# What type drill bit is best for MDF?



## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

I want to drill ½” holes in MDF for a router bit drawer. I used Brad Point and Forstner Wood Boring Bits and they both tear up the MDF. Could it be that I’m not doing it correctly or is there a trick to it?


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## Quillman (Aug 16, 2010)

Clamp the work; it must not move.
Use HSS brad points.
~500 RPM.
If you're surface tearing , you're feeding too fast.
Start the hole slowly, let the cusps shear the first mm or so . Then make a mess of it if you have to plunge with the speed of an orange squeezer.
Clean walls, clean entry? Then feed at the cut rate of the drill.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

JohnnyB60 said:


> I want to drill ½” holes in MDF for a router bit drawer. I used Brad Point and Forstner Wood Boring Bits and they both tear up the MDF. Could it be that I’m not doing it correctly or is there a trick to it?


Hi Johnny - I punched the holes in my MDF bit holders with a plunge router and spiral upcut. I probably missed the desired spot by a fraction or so on some but hey, it's just a bit holder. Holes are clean and square though.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

Quillman said:


> Clamp the work; it must not move.
> Use HSS brad points.
> ~500 RPM.
> If you're surface tearing , you're feeding too fast.
> ...


Thanks Pat, I thought maybe it was my choice of bits. 
I noticed that a lot of you tube videos show those flat boring bits. I haven’t used one of those in 20 years, but then I’ve never used MDF until just recently.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

jschaben said:


> Hi Johnny - I punched the holes in my MDF bit holders with a plunge router and spiral upcut. I probably missed the desired spot by a fraction or so on some but hey, it's just a bit holder. Holes are clean and square though.


Hi John,
Well that’s an idea too. I haven’t really used my plunge router much. 
I just built a new drill press table and thought I would use it for the very first time.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi 

forstner drill bits work the best for me,drilling holes MDF is like drilling holes cardboard, the forstner bit will cut the outside edge of the hole b/4 it removes the stock from the center of the hole..

===


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

bobj3 said:


> Hi
> 
> forstner drill bits work the best for me,drilling holes MDF is like drilling holes cardboard, the forstner bit will cut the outside edge of the hole b/4 it removes the stock from the center of the hole..
> 
> ===


Hi Bob, when I tried the forstner bit, it would only go in a little and stop. If I pulled it out and cleaned out the thin wafers it would start moving again, but it would also pull up the sides of the hole each time I pulled out the bit. The bottom bust out even with a sacrifice board underneath so I put it up after only one hole. I also tried a regular ½” twist drill and although it still raised the edges a little, it seemed to work better then the forstner. 

If you are having success with the forstner, then I’m wondering what is going on with mine. Could it be the MDF that I got? I've only bought one sheet in my whole life so I don't know if there is a difference in the stuff.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Sharp anything will drill through MDF with no problem. Clamp it down effectively with a good, solid movable sacrificial board underneath. I use tons of the stuff and use regular drill bits, forstner bits & spade bits - I've never had a problem with holes that go all the way through - and go well into the sacrificial underboard. Remember to never reuse the same hole in your sacrificial board - which is where most people have problems.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

I found a almost new brad point that was only used once and drilled half the holes or possibly all the ½” ones anyway. (I’m still trying to decide on how many ¼” holes I need).
I’m not that happy with them and I’m convinced that I got a bad piece of MDF. I’m just going to clean up the edges with a ¼” large cone shape sanding stone so I can get the bits in the holes. With the edges mushroomed up the bits are hard to push in.

I think I mentioned this before when I built my tabesaw sled and my drill press table that I was never going to buy this stuff again.

I only have one more project with this MDF and that’s replacing the top of a Black&Decker Workmate and drilling dog holes. I retrieved the Workmate out of a dumpster 6 years ago that looked like it was pulled out from the bottom of a pool. I replaced the top with an old piece of plywood just to see if it could work for me and it turned out to be a very handy portable bench, I use it all the time and I’m using it now so I’m going to put a new top on it with the little bit of MDF that I have leftover and drill holes for the bench dogs. I never had the bench dogs before manly because the plywood was so crappy and weathered that I didn’t want to waste my time. 

