Often, when working with wood and materials based on it, it becomes necessary to drill an even round hole. You can use a jigsaw or a router, but such a tool is not always at hand or it is simply inconvenient to do the job with them. A ballerina on a tree can make the task easier.
What is a ballerina on wood
Circular adjustable drill "ballerina" - a device that is designed for drilling round holes large diameter... The tool has simple design... It is a shank with a transverse bar on which movable carriages with cutters are fixed. The rod has a marking, according to which you can set the necessary spread of the incisors relative to the center of the intended hole. A core drill is fixed in the middle of the shank. It serves as a centering element and support for drilling.
In addition to designs with two cutting elements located symmetrically, there are ballerinas with one cutter or even three. In the latter case, they are located on the base in the form of a disc with grooves.
Tool functionality
A high-quality ballerina is made of high-strength steel, which makes it possible to use the device in work with soft and hard rocks wood.
This tool has an adjustable drilling diameter. This makes it possible to make holes of almost any diameter. The limitation of the drilling range depends on the size of the ballerina. Manufacturers produce fixtures with the following cutter range:
- from 30 to 120 mm;
- from 40 to 200 mm;
- from 40 to 300 mm;
- from 40 to 400 mm.
The maximum drilling diameter is limited by the bar on which the cutters are attached. Minimum - shank thickness.
The drill-ballerina can be used in any places where the use of a jigsaw or hand router will be uncomfortable. For example, this can be assembled and installed furniture, in which you need to drill a neat hole, taking into account the limited space. Another example is an uneven (curved or concave) surface. It is unlikely that it will work out smoothly and neatly with a jigsaw or a milling cutter. It will be difficult to control the tilt of the tool relative to the surface. A ballerina can easily cope with such a task.
Features of working with the tool
The principle of working with a circular drill is simple. A hole is drilled with a centering drill, and then the cutters are included in the work. They gradually make a narrow groove, gradually cutting through the material in a circle to the full depth.
The materials used in working with the ballerina are various: wood, fiberboard, chipboard, MDF, drywall, plastic. One common point - the thickness of the part should be no more than 15-20 millimeters. This parameter is limited by the length of the cutters. Usually the manufacturer indicates the maximum drilling depth on the packaging. When trying to drill thicker material, problems with ragged edges may occur.
Runout is typical for single-cut tools. This is caused by the lack of balancing with respect to the longitudinal axis of the drilling. Runout will be felt especially when cutting large diameter holes. Cut holes with a drill at low to medium speeds. When working on drilling machine there are no such problems.
Also, inconvenience during work can be caused by a laminated or veneered surface. After passing through the decorative layer, drilling proceeds without problems.
Feature circular drill the possibility of adjusting the diameter can be considered. The distance between the incisors can be set on a scale on the bar or more precisely using a vernier caliper. This is convenient if you need to make a hole without gaps for a pipe or a round piece.
The spacing of the cutters from the center can be adjusted separately. It is necessary to position the cutting parts as accurately as possible. This will get rid of extra effort during operation and will extend the service life of the tool.
How to choose the right one and what to look for
Choosing a good quality circular drill is easy enough. The main thing is to know the main points to which you should pay attention first of all, but also not to lose sight of the little things.
Construction, very important point: a ballerina on wood comes with one chisel or two or more. For frequent use, it is better to purchase an option with two or three cutting elements. It is easier to work with such devices and the quality of the processing performed will be at an acceptable level.
The possibility of replacement will not be superfluous separate parts... Inexpensive circular drills can have a one-piece shank with a fixed center drill and rod.
Metal, strength and ability to withstand working loads depend on its quality. Quality tool made of high-strength steel or alloys. Shank and tool holders are machine-shaped. The rod is usually stamped and made of the same metal.
Low-cost options often use soft metals or alloys that can be brittle. Under load, parts can deform or collapse. Such a tool will not last long and it will also be difficult to achieve accuracy from it.
Workmanship, the main feature is the absence of backlash and distortions. All parts must fit together and securely fastened with fixing screws.
The markings of the bar of a high-quality ballerina are stamped. Sometimes the divisions are highlighted with bright paint for better visibility.
Cutters, high-quality cutting elements are made of hardened tool steel. On the holders, they are fastened with rivets or by soldering. Solid cutters with holders (made of the same metal) quickly become dull and are not durable.
The manufacturer, when choosing any tool and consumables, preference should be given to well-known and long-proven brands and brands. The most common are Topfix, Stayer, Irwin, Strum.
Buying an adjustable rotary drill for home use, or drilling multiple holes if necessary, pays off. This eliminates the need to purchase an expensive tool that may only be needed a few times.
For quality execution even such a simple procedure as drilling holes in wood products requires the right mode and the appropriate tool. When choosing a drill for wood, one should take into account the characteristics of both the material being processed and the hole that needs to be made. On modern market there is a wide variety of drills designed for making holes in wood, so choosing a tool for solving certain technological problems will not be difficult.
