Hi there! I’m confused with this one… I’ve got these plywood squares that I had to drill a bunch of holes in. Despite using a low speed on my drill and adding masking tape (below) there’s still pretty nasty tear out on nearly all holes. (EDIT: These are not through holes, this is for crochet square blocking boards. Metal rods which need to stay in place are put into the holes.)
And this is it after removing the masking tape.
What should I do? Thanks in advance!
Have you tried using a Brad Point drill bit?
Difficult to find, yes, but these bits can make virtually tear-free holes in wood. They go in as smoothly as a Forstner bit, no tear-out whatsoever.
I would recommend the Fisch brand, IMO they make a really great set in both imperial and metric. If you are in Canada, Lee Valley also has a great set.
Believe it or not these were made using a brad point bit. Others have mentioned the low budget quality + it becoming dull and I imagine that’s a big cause. Thanks for the fisch recommendation, I have been looking and don’t really know good brands for bits, so that’s really helpful!
Can you use nails instead of drilling for rods? Drive the nails in and clip off the heads.
I suspect your drill bit is simply very dull. It’s clearly pushing wood fibers instead of cutting them.
Would countersinking the holes impact the function you need from these boards? If not I would just do a shallow countersink.
Otherwise drill a small pilot hole, then follow up with the full size bit.
Fast rotational speed with a slow plunge might help too.
Drill a small hole all the way through, then switch to the correct size bit and drill half way through from either side.
Try all the options everyone has mentioned to see what works best. There is no one correct answer that works for all situations.
