Does anyone have any tricks to drill a hole in the center of the end of a dowel?
Does anyone have any tricks to drill a hole in the center of the end of a dowel?
clamp a piece of scrap to your drill press table.
drill a hole in the scrap that's the same diameter as the dowel
place the dowel into the hole you just drilled
mount the drill bit of choice and drill. if the scrap wasn't moved your hole will be centered
I just saw this in a magazine and it was the same idea as Randy had except they also used a wood clamp to hold the dowel from rotating. But yeah, it's the same idea.
Alan T. Thank God for every pain free day you live.
The clamp is important, otherwise the dowel will spin out if you try to hold it in your hands. DAMHIKT
The "hole in the wood" to hold the dowl is a good one...and by cutting a slit on one side, you can equip it with a bolt and wing nut to turn it into an effective clamp! The DP table may need to be rotated vertically and the head offset slightly to allow for a longer dowel to be drilled.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...