Main types
The main parameter, depending on which the drill is divided into different kinds, is the design of the working part. On this basis, wood drilling tools can fall into one of the following categories.
FeathersDrills of this type are used to make holes in wood with an average diameter of up to 25 mm. It is advisable to use such a tool in cases where not too strict requirements are imposed on the accuracy of the geometric parameters, as well as on the quality of the holes. Among the most significant advantages of pen drills are low cost and ease of maintenance.
Crown type tools are designed for drilling large holes. In their own way design wood crowns resemble a metal glass with a shank, on the working end of which cutting teeth are made. When such a drill rotates, its cutting teeth, interacting with the workpiece, cut a circle of the required diameter on its surface.
Spiral
Twist drills for wood are also called twist drills. Their working part resembles an auger. They are used for drilling small holes in wood. Due to the special design of the screw-type drills, when using them, chips are effectively removed from the processing area. The twist drill also provides high precision and exclusively high quality the processing performed.
These are tools, with the help of which, in products made of wood, they create not through, but blind holes with a perfectly flat bottom. In addition, if you use such a drill for wood with additional devices, can be drilled into wooden product square hole.
With the help of such tools, it is possible not only to drill wood, but also to make grooves of various configurations in wood products. Drills of this type are most often used in cases where it is required to perform complex processing wooden parts, but in order to drill regular hole, use a twist drill, nib or crown tool.
Milling drills are designed for drilling a round hole and its subsequent boring to the desired shape. Used when working with wood and thin metal
The shank of drills designed for wood processing is usually cylindrical, but manufacturers also produce them with a different shank configuration. So, on the modern market you can buy drills for woodworking, the shanks of which can be:
- triangular, optimally suitable for fixing in a three-jaw chuck (a tool with a triangular shank is ideally transmitted torque, and even very significant loads are not able to turn it in the chuck);
- hex (it is possible to install tools with such shanks in both a standard and a three-jaw chuck, but at the same time there is a very high risk of turning the drill when exposed to serious loads);
- tapered (tools with this type of shank are used mainly for equipping production equipment);
- square (rarely used shank form, which, however, provide high stability of the tool against turning in the chuck).
Areas of use and design features
As mentioned above, in order to properly drill a product made of wood, it is very important to choose the right drill bit. With this choice, it is necessary to take into account both the characteristics of the material to be processed (in particular, its hardness) and the type of hole that needs to be made. That is why home craftsmen and specialists whose activities are related to processing wooden blanks, it is very important to understand both the varieties and functionality drills for wood.
Twist (twist) drills
The spiral, or screw, drill can be produced with two types of working tips: conical and with special cutters. If we compare both types in terms of their effectiveness, then it is practically on the same level. However, they differ in the load taken by the tool in the process of woodworking. So, in the design of the working head of a drill with a cutter there is a jumper, which causes significant loads transmitted to the entire body of the tool. They are devoid of such a drawback, which, in addition, are much better centered on the surface of the workpiece. The cone head enters the material immediately, and the drill does not drift away. Meanwhile, twist drills with cutters, due to the peculiarities of their design, allow you to create holes in the tree with higher accuracy.
Drilling wood with a spiral tool allows you to get precise and accurate holes with even edges and a smooth surface of the inner walls. You can use tools of this type for drilling wood of any species and almost any hardness, as well as materials made on its basis (chipboard, MDF, plywood, etc.). If the drill is buried in the workpiece at a low speed, there will be no need for frequent removal of the tool from the hole being created to remove accumulated chips.
When designing and manufacture of drills screw, great attention is paid to their geometric parameters. This includes, in particular, the angle of inclination of the helical groove, as well as the ratio of the dimensions of the elements of the working part in the cross section. The angle of inclination of the helical groove and the degree of roughness of its working surface affect the efficiency of chip removal during processing. The geometry of the cross-section of the working part determines strength characteristics drill.
The most vulnerable from the point of view of breakage are long drills for wood, the diameter of which does not exceed 3 mm. The risk of breakage increases with wrong selection drilling modes, as well as inaccurate use of the tool. All wood drills that are long should be handled with great care. A long drill, with any cross-sectional size, is used to create holes that are 20–30 times deeper than their diameter.
Lewis auger drills are also classified as spiral drills, which are used to make deep holes of significant diameter in wood. Structural elements that make up such auger drill, is a massive spiral (auger) encircling the central shaft of the tool.
In order for such a drill to be immersed in the workpiece material in set point, there is a threaded tip on its working part. Since the outer surface of the auger is processed to mirror shine, the inner walls of the hole to be made are also ideally smooth. One more distinctive feature the design of this woodworking tool is small angle the slope of the groove through which the chips are removed from the machining area.