The holes are going to be ¾” and I’m not sure if I even want to try the forstner bits which are the only thing I have in that size. I might build a jig to use my plunge router like John mentioned


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm with you, Johnny; I won't use MDF if I can possibly avoid it. 
I'd rather pay more for plywood.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

JohnnyB60 said:


> Hi Bob, when I tried the forstner bit, it would only go in a little and stop. If I pulled it out and cleaned out the thin wafers it would start moving again, but it would also pull up the sides of the hole each time I pulled out the bit. The bottom bust out even with a sacrifice board underneath so I put it up after only one hole. I also tried a regular ½” twist drill and although it still raised the edges a little, it seemed to work better then the forstner.
> 
> If you are having success with the forstner, then I’m wondering what is going on with mine. Could it be the MDF that I got? I've only bought one sheet in my whole life so I don't know if there is a difference in the stuff.


Hi Johnny.
I use any bit that is not dull. Some give better results than others. As Bob mentioned a forstner bit works great & depending on the design of the bit you will have to clean frequently for deeper holes. I haven't experienced tearout when pulling the bit out. Is the bit still spinning as you pull it out or did you stop & pull it out? You can cleanup the edges with a chamfer bit to makes the holes nice & uniform looking.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

DaninVan said:


> I'm with you, Johnny; I won't use MDF if I can possibly avoid it.
> I'd rather pay more for plywood.


Hi Dan,
Well I’m going go ahead and finish my router drawer, but I’ve decided that I’m not going to use it for my workmate. 
I was looking online to see if they still made the workmate and I see that that they don’t use MDF anymore, so that must be a sign. Then I dropped my piece for my router bits and put a big ding in the side. It didn’t even have any weight to it and I can imagine what would happen if my workmate were to tip over.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

jlord said:


> Hi Johnny.
> I use any bit that is not dull. Some give better results than others. As Bob mentioned a forstner bit works great & depending on the design of the bit you will have to clean frequently for deeper holes. I haven't experienced tearout when pulling the bit out. Is the bit still spinning as you pull it out or did you stop & pull it out? You can cleanup the edges with a chamfer bit to makes the holes nice & uniform looking.


hi James.
I keep them running as I pull them out. I only use the forstner bits in my drill press because they are too hard to control in my hand drill. Should I be turning them off before pulling out? 

The tear out is going on as I’m drilling in with the bradpoint and I’m not sure why the forstner is tearing out. It may have something to do with the thin wafers catching the sides as I pull out. Maybe if I decrease the travel speed or increase the rpm it might take smaller slices.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

JohnnyB60 said:


> hi James.
> I keep them running as I pull them out. I only use the forstner bits in my drill press because they are too hard to control in my hand drill. Should I be turning them off before pulling out?
> 
> The tear out is going on as I’m drilling in with the bradpoint and I’m not sure why the forstner is tearing out. It may have something to do with the thin wafers catching the sides as I pull out. Maybe if I decrease the travel speed or increase the rpm it might take smaller slices.


Hi Johnny,
I keep the bit spinning as I exit. Try both ways & see what gives you better results. A backer board helps cut down on blowout as you exit but as you found out it's not 100%. Lighter pressure as you near the end or clamping it to the table also helps. Maybe it's the brand of bit. The better ones with chip removal can get expensive. I drill into mdf by hand with a forstner bit with no problems. There is no grain direction the catch on with mdf.

Search for Woodworking Supplies at Woodcraft.com


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

jlord said:


> Hi Johnny,
> I keep the bit spinning as I exit. Try both ways & see what gives you better results. A backer board helps cut down on blowout as you exit but as you found out it's not 100%. Lighter pressure as you near the end or clamping it to the table also helps. Maybe it's the brand of bit. The better ones with chip removal can get expensive. I drill into mdf by hand with a forstner bit with no problems. There is no grain direction the catch on with mdf.
> 
> Search for Woodworking Supplies at Woodcraft.com


hi James,
It could be the brand. My daughter bought me the set from Costco as a Christmas present years ago. I have to look to see what brand it is. Ok it’s a “Mastergrip” whatever that is.


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## RCclee (Mar 31, 2012)

Gotta ask, what is this love affair people have with MDF? It is the crappiest product in woodworking if you ask me and should be avoided if at all possible costs. I know you can save some money ( a little) but ply wood is a much better choice.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

RCclee said:


> Gotta ask, what is this love affair people have with MDF? It is the crappiest product in woodworking if you ask me and should be avoided if at all possible costs. I know you can save some money ( a little) but ply wood is a much better choice.


I can’t really answer that except to say it was flat, straight and looked easy to cut. I bought it because everyone in the videos were using it to make jigs, but I’m no longer impressed. I bought a 4x8 sheet of it and am just trying to get my money’s worth and am not willing to trash it just yet, but close.


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## Steve B. (Mar 4, 2012)

JohnnyB60 said:


> Hi Bob, when I tried the forstner bit, it would only go in a little and stop. If I pulled it out and cleaned out the thin wafers it would start moving again, but it would also pull up the sides of the hole each time I pulled out the bit. The bottom bust out even with a sacrifice board underneath so I put it up after only one hole. I also tried a regular ½” twist drill and although it still raised the edges a little, it seemed to work better then the forstner.
> 
> If you are having success with the forstner, then I’m wondering what is going on with mine. Could it be the MDF that I got? I've only bought one sheet in my whole life so I don't know if there is a difference in the stuff.


Johnny - I have also found that the feed slows down with the accumulation of shavings. I have a variable speed drill and when I pull the Forstner bit out to clear the shavings I keep it rotating at a lower speed. Comes out without cocking off to one side or the other and most always with no breakout. For the backside breakout, I bore through until I see the brad point of the Forstner bit coming out the back. I then drill in from the back using the brad point hole to center my Forstner bit. You don't have to drill so far that the bit drifts and it gives me nice smooth sides with no breakout. Steve from California


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

RCclee said:


> Gotta ask, what is this love affair people have with MDF? It is the crappiest product in woodworking if you ask me and should be avoided if at all possible costs. I know you can save some money ( a little) but ply wood is a much better choice.


It has it's places where it works well.


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## anneb3 (Apr 14, 2012)

Just rebuilt my workmate wich sits outside under a roof using some scrap maple from a student desk, Finished it (both sides) with some leftover exterior varnish. I used the old tables to mark and drill the necessary holes. Tomorrow if the weather is nice will get it mounted up. I am going to assemble it a little differently so I can set one of my routers in it and add an on/off switch thing like you use with computer setups.
The router has an add on plate of plastic the width of the workmate, so it works fine for smaller projects.

Later
Anne


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

Hi Anne, that sounds interesting and I’d like to see it when you are done. 

When I pulled mine out of the trash the table was so bad that I could barely get dimensions of off it, so I have no idea of where to put the holes and will just have to experiment with it a little. There was something that I wanted to change, but I can’t think of it at the moment.

This is a little embarrassing, but this is what mine looks like now. The plywood was from a piece that I used to keep the dogs in the yard, so it was pretty well weathered before I cut it.










I’m not exactly sure how long I’ve had mine, but this thing really has been worthwhile. I used it along with a sawhorse to cut all my rafters and roofing for my woodshed. Why I may even paint it after it gets a new table. :yes4:


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## Drew Eckhardt (Aug 2, 2008)

JohnnyB60 said:


> I want to drill ½” holes in MDF for a router bit drawer. I used Brad Point and Forstner Wood Boring Bits and they both tear up the MDF. Could it be that I’m not doing it correctly or is there a trick to it?


Through holes end up cleanest if you use your drill press and flip the piece to finish from the opposite side. Brad points and Forstners make a small pilot hole that's easy to line up when doing that.


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## Drew Eckhardt (Aug 2, 2008)

RCclee said:


> Gotta ask, what is this love affair people have with MDF?


It's dead flat, void free, and thickness needn't vary more than .001" 



> It is the crappiest product in woodworking if you ask me and should be avoided if at all possible costs. I know you can save some money ( a little) but ply wood is a much better choice.


It's MUCH less expensive than plywood which is as flat, void free, and uniform.

Marine grade birch plywood has similar characteristics plus being water resistant, more impact resistant, and having veneers which look attractive enough under a clear finish although I paid $100 for the last 4x4 half sheet of 19mm I bought.

