Drill w/guide or router?

[Cameron Wood]

A countersink cage is accurate to 1/1000" per click. So far better then most wworking machines. It is designed to sink countersinked fasteners dead flush to an aircrafts skin for aerodynamic reasons. Just run it with a regular electric drill motor no need to run out and buy a pancake drill or anything special.
Bill D
https://www.browntool.com/Listview/t...2/Default.aspx

That would be just the thing except it doesn't make a flat- bottom hole, can't do 3/4", and costs $60 plus shipping.

[Bill Dufour]

I would buy used unless you are doing thousands per day. I think a 1/4" cage maxes out at 3/4 " diameter rivet shaver. Or go up to a 3/8 size cage.
I guess I should have mentioned you do not have to use only a countersink bit. That would make a wood router not very useful if you could not change bit types.
I bought a long stroke one for drilling shelf pin holes with 1/4" diameter threaded drills. A rivet shaver is nice for cutting plugs flush with the wood surface. I leave it up about 5/1000 and sand it flush to reduce tearout.
Bill D.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/14486395930...Bk9SR7qhl7bZYw

[Bill Dufour]

That would be just the thing except it doesn't make a flat- bottom hole, can't do 3/4", and costs $60 plus shipping.

Costs less then buying a router and bit.
Bill D

[George Bokros]

What is the reason the doors drift apart? If the tracks are level they should not move on their own. Sounds to me like there is something wrong with the installation of the doors. I have had several pocket doors including one I installed myself and they have never moved from either the closed or open position.

[Bill Dufour]

Shoot some sawdust and sand into the bearings and it will not drift around.
Bill D

[Rich Engelhardt]

George - I think they drift apart simply because there is air movement.
When I say drift, I'm only talking about a very small amount also.
What make is so pronounced is that the dining room side is dark due to there being now windows and the family room is very bright because it has a lot of glass.

What we refer to as our family room - is more like an enclosed porch we had the builder bump out on the backside of the house. It's about the same width and depth as a sliding door and a half.

Bill - interesting devices. I'll have to look into them more. The cost isn't that important - as long as I can find other uses on other projects.

[Bill Dufour]

A pancake or porkchop drill attachment allows me to reach into an electrical box and drill holes sideways into the studs for mounting screws. It uses the same 1/4-28 threaded drills, countersinks and rivet shavers a regular micro sink cage uses. I install using hex drive sheet metal screws driven by a 1/4" air ratchet.
Bill D

[Derek Cohen]

What I would do is sink the magnet first. Just use a correctly sized forstner for the magnet, just deep enough. This is easy to do free hand.

Then use a dowel centre point to find the matching position on the facing jamb. Simply use the magnet to hold the point facing the opposite side.

I connect chair aims this way ...





Regards from Perth

Derek

[Rich Engelhardt]

Derek - Thank you! Great idea.
I don't have the dowel points - but - I can get some easy enough.

[George Yetka]

I would say you arent going too deep so a forstner bit freehand as long as holes are marked out properly and marked with an awl will work well. the more critical thing would be to make sure magnets are sized right and glued in properly.

[Michael Burnside]

Derek - Thank you! Great idea.
I don't have the dowel points - but - I can get some easy enough.

This is exactly what Edward and I were both suggesting as well.

[Doug Garson]

Derek - Thank you! Great idea.
I don't have the dowel points - but - I can get some easy enough.

Dowel points are necessary if high accuracy is required in matching the holes when using dowels but not in the case of matching the holes for magnets. I think you should be able to lay out the hole locations with adequate accuracy with just some painter's tape, a T square and center punch.

[Warren Lake]

finishing nails, snip them off close, push your two parts together.

[Doug Garson]

finishing nails, snip them off close, push your two parts together.

Great idea and probably less work than laying out the holes as I described.

[Jamie Buxton]

Rich --
Say you get the magnets perfectly mounted on the doors. That is, you've got the doors sticking together so tightly that "I can't pull them apart without having to pry them". Do you have a plan for opening the doors?