packaging. All fakes are poorly packaged, and the text is sometimes written with errors.
• Price. The higher the price, the better the quality of the product. All budget tools have a short service life.

Caring about their reputation, well-known stores will not sell counterfeits. And no matter what kind of tool you buy, in order for it to be of high quality and last a long time, you should contact reliable and trusted suppliers.

For high-quality performance of even such a simple procedure as drilling holes in wood products, the correct mode and the appropriate tool are required. When choosing a wood drill, you should take into account the characteristics of both the material being processed and the hole that needs to be made. The modern market offers a wide variety of drills designed for making holes in wood, so choosing a tool to solve certain technological problems will not be any particular problem.

Drilling holes for socket boxes with a core drill in wood

Criteria for choosing a quality option

Below we will look at the main types of devices for cutting holes in wood, but for now we will outline the criteria that any option must meet, regardless of its modification:

Advice! To be guaranteed to purchase a quality product, be it an electric jigsaw for wood or a circular saw, you need to contact official representatives of a particular brand or buy products from well-known stores that care about their reputation and do not sell cheap fakes.

Cheap core drill sets are so unreliable that they may only last for a single use

Read also: Tool for setting saws on wood

Main types

The main parameter, depending on which wood drills are divided into different types, is the design of the working part. Based on this feature, wood drilling tools may fall into one of the following categories.

Drills of this type are used to make holes of medium diameter in wood - up to 25 mm. It is advisable to use such a tool in cases where the requirements for the accuracy of geometric parameters, as well as for the quality of the holes, are not too strict. Among the most significant advantages of pen drills, low cost and ease of maintenance should be noted.

Feather drills are considered the most affordable

Core type tools are designed for drilling large diameter holes. In terms of their design, wood crowns resemble a metal glass with a shank, the working end of which has cutting teeth. When such a drill rotates, its cutting teeth, interacting with the workpiece, cut out a circle of the required diameter on its surface.

Set of wood crowns

Spiral wood drills are also called screw drills. Their working part resembles a screw. They are used for drilling small diameter holes in wood. Due to the special design of screw-type drills, chips are effectively removed from the processing area when used. The twist drill also ensures high precision and extremely high quality machining.

Spiral wood drill with scoring bits

These are tools with the help of which, in products made of wood, they create not through, but blind holes with a perfectly flat bottom. In addition, if you use such a wood drill with additional accessories, you can drill a square hole in a wooden product.

There are many modifications of the Forstner drill available.

With the help of such tools, it is possible not only to drill wood, but also to make grooves of various configurations in wood products. Drills of this type are most often used in cases where it is necessary to perform complex processing of wooden parts, and in order to drill a regular hole, a twist drill, a feather or a core tool is used.

Milling drills are designed for drilling a round hole and then boring it to the desired shape. Used when working with wood and thin metal

The shank of drills designed for woodworking is usually cylindrical, but manufacturers also produce them with shanks of other configurations. So, on the modern market you can buy drills for woodworking, the shanks of which can be:

• triangular, optimally suited for fixation in a three-jaw chuck (tools with a triangular shank are ideally transmitted torque, and even very significant loads are not able to turn it in the chuck);
• hexagonal (tools with such shanks can be installed in both a standard and a three-jaw chuck, but there is a very high risk of the drill turning when subjected to heavy loads);
• conical (tools with shanks of this type are used primarily to equip production equipment);
• tetrahedral (a rarely used form of shanks, which, however, ensures high stability of the tool against rotation in the chuck).

Types of wood drills

Depending on the design features, types of wood drills are divided into several categories. The classification is as follows:

• spiral;
• screw;
• feathers;
• Forstner drills;
• crowns;
• milling;
• cork;
• combined;
• countersink.

They are selected depending on the thickness of the material being processed, the diameter and depth of the hole, and the type of shank in the tool.

How to drill a large hole in wood or metal

Attention is drawn to the color of the drill, which changes with different heat treatment technologies:

• Black. In order to increase strength, steam treatment was used.
• Yellow-gold. Treatment was carried out in order to remove surface stresses from the metal.
• Bright gold. Using heat treatment, the surface layer was saturated with titanium nitride.
• Grey. The surface was not sprayed.

Feather devices

The feather one has a central part made in the shape of a feather. 2 incisors diverge in both directions. On the other side there is a hexagonal tip. The operating rules are as follows:

• Before starting work, use a core to mark the drilling location.
• The equipment used is an electric drill. The number of revolutions is set depending on the diameter of the drill. The larger it is, the lower the revolutions.
• When drilling a deep hole, an extension is used, which is attached to the drill with a lock.
• At the first stage, the contour of the hole is outlined. To do this, the feather part is positioned perpendicular to the surface and pressure is applied with little force.
• Chips are not removed from the groove on their own, so work must be stopped from time to time to remove them.

The tool is the easiest to maintain. Its sharpening is carried out according to the sample. The main thing is to sharpen the central part exactly in the axis. A slight displacement will cause the drill to move to the side.

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Milling drills

Using milling drills, you can not only drill holes, but also make grooves. Therefore, they are used in complex machining of parts. The design of the drill consists of a shank and a working part, which is immediately sharpened for the required operation.

The tail section comes in different configurations:

• Triangular. Suitable for three jaw chuck. The shank does not rotate even with high torques.
• Hexagonal. Installation is carried out both in a three-jaw chuck and in a standard one. There is a risk of twisting.
• Conical. For use in production only.
• Tetrahedral. They are rarely used, although there is no turning effect in the cartridge.

Drills for concrete and blocks

Their main difference is the soldering of hard metals on the pointed surface of the drill: Pobedit or artificial diamond.

Drills for concrete are also different:

• spiral - suitable for making shallow holes (up to 100 mm), they are the most popular;
• drilling - similar to spiral, but usually with longer and wider grooves for dust to escape;
• crown - used when it is necessary to make a recess or hole of large diameter in concrete for a socket or junction box.

The same drills are also suitable for blocks, but when working with soft materials it is not recommended to use the impact mode (usually it is not needed).

Color matters

Even by the appearance of the drill, you can determine its properties and qualities.

• The gray color indicates that this is an ordinary simple drill, without any additional processing.
• Cherny reports that the drill has been treated with hot steam and has increased wear resistance.
• Yellow means that the drill has been quenched and tempered (a procedure to relieve internal stress). Such products are even more wear-resistant, but are afraid of overheating.
• A bright golden color is usually characteristic of drills treated with titanium nitride, which reduces contact friction in the drilling area and perfectly hardens the surface of the tool.

Tool functionality

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:

• from 30 to 120 mm;
• from 40 to 200 mm;
• from 40 to 300 mm;
• from 40 to 400 mm.

The maximum drilling diameter is limited by the rod on which the cutters are mounted. The minimum is the thickness of the shank.

A ballerina drill can be used in any places where using a jigsaw or a hand router would be inconvenient. For example, this may be assembled and installed furniture, in the part of which it is necessary to drill a neat hole, given the limited space. Another example is an uneven (concave or curved) 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.

Areas of use and design features

As mentioned above, in order to drill a quality piece of wood, it is very important to choose the right drill bit. When making this choice, it is necessary to take into account both the characteristics of the material being processed (in particular, its hardness) and the type of hole that needs to be made. That is why it is very important for home craftsmen and specialists whose work involves processing wooden blanks to understand both the types and functionality of wood drills.

Twist (screw) drills

A twist or screw drill can be produced with two types of working tips: conical and with special scoring tips. If we compare both types according to the degree of their effectiveness, then it is almost at the same level. However, they differ in the load taken by the tool during wood processing. Thus, in the design of the working head of a drill with a scoring tool, there is a jumper, which causes significant loads to be transmitted to the entire body of the tool. Drills with a conical working head do not have this drawback, which, in addition, are much better centered on the surface of the workpiece. The conical head immediately enters the material, and the drill does not move to the side. Meanwhile, spiral drills with scoring tools, due to their design features, allow you to create holes in wood with higher precision.

Design of a twist drill for wood

Drilling wood using a spiral tool allows you to get precise and neat holes with straight edges and a smooth surface on the inner walls. Tools of this type can be used for drilling wood of any species and almost any hardness, as well as materials made on its basis (chipboard, MDF, plywood, etc.). If the drill is driven into the material being processed at a low speed, there will be no need to frequently remove the tool from the hole being created to remove accumulated chips.

Purpose and application features

The main and only purpose of this special tool is to cut neat round holes with a diameter of up to 300 mm. The materials subjected to processing are different - wood, plywood, chipboard, MDF, fibreboard, plastic panels, plasterboard. There is a similar tool for cutting holes in ceramic tiles and similar hard materials. All of them have one thing in common - the thickness of the slab should not be too large. The accompanying documents with which the ballerina wood drill is sold most often indicate a maximum material thickness of about 15 mm.

Experts note that a peculiarity of the use of ballerinas with one cutter is quite high beats due to the asymmetry of the design and a noticeable lever that counteracts rotation. Therefore, such devices are used, as a rule, in stationary drilling machines. This not only reduces the risk of the workpiece being torn off, but also saves the worker’s hands.

How to choose and what to pay attention to

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 a very important point: a wood ballerina 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 would not be superfluous to be able to replace 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 and high-quality cutting elements are 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.

Ballerina device

The design of this tool is simple; in the most common version, it is a bracket with a drill fixed along its axis of rotation. This center drill not only marks the center of the future large hole, but also provides support for stable rotation of the entire device. On two opposing arms of the bracket there are two carriages with cutters fixed in them. The bracket rod is specially marked, which allows you to install carriages with cutters with fairly high accuracy. Having spread the lateral incisors to the required distance, they are fixed on the bracket with clamping screws, after which work begins. It would be a good idea to check the spread of the cutting edges using a caliper.

In addition to this, there are several more modifications, in which there are one, two or even three incisors. They differ in the different design of the bracket - it can be a disk along which cutters move in special slots to adjust the diameter. Also, in the axis on which the ballerina rotates on wood, a hole is drilled, straight or at an angle, and a cutter is inserted through it, fixed with a locking screw. This also makes it possible to adjust the diameter of the resulting circle, and one cutter does a good job, especially if it is made of good steel and used correctly.

The shank of the central axis can be round or have a special shape for fixation in the SDS chuck. Quite often, knives of various shapes are used, capable of removing straight or rounded chamfers where necessary.

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Drill sharpening

Drill bits may become dull with frequent use. You can sharpen the tool yourself or contact a specialist. If you decide to do this yourself and do not have the skills, it is better to practice on an old instrument. When sharpening, the main thing is not to violate the desired geometry and adhere to a certain degree. Sharpening can be done manually or on an electric machine.

• Metal analogues of drills are made of softer metal. They can be sharpened manually using a file.
• Using an electric machine, the drill overheats greatly. This can be avoided by constantly dipping it in water. Or organize a stream of water pouring onto the tip of the drill.

How to drill a log or thick beam? Of course with a screw drill

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 analyzed the effectiveness of the Forstner drill, 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. Therefore, a home craftsman 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 a water pipe or a bundle of cables. And only a twist drill can cope with thick wood. Of course, nothing prevents you from trying to use a regular perk, however, as I already said, drilling with it is inconvenient and it is not a guarantee that you will be able to complete the job.

Here is a photo:

As you can see, the tip is made in the form of a thin thread, which helps to screw in the drill perfectly at the initial stage of 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 a regular home drill 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 it is necessary to drill a hole in a log house for a sewer pipe, etc.

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.

In construction and finishing works, drilling holes does not play a dominant, but quite noticeable role. And only at first glance it seems that drilling is simple - press the drill button and that’s it. Each material requires the selection of a suitable drill, the required speed and pressure on the drill, a method for cooling the drill and removing chips - all this is felt literally intuitively with experience. And our advice will help beginners.

First, let's determine whether the existing drill can handle the holes you want to drill. The determining parameter in this case is the power of the drill. An ordinary household drill with a power of 500-600 W can handle holes up to 10 mm in steel and up to 25 mm in wood. An impact drill of the same power can drill a hole up to 13 mm in concrete or brick. If your work requires more, then you need to choose a more powerful drill.

The choice of tool and drilling modes greatly depends on the material to be drilled and the diameter of the hole.

Drilling wood, plywood, fiberboard

Drilling chipboard and laminate

Drilling plastic and organic glass

Drilling brick and concrete

Drilling glass, porcelain and ceramic tiles

How to drill wood, plywood, fiberboard correctly?

Drilling small holes in soft materials does not pose any particular problems even for beginners. There is no need to press hard on the drill; the speed should be slightly higher than average - this will result in a cleaner hole. Too high speeds can cause the drill to become hot due to friction, and the wood will begin to burn. This is a good way to make fire, but the part will be ruined.

For holes up to 10mm in diameter, you can use regular metal twist drills. When drilling deep holes in wood, especially in resinous rocks, the drill must be removed more often (every 10-15 mm drilled) and the spiral grooves must be cleared of chips . This must be done carefully so as not to get burned on the hot end of the drill.

When drilling very small holes (up to 1.5-2 mm), any careless movement of the drill, the slightest misalignment will lead to breakage of the drill. Drills smaller than 1 mm can generally be broken by the weight of the drill by placing the drill at the drilling point. In order not to use such drills in batches, keep in mind that wood, fiberboard, and simple plywood can be drilled with a piece of paper clip or a nail . The end of the “tool” is bitten off with side cutters at an angle - and a passable drill is obtained. The drilling point needs to be pricked with an awl.

Special twist drills for wood at first glance resemble drills for metal, but their cutting part is sharpened differently (with a point in the center and edges), and the grooves are wider. This allows for cleaner holes and improves chip evacuation. The diameter of such drills is from 3 to 50 mm.

Large diameter drill bits often have a hex shank, which prevents the drill bit from twisting in the chuck. There are also extensions for the hex shank for drilling deep holes with regular short drills.

The rotation speed when drilling is selected based on the diameter of the drill and the hardness of the wood. Holes up to 15 mm can be drilled at 1400-1600 rpm, 15-25 mm - at 1000-1200 rpm, 25-50 mm - 500-600 rpm. For hard wood, the speed should be reduced by 1.5-2 times.

To drill holes from 10 to 60 mm in wood, feather drills are produced. Outwardly, they resemble a spatula with a point in the center.

Such pen drills of large diameters are much cheaper than twist drills, this is their main advantage. Drilling deep holes with feather drills is not very convenient. The drill does not throw out chips; it has to be removed and the hole cleaned manually. The rotation speed when drilling can be kept higher. For holes up to 25 mm - up to 2000 rpm, over 25 mm - 1500 rpm. For hard wood, the speed should be reduced by 1.5 times.

For drilling large and deep holes (for example, holes for wires and pipes in wooden support beams), use Lewis drills. This drill looks like a drill with a screw at the end.

A wide flute with a slight angle of inclination effectively removes chips. Lewis drills are produced with a diameter of 10 to 50 mm. Holes up to 15 mm are drilled at 1500 rpm, 15-25 mm - at 1000 rpm, 25-50 mm - 500 rpm. For hard wood, the speed is halved.

For special types of woodworking, Forstner drills, router bits, hole saws and hole saws are also used.

How to drill chipboard and laminate correctly

Drilling into particle boards and laminate is generally no different from drilling into wood. Some difficulty may arise due to the heterogeneity of the chipboard - this makes it difficult to start drilling exactly in the intended location. To avoid this, first prick the hole with an awl and drill it with a drill with a diameter of 2-3 mm. Then drill out with a drill of the required diameter.

Laminate flooring can be easily drilled using both conventional wood drills and crowns of any diameter. When drilling laminated chipboard for furniture, it is convenient to use a specialized tool. For example, holes for confirmations (special self-tapping screws for assembling furniture) are drilled with a special drill with three cutting parts. This allows you to simultaneously drill the attached part and make a pilot hole for the threaded part in the main part.

How to drill plastic and organic glass correctly

Plastic and organic glass (polycarbonate, plexiglass), unlike wood, have a homogeneous structure without fibers, but melt easily. In this case, the drill may get stuck and break .

Holes of small diameters (up to 10 mm) can be drilled with conventional metal drills at low speeds (up to 500 rpm) . It is advisable to “puncture” the drilling site with a hot nail. The drill needs to be brought out quite often and cooled in water.

The easiest way to drill holes of larger diameters or complex shapes is to drill along the contour with a 2-3 mm drill, saw through the jumpers with a jigsaw or hacksaw blade, and file the edges.

How to drill brick and concrete correctly?

You cannot drill concrete and brick with a regular metal drill. Or it will work out, but not for long. In this case, the material will play the role of a sharpening stone and simply dull the drill. Holes in brick and concrete are drilled (or rather, drilled) using an impact drill or hammer drill . These tools not only rotate the drill, but also strike it.

In impact drills the impact is mechanical. The parts of this mechanism wear out quickly, so hammer drilling for an impact drill is an auxiliary mode and it is better not to abuse it. In hammer drills, the impact is carried out by an electromagnetic or electro-pneumatic mechanism; it can work hundreds of times longer. And the impact energy of a hammer drill is much higher; with a good drill, a hammer drill can drill concrete no worse than solid wood.

Before drilling into a wall, be sure to check whether there are any water pipes, heating pipes or electrical wires in it. Everything is usually clear with pipes, but it is better to check the presence of electrical wiring with a special device or, in extreme cases, with a simple homemade hidden lead finder.

Drills with carbide tips are used for drilling brick and concrete . By tradition, they are often called “pobedite” drills, although other materials are increasingly being used to make tips, for example. Wolfram carbide.

Please note that drill bits for drills and perforators have different shanks. And if a drill (drill) for a hammer drill with an SDS-plus shank can still be somehow clamped into the drill chuck, then a hammer drill with a simple cylindrical shank will not turn.

When drilling brick or concrete with an impact drill, select medium speed. At high speeds, the drill will overheat and fail; at low speeds, drilling will be ineffective. You need to press very hard on the drill, because the impact energy depends on the force of pressure, and periodically remove the drill to cool.

When drilling with a hammer drill, the speed is quite low (800-1000 rpm) and there is no point in pressing hard on the tool - the impact energy is determined only by the mechanism of the hammer drill. It is enough that the drill does not bounce off the concrete upon impact (5-6 kg).

The holes for the dowels are made 10 mm deeper than the length of the dowel. This will save you any problems if there is some concrete or brick dust left in the hole.

How to drill glass, porcelain, ceramic tiles correctly?

Glass and porcelain are highly hard and brittle. An ordinary drill simply does not take these materials - it slides along the surface, and when drilling with an impact, the product splits. Therefore, drilling glass and porcelain is actually done by grinding using a special glass drill. In this case, the glass simply turns into fine glass dust.

A glass drill looks like a small sharpened spatula. The spatula is made of hard metal and may have one or two cutting edges.

There are also drills with two mutually perpendicular blades, reminiscent of a Phillips screwdriver. This drill has four cutting edges. Drills with more cutting edges are more expensive, but they also drill faster. The diameter of spatula drills for glass is from 3 to 12 mm. Holes of larger diameter (100 mm) are drilled with diamond tubular or sliding drills.

Drilling glass and porcelain is carried out at low speeds - up to 300 rpm, without impact , only clockwise. The use of cutting fluid is mandatory. The best results are obtained by using a solution of rosin in turpentine (1:2-1:3) or camphor in turpentine (3:4). You can also use silicate paper glue. In extreme cases, you can use pure turpentine and even water . To prevent the liquid from spreading, a plasticine rim is made around the drilling site. As the liquid becomes contaminated with glass dust (turbidity), replace it with fresh one.

To avoid chipping at the exit, the glass is drilled on both sides. First on one side - 0.7-0.8 thickness, then on the other. In order to drill a hole exactly in the designated place, you can mark the center of the hole with a diamond glass cutter.

Ceramic tiles are drilled using a glass drill . The most difficult thing is to start drilling exactly in the right place. Here, too, you can use a diamond glass cutter and mark a point on the glaze. Experienced craftsmen place the drill at the drilling point and press firmly on it. This is enough to destroy a small area of ​​glaze to fix the drill. When drilling tiles that are already fixed to the wall, it is important to stop in time and not start drilling into the wall material itself. This can ruin the drill very quickly. Therefore, after passing the tile, the drill is changed and drilling continues with a tool more suitable for the wall.