I tried Baltic birch at just $20 for a 2x4 quarter sheet of 18mm before that, but it was unusably warped for my needs and got recycled into a pile destined for jigs where that won't matter.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

I finished my router bit drawer, but now I’m hesitant to remove the bits from their packages, because then I don’t know what size or brand they are. The drawer is ok for now, but I plan to remake it because I had some other ideas while I was building it and it was too late for changes.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

JohnnyB60 said:


> when I tried the forstner bit, it would only go in a little and stop. If I pulled it out and cleaned out the thin wafers it would start moving again, but it would also pull up the sides of the hole each time I pulled out the bit. The bottom bust out even with a sacrifice board underneath


Hi Johnny

Unfortunately that's fairly normal for Forstners, especially in smaller diameters, although larger diameters are normally much better at self-clearing. They're not designed for deep (they vcan tend to move sideways if not drilled using a drill press) or through holes as you've discovered - what they are good for is shallow large diameter stopped holes such as those used for Euro kitchen doors. 



RCclee said:


> Gotta ask, what is this love affair people have with MDF? It is the crappiest product in woodworking if you ask me and should be avoided if at all possible costs. I know you can save some money ( a little) but ply wood is a much better choice.


Hi Ron

Not always. As Drew says MDF is much flatter than plywood making it a much more suitable substrate for veneered work than plywood. Properly sealed it paints much better than plywood - especially on cut edges - and it can be edge profiled directly with the router, which can't be done with any sort of plywood. For fast paint-grade work it really has a lot of advantages. Certainly makes it a favourite with a lot of people in the commercial sector

Regards

Phil


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## RCclee (Mar 31, 2012)

I understand, many people use it, I just don't get it myself but if I had a sheet of it I guess I would try to make some use of it. Good luck.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

Well after drilling all the holes with the brad point and running the drill through a couple of times, I am having a heck of a time getting both the ¼” and the ½” in an out of the holes. It seems to be worst today after being in the drawer overnight. I might have to make a tool to pull them out so that I don’t cut myself or damage the bits.
I don’t know what’s going on here, but I made a bit holder out of a 2x4 years ago and I never had a problem getting the bits out.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

JohnnyB60 said:


> Well after drilling all the holes with the brad point and running the drill through a couple of times, I am having a heck of a time getting both the ¼” and the ½” in an out of the holes. It seems to be worst today after being in the drawer overnight. I might have to make a tool to pull them out so that I don’t cut myself or damage the bits.
> I don’t know what’s going on here, but I made a bit holder out of a 2x4 years ago and I never had a problem getting the bits out.


Drilling a fraction size over 1/4" & 1/2" will solve your problem. 1/4"- 17/64" & 1/2" - 33/64". You can also wrap sandpaper around a dowel to ream the hole larger if you do not have the bits.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

jlord said:


> Drilling a fraction size over 1/4" & 1/2" will solve your problem. 1/4"- 17/64" & 1/2" - 33/64". You can also wrap sandpaper around a dowel to ream the hole larger if you do not have the bits.


Hi James,

LOL, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a 33/64 drill, but after looking it up, I found that’s its popular with pen makers . I was also just blown away by the price. I might just wiggle the ¼” & ½” around in each hole or use a round file to clean them out.

I’m kind of tired of fooling around with this router bit drawer. I have a jig to make this drawer and it would probably be easier to make another one with this gadget: Image Gallery


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

JohnnyB60 said:


> Hi James,
> 
> LOL, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a 33/64 drill, but after looking it up, I found that’s its popular with pen makers . I was also just blown away by the price. I might just wiggle the ¼” & ½” around in each hole or use a round file to clean them out.
> 
> I’m kind of tired of fooling around with this router bit drawer. I have a jig to make this drawer and it would probably be easier to make another one with this gadget: Image Gallery


I make pens also so I have these bits. WoodCraft sells the Wood River brand for 9.99 for the 33/64" the 17/64" should be in most drill indexes so it might be available at Home Depot for a couple of dollars.

