Subject: Re: Drilling plywood

From: [email-masked] (Marty Escarcega)
Date: 8 Feb 1997 06:25:02 -0700

If the splintering is on the back side of the hole, put a piece of scrap under 
the good piece. Make sure you're using a good bit. Brad point might be better.
Marty
In article <[email-masked]>, Paul Ephron wrote:
>Does anyone have a sure fire way of drilling thin (1/4 inch) plywood
>so that it does not chip,splinter, and otherwise fall apart. I am
>drilling 15/64 inch holes for 1/4 inch dowels. I am making the drill
>holes in relatively small pieces of wood (about 1x2 inch) and the
>plywood just seems to fall apart on some pieces, while on others it
>stays together pretty well. I do not have a drill press, I only have a
>hand drill. Thanks for any advice.

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From: [email-masked] (David Meiland)
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 1997 14:41:02 GMT

Try this: make a jig using a couple of pieces of 3/4 plywood about 2"
x 8". Make an L-shaped "fence" out of 1/4" scrap that will hold your
workpieces of 1/4" material in place and let you sandwich them between
the two pieces of 3/4" with clamps. Drill your hole through the top
piece of 3/4" exactly where you will want it in relation to the 1/4"
piece pinned beneath, snug against the fence. Then drill the 1/4"
pieces. They may not blow up if they are well-supported while being
drilled. Your post also made me wonder if your bit is sharp and/or if
your plywood is well laminated. Sometimes it isn't (!)

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From: Gerald Mayer <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 1997 22:32:27 -0500

> >hand drill. Thanks for any advice.

Try using a brad point drill instead of a twist drill, and drill the
holes in the large piece of plywood before you cut it into 1x2 inch
pieces.  You also need to have a scrap block under the plywood at the
hole location to prevent tearout when the bit breaks through.

Gerald

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 09 Feb 1997 22:21:47 GMT

>> >hand drill. Thanks for any advice.

Maybe easier said than done, but if you can manage to drill only until
the point of the bit breaks through, and then complete the hole from
the other side, splintering will be greatly reduced.

Rick Marinelli
[email-masked]

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From: Andrew Tune <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 11:38:45 +1000

> >> >hand drill. Thanks for any advice.

If circumstances allow, clamp it tightly between two pieces of scrap
timber, then drill through all three at once.
--
Andrew Tune                                     Technix Consulting Group
[email-masked]                         Level 5, 695 Burke Rd
Phone: +61 3 9882 2333                                  Camberwell, 3124
Fax:   +61 3 9882 4799                    URL: http://www.technix.com.au
              "What if there were no hypothetical situations?"

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From: Peterson <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 17:50:54 -0500

> the other side, splintering will be greatly reduced.
The easy way to do it is to drill a small pilot hole through the
plywood, then drill the larger hole from each side.  You can also use
masking tape over the surface to reduce the tendency to splinter.

Steve