The hard glaze layer on ceramic tiles is thin enough to allow small holes to be drilled with carbide drill bits designed for brick and concrete. To do this, you need to use a new, well-sharpened drill. And here, too, the most important thing is to start drilling in the right place. The drill tries to slide to the side.

If you are not confident in the strength of your hands, then you can use a little trick - stick a piece of adhesive tape in the right place. If there are a lot of holes, then it is better to make a jig. To do this, drill a hole in a wooden block 40-50 mm thick for the drill rod. On one side, the hole is drilled out so that the carbide plate at the end of the drill fits into it. You can glue several pieces of thin rubber to the bottom of the block - this will prevent slipping.

In this case, you cannot do without an assistant. First, the drill is placed at the drilling point, the block is lowered, and an assistant holds it firmly in place. After this, drilling begins - slipping is excluded.

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The task is to drill a large hole in the tree. The solution is wood crowns.

I welcome all visitors to my website, where I talk about various types of tools, give advice and recommendations on choosing and working with one or another tool. Today we will look at a tool with which you can easily drill a large-diameter hole in thin wood, most often plywood, fiberboard and chipboard.

The tool is a hole saw for wood, most often sold in sets with different saw diameters. This is very convenient - I bought one such set and you can drill holes of any large diameter, of course, if the saws that come in the set are of the diameter you need. Photo of this set:

For use at home, the Stayer set is quite suitable; it is optimal in terms of price and quality, moderately expensive, and comes with many saws of various diameters. It is worth noting that there are several variations of diameters, there are more complete sets with a large number of crowns, the diameters start from the smallest to the very large.

The most popular and best-selling set is 19-127 mm, this set contains 12 hole saws for wood of various diameters, it can be said to be universal, since it is almost always possible to select a crown for the desired diameter. However, its cost is 480 rubles. If you take sets with fewer attachments, then it will cost less.

So, let's look at the pros and cons of such a tool.

First the pros))

• Versatility - the ability to choose a crown for almost any diameter.
• Convenient suitcase, everything is stored in one place.
• Quick drilling of fiberboard, chipboard, plywood.

Minuses:

• The cut is not clean, unlike the holes drilled with a forstner drill.
• Sometimes it is not possible to choose the right diameter, for example, for some spotlights.
• Drilling depth is only 30 mm. Of course, you can drill deeper, but you will have to knock out the wood every time when the crown rests on the tree, because it is not deep.

All in all, a hole saw is a must-have tool for the home. For example, I recently pulled a 110 mm pipe through a thin partition (double layer of chipboard with a 50 mm block between them). How to drill 110mm holes in plywood?

There are several options - you can use a jigsaw, using a thin file for a figured cut. It is quite possible to drill a round hole, but you still won’t get a perfect circle.

But take a set of circular saws, choose the diameter of the bit closest to 110 mm, assemble it and drill a smooth, beautiful hole in a few minutes.

Metal drills

Externally, these drills are the simplest, without carbide tips. Although there are also specialized ones. The list is something like this:

• spiral - an analogue of a concrete drill, only made of HSS, P18 or P6M5 steel;
• conical - they are made in the form of a cone, they can be used for drilling large-diameter holes without reinstalling the drill;
• crown - needed for holes larger than 30 mm, made of hard alloys and HSS steel, and can also be diamond-coated;
• stepped - the tool is a cone with steps of cutting edges of different diameters. With just one such drill, you can make holes of different diameters.

Specifications of Square Hole Drill

The profile of the drill for making square holes corresponds to a specially shaped triangle, which was named after its inventor Reuleaux. Distinctive feature: metal removal is carried out by the side, it has 3 cutting planes. At the same time, during the operation, the tool describes the main and swinging movements. They are performed in opposite directions (the triangle rotates around a moving axis). The peculiarity of the tool: it draws a figure representing the intersection of identical circles. As a result, its vertices draw a square. In this case, the axis of rotation moves along a certain trajectory, and does not stand still.

