The Magic Drill Bit

[JohnB]

G'day all,
Requesting any solutions to this problem which has only become a problem since I started scrolling, especially with bevel cuts.

I don't have any bits that are numbered, mainly because I can't get them locally, and when I place an order I always forget, so the smallest bit I use is 1mm.

Now for the question:
How do you stop the bloody thing from taking on a mind of it's own.

It's frustrating when you drill a hole in a piece of timber only to have it appear somewhere completely different on the bottom of the piece.

This is more of a problem when drilling pine as the bit tends to follow the grain.

What really get up my nose is when I've got a couple of small fret pieces to cut out and and the holes merge together, somewhere in the centre of the wood and come out the same exit hole.

This may just be a law of the universe, but just maybe one of you clever people have come up with a partial solution or completely cured this malady

[Tor]

How to make it behave? Just do what I do, and drill thinner stock

Beyond that, I am afraid I don't have a good answer, because I only have drilled thin stock with such bits. I can certainly picture the problem you are encountering, though. Hope you get it sorted properly.

Tor

[Greenfield_Bob]

I try to drill slow and let the wood dust pile up around the hole.
When I drill to fast it goes off line with small drill bits.

Bob

[knothead]

I'm with Bob. The slower the better. I know your frustration cause you don't realize it till its cut. I have two scrap bins. One is next to the saw and the other one is all the way across the shop next to the drywall with a bunch of dents and holes in it.

Tom

[NC Scroller]

Bob and Tom provided great advice. Slow and steady pressure. I would also recommend a drill press running at top speed. Like with your scroll saw make sure you drill press is in proper alignment with the table.

[Gill]

John, it may be that your drill chuck isn't holding the bit perfectly straight. You don't need particularly precise engineering for a chuck to hold larger diameter bits but any errors can become noticeable on fine bits. You might enjoy more success using a pin chuck like this one on eBay to hold your fine bits.

Also, try plunging the drill bit as slowly as you can. If you can get a fine file to sharpen the tip of the bit you'll probably get greater accuracy too, although sharpening small drill bits requires a sharp eye and a steady hand.

Gill

[Rolf]

Hi John,
a 1mm bit is walking on you? How fast is your drill press?
the smaller the bit the higher the speed and as Gill suggested nible at it.
I purchase my bits from a tool supplier MSC
http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/nnsrhm
I am sure you have an equivalent supplier in your neck of the world.
I don't bother sharpening the small bits. Buy good quality high speed steel bits they are stiffer and stay sharp longer.
I also use a small high speed MicroMark drill press. Jobber drills are also a bit stiffer
and I don't know if a split point grind would track a bit better

[Plaquerd]

John
I use .75 MM bits in wood from 1/4" to 1 1/4" all the time, use a drill press and a hand held flex shaft tool to drill, the drill press mainly...but when the throat isn't deep enough I use the flex shaft.
As others have said, high speed is good.
I drill part way through, back out, then drill the rest of the way through, this seems to give the bit a "path" to follow. (call it "double drill")
I think if the material being drilled is stacked it presents a problem in and of itself, with the grain on each piece being different.
I have had problems with stack drilling, though I seldom stack cut, except when doing inlays (double bevel) and some ornaments. Then the hole MUST be precise to keep from having a hole in the inlay or in the ornament body. I don't "double drill" for the inlay work. I eye ball the angle using the flex shaft to drill, then drill the hole in one shot. With the ornaments I "double drill".
Hope this makes sense.

[3_M]

This is what I send with each order of drill bits. A few friends suggested that it might be helpful.
Mike

The Chuck makes the little bits wobble somewhat. It will help to keep turning it in the big chuck till you find a spot with the least amount of wobble and mark it with a marking pen. To drill a small hole, you can do two things.
Put the bit on the wood where you want to drill the hole, then turn on the drill press and press the bit slowly through the wood. Some people make a little dent in the wood and the little bit will find it’s way to the dent. I myself like to put the mini chuck in a vice and then put the drill bit in the chuck; that way I can tighten it better than when the chuck is in the drill press.

[SNAPPER]

John, I have had this trouble also. As already mentioned slow and nibble away at it. Do not try to drill the hole with one pass. Advance about a 1/4" inch at a time, back out and repeat. This allows the bit to clean itself. If you do it all in one pass the tiny grooves in the tiny bit clog with wood, this causes the bit to go off track. Unless you have a Microscope, sharpening these bits is next to impossible. Before drilling make sure the bit is in the chuck straight.
Happy Scrolling
Dean