When concealing a screw or round dowel with a square cap, I’ve always had a secret weapon: an old hollow-chisel from my benchtop mortiser. I just lined it up over a pre-drilled hole and gave it a whack with a mallet. I must not have been the only one doing this, because Veritas is selling an entire set of hollow-chisel punches for squaring the tops of holes. The Square Hole Punches come in six sizes, ranging from 3/16 in. to 1/2 in., in 1/16-in. increments, and square up holes as deep as 3/8 in. for decorative caps.

Using the punches is easy. Drill the hole for the screw or dowel, remove the bit from the drill, and use it to center the punch by pressing the points into the wood. Then remove the drill bit and rap the punch with a hammer. When you’ve reached full depth, pull out the punch, and use a narrow chisel to gently remove any waste that’s left in the center of the hole. Now you’re ready to add the square pegs. The punches work great.

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