Read also: Microwave oven magnetron malfunctions

Like any drill, the product structurally consists of a working part and a shank, with which it is attached to a chuck, spindle or special fixture of a tool or machine. The profile of the working part has ellipsoidal grooves for removing chips during the drilling process. Thanks to their presence, the load on the clamping device is reduced, the cutting ability of edges is increased and the level of inertia is reduced. The use of coolant during the operation significantly increases the service life of the cutting tool. Some models of square drills may have grooves for the passage of fluid.

Drills for square holes are classified according to the following parameters:

• material with which they can work (metal, wood);
• material of manufacture (alloy steel, carbon steel, high-speed steel, alloy);
• manufacturing method (solid, composite);
• designs (with and without an overhead frame, adapter);
• tail section designs (cylindrical, conical, hexagonal);
• execution series (short, medium, long);
• accuracy class (normal, increased);
• diameter;
• length of the working part.

In terms of length and diameter, domestic products must comply with the requirements of GOST 886-77, 4010-77 and 10902-77, imported analogues must comply with current foreign standards. Markings are applied to the shank of each drill that makes a square profile in materials of different densities. The diameter of the drill, the material from which it is made, and even the logo or name of the company are indicated. Drills with diameters of 9, 16, 23, 28 and 33 mm and lengths of 50, 60, 75, 85 and 90 mm are available.

How to make large holes in walls? Choosing the optimal tool

Drilling large holes requires large nozzles, and they are different for wood and concrete. We will tell you which attachments to use for which tasks and recommend reliable drills.

To drill holes for air conditioner mounts, cable pulling, installation of a soldered pipe for water supply or connecting furniture structures, you will need a large drill. Although large nozzles for wood and concrete are somewhat similar, they are still intended for different tasks and they are not interchangeable. We will tell you about them and recommend a couple of good attachments for wood and concrete. We have already told you how to distinguish drills for wood, metal and concrete. Here we will focus on large attachments, which we do not use very often, but without which we can’t go anywhere in everyday life.

Types of products and their features

Let's look at what options you can find in our retail network and how they differ from each other.

Feather drills

The most common and budget option, which is quite convenient for even inexperienced craftsmen to work with. And you can also master this simple process with your own hands.

Let's look at the main advantages of this solution:

• The diameter range varies from 10 to 60 mm.
• The work is done quite quickly, but the quality of the hole is low, and it is unlikely to achieve an ideal result.
• The maximum drilling depth is approximately 150 mm.
• Products are sold either in sets of 5-6 pieces or individually, so you decide which option is right for you.
• If necessary, you can buy an extension that clamps the drill and increases its length by 300 mm.

Large sizes are usually sold individually, small sizes are usually sold in sets.

It is impossible not to mention such an interesting option as an adjustable pen drill; this type of product can make holes with a diameter of 22 to 76 mm. The work is carried out at low speeds using fairly powerful power tools.

Adjustable nib – a new word in products of this type

Forstner drill

This product option is used very widely in furniture production due to a number of undoubted advantages:

• The edges of the hole are perfectly smooth, which is not possible with other options.
• High reliability and long service life allow such devices to be used for years.

Forstner drill

When it comes to drilling holes in wood (blind or through), it is Uncle Benjamin Forstner's drill that is most often mentioned. This gunsmith invented a drill that has been used in workshops all over the world for 144 years. Well, we’ll try it too, this drill copes with the task of drilling a hole in our chipboard cuttings so well. But the very first impression was a little disappointing: on the packaging it is written that this is a Fosner drill, that is, the letters P and T are missing from the inventor’s surname. Interesting things are happening with this: it seems that the product is intended for export, but on the packaging the dimensions indicated are incorrect, although in fact Everything is correct, then the names are written with errors.

Randomly stopping the drill and pulling out the drill, we found that the result for a blind hole was simply perfect.

Having continued drilling, we were pleased with the result, which was at least one point higher than the result of a feather drill. The edges are perfectly smooth, the inner wall looks smoother than in the previous experiment, the diameter is 32.1 mm. Now that there is something to compare the feather drill with, the points can be objectively distributed in this way: feather drill 4 points, Forstner drill - 5 points. We consider a deviation of 0.1 mm to be uncritical, because for those same hinges it is better to make the hole a couple of tenths of a mm larger.

Entrance

Exit

Inner surface after cutter