Drilling a hole...simple?

[GeordieStew]

Hi

I have a drill press. A Bosch PBD40. It's fine. Powerful enough for what I want. Not too much wobble.

But I can't drill a hole correctly! I can't get the edges of the bit to match up with where I want them...is there a method for doing it?

It's basically just a hole so I can get my jigsaw in to cut out for a template. I could do it anywhere in the middle of the cut out and use the jigsaw...or align one side of the bit with the edge of the template hole, making it easier. But not even sure if I could do it accurately.

It's a 10mm wood bit. It does have a centre point.

Sorry for rambling!

 

[MattRoberts]

Lay a straight edge along your line, and then butt the 10mm bit up against it and mark the piece. Use an awl or centre punch to make that mark a bit deeper, and then drill away.

Are you using brad-point bits? They have a much finer point, and are easier to centre.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Don't drill anwhere near the line if the offcut is valueless - if it is drill close to the line but not necessarily in the corners - you'll have to saw into the corners anyway, and a slight bulge in the middle of the edge is easier to to clean up than one right in a corner. There isn't much to be gained from having the hole touch the line - you've still to start the blade twice to into the corners, and once you've gone into one corner you've got a flat to start the cut to the other.

 

[sunnybob]

If its a starting hole for a jigsaw cut, who cares where you drill it? Youre going to have to clean the edge afterwards regardless.

 

[GeordieStew]

If its a starting hole for a jigsaw cut, who cares where you drill it? Youre going to have to clean the edge afterwards regardless.

That's fine on this occasion, but if it wasn't for a jigsaw...

 

[SteveF]

make a small wooden square higher than material to be drilled

slide the corner of your stock into square
push it against drill bit

Steve

 

[sunnybob]

Practice.
Practice.
Practice.

It will come.

 

[oakmitre]

A very simple method is to switch off the pillar drill and rotate the chuck by hand backwards whilst applying pressure to the handle.

The back of the spurs on a lip and spur (brad point) bit will clearly scribe out a circle where the drill will cut.

The handle of a pillar drill is capable of applying a high pressure, so you can also use this method to eliminate surface tearout prior to drilling the hole.

This also works with hand power drills in reverse.