Search for Woodworking Supplies at Woodcraft.com


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Hey Folks, several things here: MDF is a great product for some things, so is plywood and either one is straight and flat if stored correctly - conversely, either one is bowed and very near worthless if stored wrongly. When my kids were learning to ride their bicycles they had numerous falls - it did not mean that their bicycles were defective! It simply meant they lacked experience. Woodworking is like fishing, anyone learns the skills based on experience. You cannot learn to ride a bicycle by reading a book on the subject. 
Personally, I have never subscribed to the practice of removing a drill bit while it is stationary - I have, however; been known to change the drill to reverse rotation (with hand-held drills) to remove bits! 
Backer boards do not do anything helpful unless there is some force clamping the backer board to the workpiece - otherwise the workpiece "rides up" the drill bit and "blowout" still occurs. Often a simple "hand hold" will work - but often this is not enough.
Certainly "bad pieces" of MDF may occur - bad "anything" can occur - this is unfortunate, but is still a "fact of life". I knew a guy that had a bad wife one time!
I still recommend sharp cutting tools. To prove this to some of my employees - who were having similar problems [drilling MDF], I showed them that I could drill a perfectly round hole through a phone book. It was then that my guys began to trust me on this - they lacked skills gained thru experience - I cannot think of any materials that cannot be cleanly drilled with the correct combination of drill, drill bit, feed speed, and (most importantly) clamping or sandwiching - which is exactly what the name implies.
Since this is the ROUTER FORUM, I submit that a plunge router can be the perfect tool for drilling in some materials! GOOD LUCK! I hope this helps. BE SAFE...

Oh yeah, one other tidbit. The WorkMate is a handy idea, but the best thing to do with those things (IMHO) is to remove the wood and replace it with TREX or VERANDA - these are recycled plastic / wood composites that are the new and improved materials for exterior deck construction. DOG HOLES - You have got to be kidding - there is no such thing as a right or wrong place for these - put them anywhere you want them...


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

JohnnyB60 said:


> I finished my router bit drawer, but now I’m hesitant to remove the bits from their packages, because then I don’t know what size or brand they are. The drawer is ok for now, but I plan to remake it because I had some other ideas while I was building it and it was too late for changes.


very nice! a little label maker could help keep them identified. i got mine from staples and it cost about $15

on topic, i use a drill press whenever possible and a wood boring bit, and i and come at it from both sides to the middle, i have found that that keeps the tearout to a minimum. a pilot hole helps keep them lined up.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

johnny, re the dog holes, if you want to put your in the same locations as they were from the factory, i can snap a pic of my workmate and do some measurements for you if you want. let me know.

re buying dril bits:

http://www.buydrillbits.com/products/hss/gp2.php?c=SM-USA-FRAC


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## walowan (Jan 21, 2011)

JohnnyB60 said:


> Hi Bob, when I tried the forstner bit, it would only go in a little and stop. If I pulled it out and cleaned out the thin wafers it would start moving again, but it would also pull up the sides of the hole each time I pulled out the bit. The bottom bust out even with a sacrifice board underneath so I put it up after only one hole. I also tried a regular ½” twist drill and although it still raised the edges a little, it seemed to work better then the forstner.
> 
> If you are having success with the forstner, then I’m wondering what is going on with mine. Could it be the MDF that I got? I've only bought one sheet in my whole life so I don't know if there is a difference in the stuff.


Some forstner bits are better than others, yours seem to be of inferior quality. I have never had problems with forstner bits in mdf.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

OPG3 said:


> ...Certainly "bad pieces" of MDF may occur - bad "anything" can occur - this is unfortunate, but is still a "fact of life". I knew a guy that had a bad wife one time!
> I still recommend sharp cutting tools. To prove this to some of my employees - who were having similar problems [drilling MDF], I showed them that I could drill a perfectly round hole through a phone book. It was then that my guys began to trust me on this - they lacked skills gained thru experience - I cannot think of any materials that cannot be cleanly drilled with the correct combination of drill, drill bit, feed speed, and (most importantly) clamping or sandwiching - which is exactly what the name implies...


Thanks Otis, I do believe that I have a bad piece of MDF. I had trouble with my table saw sled pealing when I tried sealing it with Boiled Linseed oil. Here is a photo of white paper slid into between the layers of the MDF. I should have used color paper or wrote on it because its deceiving. 








I bought a magazine today with ideas for Workbenches and they mention using MDF for the top more than once as a good choice, but they have on top of layers of plywood or particleboard. It does make a nice flat top and after viewing the photos I’m reconsidering it.



OPG3 said:


> ..... DOG HOLES - You have got to be kidding - there is no such thing as a right or wrong place for these - put them anywhere you want them...


The thing about the dog holes is that I didn’t want to get out of range of my clamping travel, but now that I think about it, I guess if I have a lot of them it probably will not matter.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

walowan said:


> Some forstner bits are better than others, yours seem to be of inferior quality. I have never had problems with forstner bits in mdf.


