Drilling square with no drill press. . .
WhitePower88 | Posted in General Discussion on
I just put together a 6′ tall bookshelf out of 4/4 (3/4″)pine with cross-grain dadoes, and I want to reinforce at least the center and bottom shelves with the Miller “Mini” stepped dowels. . . I saw in Lee Valley’s catalog that the mini is suggested for thicknesses of up to 3/4″, but I don’t feel confident drilling through the sidewalls of the unit and into the endgrain of the shelves without some mechanism to keep my drill square. I’m afraid that a skew will create an inadvertent pocket hole where none was intended. Any suggestions? I saw the trick with two combi squares, and would resort to that with no other options, but if you could suggest a simple jig or something to keep me in line, I’d be greatly appreciative.
Replies
W P,if you know the exact size of the smallest (first) step on the drill, you could use a bradpoint drill bit of the same diameter to drill the'pilot' hole.
Then,by using the step drill,it will follow the pilot hole accurately. Retract the bit occasionaly, to clear the bore of shavings, then continue.
If you know a friend who owns a drillpress, have him/her drill a pilot hole through a 1-1/2" x 6"x6" block to steady the drill when its clamped. (And centered)on the work)
Hard wood will will stay accurate much longer than soft. Stein.
Edited 7/17/2005 3:42 pm ET by steinmetz
Look elsewhere in the Lee Valley catalog for a drill guide -- http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=42322&cat=1,180,42311,42321&ap=1
Miller "Mini" stepped dowels.
I have never used them but they seem like a REALLY good product.. If you use them get their drill and guide.. Not THAT expensive if you use them all the time..
Again, just me.
I have installed dozens of Miller mini-dowels without a drill press. Here is my method:
1. Strap an electric drill to a scrap piece of wood about two feet long and wider than your drill is. Use a band clamp (giant hose clamp) found wherever plumbing supplies are sold to attach the drill firmly to the scrap. Attach other scrap pieces to ensure that your drill's axis is parallel to the face and edge of the big scrap. Mine are big dowels that seat into concave parts of the drill and are inside the band clamp. Saw the long scrap so that one edge is exactly aligned with the drill's axis down to the drill chuck. Your drill now looks like it has a big visor on it; half the bill is to one side with the other half missing.
2. Lay the drill assembly on a flat surface, scrap side down and drill side up. Accurately measure the height of the drill's axis above the flat surface. From this dimension, subtract half the thickness of the stock that you are going to dowel. Using scrap, make two "spacers" that are this dimension high and about two inches wide and two feet long. Their actual size depends on the scale of your project.
3. Lay your project on these two spacers with the side to be doweled down (supported by the spacers). Position one of the spacers so its edge is exactly where you want to dowel. Place your drill (wood side down) with its axis face along this spacer.
4. What you have is a horizontal drill press with the drill axis on the centerline of the stock to be doweled. Any deflection in the vertical direction is well-controlled. You'll need to be careful to push the drill along the spacer edge so there is no wobble in the horizontal direction. Clamping the project to the spacers and the flat surface helps to keep that assembly stable.
5. For extra strength, toenail the dowels (as in nailing sistered boards). Drill one hole at an angle to the project's face that you are drilling into (that is, not perpendicular). The next dowel hole should have the opposite angle. Even a slight angle will do the job. The only way the joint can fail is if both dowels shear off.
Miller dowels ROCK!
Edited 7/18/2005 6:33 pm ET by John Huber
Edited 7/18/2005 6:34 pm ET by John Huber
Edited 7/18/2005 6:38 pm ET by John Huber
Wow! Thanks, John, that's exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. . . I have to ask, if you happen to have a digital camera lying around, if you could photograph your setup for me to work off of. I really appreciate the advice! I just wish I had more time to devote to woodworking. . .
Glad to be of help. I've posted my message and photo in the Joinery forum as "Miller dowels without a drill press."
Good luck with your project. BTW if you are working in walnut, those Miller dowel heads look nice when finished off.
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