Drilling holes at an angle.

[BearTricks]

I moved the living room furniture in to a different room yesterday because the main one was becoming too drafty in the cold weather and my heating isn't up to the job.

With it came my first 'woodworking' project from this time last year which was a completely butchered refinish of some nested tables. It's among the worst woodworking projects I've seen and will be going on the fire soon. Unfortunately it's much more visible in this room.

I'm planning on making a table and a stool in the same style. I have recently bought an old Stanley breast drill in very good condition and I want to do splayed legs to go with some other furniture. What's the best way to use the hand drill to drill angled holes accurately and in a way I can reproduce for each leg? The wood is beech, if that has any bearing. The top and legs will be done on the lathe and the stretchers will be done by hand.

 

[AndyT]

Well, I hope you don't mind an excuse to buy another tool! Your breast drill will do best with twist drills up to about half an inch. For your leg holes you need an auger bit with a lead screw and a brace to hold it.

Start the leadscrew in a couple of turns, then get the angle right by sighting along a layout line next to an adjustable bevel gauge. The length of your average 1" or bigger auger bit helps you do this by eye.

The extra torque from a brace is what you need to make big holes in hardwood, slowly and under control. Most old braces will be 10" sweep which should be ok. If you see a 12", buy it.

 

[marcros]

Well, I hope you don't mind an excuse to buy another tool! Your breast drill will do best with twist drills up to about half an inch. For your leg holes you need an auger bit with a lead screw and a brace to hold it.

Start the leadscrew in a couple of turns, then get the angle right by sighting along a layout line next to an adjustable bevel gauge. The length of your average 1" or bigger auger bit helps you do this by eye.

The extra torque from a brace is what you need to make big holes in hardwood, slowly and under control. Most old braces will be 10" sweep which should be ok. If you see a 12", buy it.

and the good news is that such a tool will not brake the bank, but are incredibly useful.

 

[mouppe]

Check out Curtis Buchanan's youtube videos on making windsor chairs. He has one where he explains how to combine rake and splay sightlines into a resultant angle sightline. Peter Galbert's blog also has a layout calculator to work out the same thing.

As Andy said, you need a brace and bit, and also a reamer so you can taper the leg ends.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

The old chairmakers used spoon bits, which are well-nigh impossible to find secondhand, but can be found new (at a price!) Those will drill holes at all sorts of odd angles, both through and stopped, though they're not the easiest to start where you want them (a small starting depression cut with a gouge is one answer).

For the shallow holes involved, a 'sort of' substitute might be the old-style centre bits (the sort without the screw lead) which can be had from Ebay very easily. The longer Jennings or Irwin twist bits would be easier to sight to angles, and fine for through holes - drill until the leadscrew just breaks through, then finish the hole from the other side using the leadscrew hole as a stating guide. That will avoid the grain breaking out as the main part of the bit breaks through.