Hie Michael,
You may be right about this. I've never tried another brand so I don't know what to compare it with.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

Chris Curl said:


> very nice! a little label maker could help keep them identified. i got mine from staples and it cost about $15
> 
> on topic, i use a drill press whenever possible and a wood boring bit, and i and come at it from both sides to the middle, i have found that that keeps the tearout to a minimum. a pilot hole helps keep them lined up.


Thanks Chris, that’s a good idea. I could also probably draw boxes around each group to identify what goes together.

Thanks for the drawer compliment. I’m thinking of cutting off the drawer face in rerouting it, because I misaligned one side of the bottom on the front corner it’s not bad but it causes the right side to raise up about a 1/32” and the drawer front doesn’t slide all the way in without picking it up a little.

I made the mistake of trying to completely glue it up all at the same time with 13 clamps and didn’t notice that one side was up. It should not matter because it’s just my router cabinet, but it bugs me. After the 1st drawer I made a clamping jig to help with the rest of the drawers so I didn’t have the same problem. What can I say, I’m still learning


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

JohnnyB60 said:


> Well after drilling all the holes with the brad point and running the drill through a couple of times, I am having a heck of a time getting both the ¼” and the ½” in an out of the holes. It seems to be worst today after being in the drawer overnight. I might have to make a tool to pull them out so that I don’t cut myself or damage the bits.
> I don’t know what’s going on here, but I made a bit holder out of a 2x4 years ago and I never had a problem getting the bits out.


When I made my router bit holder for 1/4 and 1/2 shank bits I had the same trouble until I found that if I chuck a 1/4 straight router bit into my drill press it enlarged the holes just right. Same with the 1/2 holes. Worked like a dream.
Two pieces of pine glued together.


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

rwl7532 said:


> When I made my router bit holder for 1/4 and 1/2 shank bits I had the same trouble until I found that if I chuck a 1/4 straight router bit into my drill press it enlarged the holes just right. Same with the 1/2 holes. Worked like a dream.
> Two pieces of pine glued together.


Hi Ralph, I think I’m going to do that except I’ll have to use my cordless drill at this point because I can’t get the MDF out of the drawer and it’s at an angle with the back razed up. 

I was going to cut the drawer front to repair a bad corner and allow me to remove the MDF, but then I found a 1/32” shaving from under my table saw. I put it under the opposite side of the drawer and it fixed the problem perfectly. It’s amazing how a 1/32” can throw things so far off, or appear to be so far off.

I still may rebuild the drawer someday and use small removable pine blocks like you have that will fit inside the drawer instead of the MDF, but for now I need to move on. I got projects pilling up.:laugh:


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

Test on scrap first.


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## anneb3 (Apr 14, 2012)

JohnnyB60 said:


> I found a almost new brad point that was only used once and drilled half the holes or possibly all the ½” ones anyway. (I’m still trying to decide on how many ¼” holes I need).
> I’m not that happy with them and I’m convinced that I got a bad piece of MDF. I’m just going to clean up the edges with a ¼” large cone shape sanding stone so I can get the bits in the holes. With the edges mushroomed up the bits are hard to push in.
> 
> I think I mentioned this before when I built my tabesaw sled and my drill press table that I was never going to buy this stuff again.
> ...


wish I knew enough about this forum to put this info in the right spot, but I don't so dumping it here

Finished redoing my Work Mate top that I mentioned earlier. Took the dimentions down

2 pieces 29 by 5 inches by 7/8
2 pieces 29 by 1 1/4.by 7/8

Will send a pic as soon as I am eligible
Anne at [email protected]


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## stuartwatson (Jun 13, 2011)

johhny 
just saw your post buddy 
if you clamp your work piece and use a 1/2 inch AUGER BIT in a drill on a medium speed you should have no problems 
sorry if you already solved the problem 
just thought id pitch in bud
stuart 
england


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## JohnnyB60 (Jun 15, 2009)

stuartwatson said:


> johhny
> just saw your post buddy
> if you clamp your work piece and use a 1/2 inch AUGER BIT in a drill on a medium speed you should have no problems
> sorry if you already solved the problem
> ...


Thanks Stuart! I will keep that in mind. I haven't used any MDF for a while, but I just did some major clean up and found some nice pieces that I had forgot about. They are a little different in makeup and I'm not sure if it just aging or another type of MDF

I don't know just yet what I'm going to use it for, but now that I'm aware of them, I'm thinking about it.


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