Not sure if this the right forum or not. I am trying to drill 3/4″ holes in a 2×4 using an auger bit on my drill press. Problem is that even with hold downs the wood wants to climb up the bit as opposed to the bit going down through the wood. I have even snapped a cheap hold down off.
Is there something I can do to prevent this such as speeding up or slowing down the bit.
Any help would be appreciated
Replies
Have thought of using spade bits,they are inexpensive and will not pull your stock,unless your looking for a really clean bore then forstner bit s might be a better option.LOL.
Most auger bits are self feeding, and the feed rate is fast. What happens is the little starter point on the tip of the drill is pulling the drill into the work faster than you are feeding it, so it lifts the work up. If you securely clamp the work you will likely still have problems with the drill chuck coming off (if it is a morse taper) and the bit breaking. The solution is to shell out the money for a Forestner bit (these are intended specifically for the drill press), or what I did was to grind off the threads on the starting spur. I kept the point so I can regester the center of the bit to my work, but I used a dremel tool to remove the pilot threads. I supose that you know auger bits make very ugly holes, but they are fast and eficient in soft woods. Plus they can be easily resharpened. Spur bits and forestner bits are more costly and not as fast, especially for deep holes, but leave nearly perfect holes.
Mike
As others have said, that's the wrong type of drill bit to use in a pillar drill as they are self feeding and intended for use in a hand drill. Older auger patterns come with a diamond clubby lump of metal at the end of the shank for use in a brace-- these are very safe as they only pull in as fast as you work the brace by hand.
A cheaper and safer bit in a pillar drill is a spade bit running fairly slow to prevent heat build up. They don't do as a clean a hole as some might like, but they can be touched up to cut pretty cleanly for a shortish run. They don't clear the chips very well. Chips build up behind the spade if drilling deeply and the bit needs to be plunged in and out without fully exposing the points of the bit once you get going. Hold downs are a very good idea if you need to do this for safety reasons.
Clean holes can also be achieved with a forstner pattern bit as has been suggested. Better still in my experience is the similar sawtooth pattern bit which is similar to the Forstener pattern and easy to resharpen compared to the Forstner pattern. Both these patterns need to be backed out to remove chips if you're drilling deep. They are comparatively expensive against spade bits, so if you've just got a small run perhaps the spade bit pattern will do, although it's nice to have sawtooth bits on hand for the future too. Slainte.
Richard Jones Furniture
advice from an old timer Take the auger bit in your hand take a flat smooth file in hand file the screw thread off to resemble a cone with a sharp point. Then file away half of the cone leaving the sharp half point
NOW The bit won't pull or lift , and it will be controllable Note: a slower speed will bore a neat hole without overheating
A spade bit does not follow the original hole as well as an auger bit
I cut the squared heads off all my old auger bits and filed their points years ago when I retired my Stanley bit brace and opted to My Milwaukee/2" Hole Shooter
Fostner bits, (If made in US)are best used for fine work and kept sharp with a slip stone or riffler file. Steinmetz
You should not use bits with self feeding screws in a drill press. You can get injured. Always read the owners manual.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
If you do what Steinmetz has advised you will get an excellent result and save yourself some money for the time being.
I have always collected those old augur bits of strange sizes and filed the threads, cleaned up the knicker(S) etc. Fancy Forstners, Saw Tooths and the like were not always easy to come by .
Could you be more specific regarding the application of the holes and 2x4? If you plan to drill a lot of these for running wires through (in wall framing), I would recommend not wasting your time and drill them once the wall is up. There are stubby 3/4" and 1" auger bits specifically for this and you can use spade bits (long and short), as well in either a corded or cordless drill/driver. As others have said, the bit you're using is not made for drill press operation.
2x4 using an auger bit on my drill press.. LOL
I thought that was what a 'brace' were fer'..
As in guide that bit! They want to wander! Like me when I saw a pretty Brunette...
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