driling holes in veneered mdf

[engineer one]

sounds like a no brainer i know,, but any fine ideas about drilling through holes free hand in veneered mdf boards, to avoid break out????

i have tried smaller pilot holes, but if you are not drilling from both sides it seems impossible. having now made a couple of units moveable on casters for the computer bench and printer, i have still not solved the problem. :?

jfc how did you do it??????? :lol:

paul :wink:

 

[spadge]

I would clamp a small square of scrap board to the side the drill bit will "emerge" from. Any breakout will be in the scrap board leaving a clean hole in the veneered MDF.

Hope this helps

 

[engineer one]

spadge, in principal you are right, but the veneer seems to want to break out due to the way in which it is fixed.

will try that though ta :lol:

paul :wink:

 

[JFC]

Do you mean the drill bit tears the veneer as you start to drill ? Try putting masking tape over the area and drill through that .

 

[Paul Chapman]

I would do the same as spadge, and if the holes need to be really neat and at 90 degrees to the board, use a dowelling jig if you have a suitable one with the right size guide bushes. Alternatively, you could make up a guide by drilling holes in a scrap of wood on the drill press. This will often help avoid splintering as the drill bit enters the board.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[JFC]

Or use a router . What are you trying to do ? Is it for a cable tidy hole ?

 

[engineer one]

na mate for the cable holes i use a hole saw and that works well,
but for the casters it's the small holes, and brand new drills.

paul :wink:

 

[JFC]

Try a 3d bit not a flat bit .

 

[engineer one]

not being nasty or more nasty than usual :lol: :lol:

but i was hoping for practical experience, not just i woulds

being picky i know but wondered who has actually done it and what
they had done to solve the problem.

ok i admit i use washers to hide the break out, but was wondering about
a sure mthod which would make it easier.

i guess the same problem occurs with mfc???
paul :wink:

 

[Paul Chapman]

i was hoping for practical experience, not just i woulds

My post was based on experience and I never seem to get breakout problems. Still not entirely clear from your posts why you are getting the problem :? :?

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[JFC]

Well i still don't know what your talking about :roll: Is the break out when you start to drill or when you come out the other side ? As said above i use a block of wood on the back if its breakout there or a 3d bit if its break out at the start .

 

[jasonB]

What size holes are you talking about. When I drill holes for handles, knobs, etc (5mm) I use a lip & spur bit and clamp a scrap of MDF to the back, don'e nave any breakout. Also make sure you clear the waste once or twice as trying to go through 18mm in one go is a no no.

Jason

 

[woodbloke]

I so the same as jasonB -a sharp lip and spur bit (easy to grind your own from HSS jobbers drills) and a scrap of mdf on the reverse side - no break out - Rob

 

[Anonymous]

Use a lip and spur drill bit, works for me

 

[engineer one]

ok the break out is when i exit the side, although some does occur at the beginning.
haven't tried lip and spur, and apologies if i did my usual and offended!
but the grammar implied thoughts not actual. :?

will try the lip and spur as an alternative next time with the clamped block, and see. have always reversed half way through to ensure the drill does not get too hot.

thanks again

paul :wink:

 

[Paul Chapman]

As Jason said, clearing the waste a couple of times helps. With MDF it often sticks in the drill flutes and causes over-heating

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Colin C]

Hi Paul

One more tip is to put the drill in reverse it start the hole and you will be ok on the start as well, if you need to make sure

 

[Scrit]

The technique used on point-to-point borers and CNC routers and which I have experience of is to use a slow spiral 60 degree TCT V-point bit. These are specifically sold for through drilling of MF-MDF and veneered MDF without backing and produce a very clean exit when sharp, however, they require a minimum speed of 3,000 rpm to cut cleanly, come with a 10mm shank (in the main) and are only available in a limited range of sizes. They're also expensive (look at the Wealden site to see what I mean). If you are trying to drill out with a slow, jerky cordless drill you aren't going to get a clean exit hole, whatever kind of bit you use. There you go, Paul, my usual biased view...... :lol: Hope that helps

Scrit

 

[engineer one]

at last the optomistic, hopeful response i expected :twisted:

i think a different drillpoint angle may well be the answer
so thanks scrit :lol: :roll:

paul :wink:

 

[engineer one]

having been out and about all day, i have thought more about this,
and i guess that there is a different way to approach it.

i will try next time to drill the holes before i assemble the item, and
then drill on the pillar drill from both sides. this will be more accurate,
and should help with the break out. :twisted:

but what it does not help is when you have made something and
want to add casters afterwards. the break out comes because of the
way in which the veneers are glude to the core. :?

paul :wink: