How do I stop my drill bit from grabbing so hard?!
Lorah740
| Posted in Jigs, Fixtures, Tips & Tricks on
I am having trouble drilling a through hole with 2 pieces of wood that I want to put a dowel through. I made a lap joint and glued it and let it set. When I go to drill my hole, the bit just grabs the wood like a big screw and runs the piece right up the bit to the chuck. It’s pine so I know it’s a little soft, but I’ve done this before without this happening. Any tips or tricks or is there a special bit for drilling a hole straight through. I’ve tried putting a scrap piece underneith but the bit blows it right out. I even tried drilling a little from one side and then the other with the same results. Thanks for any tips or tricks.
Replies
I had the same problem with a set of dewalt bits that had a stepped end. They would grab like crazy!! Went back to bradpoint bits and dont have that problem.
Soft woods do that. Regardless of how dry the wood is it'll still be a bit sappy in the center. I agree, bradpoint bits are a good way to go. Maybe a slower speed. Or a spade bit.
How large is the dowel? Start with a smaller drill and work up to the final size. Reduce the amount of wood the larger bit gets to bite. You might do it in 2 or3 steps. Also, clamp the work down and use a drill press if you've got it. It's much easier to control the feed rate.
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Use high speed and mostly rely on the weight of the drill to do the cutting. Of course a little force is necessary, but go slow. I drill soft wood for chairs all the time.
Brad points are also a must. I highly recommend using Peter Galbert's method of grinding your own brad points. It's really easy if you own a grinder and there's info out there. I think Fine Woodworking posted a video of Michael Fortune demonstrating the method. If you don't, Lee Valley sells some high quality brad points.
Clamping the workpiece to the table IS KEY! Using a backerboard and brad point drill bits in conjunction w/clamping will be the winning combo.
I agree that brad point bits are less prone to grabbing. Same for Forstner bits. If I'm drilling a hole where I don't have a brad-point or Forstner bit in the correct size, I've had luck running a twist bit backwards for the last part of the hole. Go slow, and back the bit out often to clear debris.
Agboohans has your answer. It is always a good idea to have your material clamped. It is frequently not done; doesn't make it right ;-) Situations where I might not clamp my material would include the material backed by the fence and stopped by a . . . well . . . stop-block in the position that the force will present. Generally though, my rule is to always clamp your work to the DP table.
Hmm. My experience has been that brad-points bits are the ones to give me ‘grabbing’ problems. Try metal bits with your wood clamped.
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