The spiral type tool for drilling wood is available in a wide range of working diameters. If it is necessary to drill holes of large diameter, you should carefully consider the choice of equipment with which the drill will be used. In these cases, it is necessary to use a low-speed device, and not a conventional drill, which is not designed to work with a large diameter tool.
Pen type drills
For making deep holes of large diameter, the accuracy of dimensions and quality of which does not apply too much high requirements, inexpensive feather drills can be used. They are produced in the range of diameters 10–60 mm and various (including significant) lengths. If the pen drill is not long enough to make a deep hole in the tree, it can be extended using a special extension. However, when using such a device, which allows you to increase the processing depth by another 30 cm, you should be extremely careful, since the junction of the tool and the extension cord is not very rigid.
When drilling holes in wood with feather drills, you should also not exert strong pressure on the tool, which is a rather fragile structure.
Forstner drills
Only a Forstner drill can handle such a difficult technological task as drilling flat-bottom holes in wood products. His cutting edges located on the rim and side surface. Thanks to this design, the fibers of the wood to be cut are trimmed even before the main blades of the drill come into contact with them, which contributes to obtaining a hole with even edges and a smooth inner surface.
We continue to deal with the equipment with which you can work on wood. In general, you can drill a tree with different drills, in the last article we analyzed the efficiency, figured out how and where it is recommended to use it.
There are a great many types of drills for wood, and very often it happens that they are ideal for some work, but not at all for others. That's why House master must understand how and how to drill a tree. Today's article will be about a twist drill, also called a spiral drill.
It is for wood and will help out in cases where it is necessary to drill a deep hole. For example, you have a log house through which you need to stretch water pipe or a bundle of cables. And only a twist drill can handle thick wood. Of course, nothing prevents you from trying to use the usual one, however, as I said, it is inconvenient for them to drill and it is not a fact that they will be able to do the work to the end.
As you can see, the tip is made in the form of a thin thread, which helps to perfectly screw the drill into initial stage drilling. Chips are ejected at the expense of the helical edges (like any drill or bead), so drilling is easy. The shank is most often 6-sided, so the tool is securely fastened in the chuck of a drill or screwdriver.
It is necessary to work with such a drill at low speeds, therefore it is best to use with speed control or a powerful screwdriver with a high tightening torque.
But it is best, if possible, to use a slow-speed drill with a speed of up to 800 (I recommend a rebir drill).
The most common use of such equipment is considered to be the fastening of logs. We are often visited by workers who assemble log cabins and buy "spirals" with a diameter of 25-28-30 mm and a length of 450-600 mm. As you know, in order to fasten the logs together, you need to drill them from above and insert iron reinforcement into the hole made. It is very important that the hole is drilled deeply, which is why a long drill is needed.
The length range is as follows:
- 220 mm
- 450 mm
- 600 mm (the most demanded).
To make holes in a tree with a diameter of 30 mm to a depth of 600 mm, you need a very powerful power tool, so we recommend using a drill of at least 1000 watts (and that is hardly enough), as well as screwdrivers with a torque of at least 36 Nm. Of course, the most preferable option is a low-speed drill, which has a power of 1200 watts, for such work you cannot imagine better. It is very powerful and can easily roll such a thick drill through solid wood.
The prices for such "consumables" are rather big, at least it is much more expensive than Forstner's pen and drills. For example, 22 * 600 costs around 300 rubles. And the thickest come with a price tag for a piece of rubles. They are taken only when you need to drill a hole in the log house under sewer pipe etc.
However, if you consider that the drill is powerful and heavy, it performs specific work, then you should not bother about the price. Because all the same, nothing else can drill through 3 logs at once.
Imagine a situation: you need to drill a large round hole in a log or tree that is in the forest or in another place where there is no way to connect to electricity (or corny there is no electric drill and a suitable bit). How to be?
There is one way you can drill big hole in a tree and a log without using a power tool, using only the strength of the hands. However, to do this, you first need to make a simple device.
The first step is to make a homemade wood drill. To do this, cut off a piece of suitable size. steel pipe... The diameter is selected depending on the diameter of the hole to be drilled, and the length, respectively, on the depth. Then the cutting teeth are set.
The main stages of work
In the end part homemade drill it is necessary to drill a hole for an M12 stud or another diameter (depending on the used pipe diameter). After that, we cut off a piece of the stud of the required length and weld a self-tapping screw or screw to it at the end. The more it is, the better.
It is necessary to weld 2 metal rods (round or square) to the top of the pipe to make it easier to turn the drill. More rods can be welded if required.
Drilling a hole with a feather drill
At first glance, when there is a question about how to drill a hole in wood, most people do not have doubts: just think, wood is not metal and it is easy to drill. Yes, this is partly true if you want to make not a hole in the wood, but a banal hole. And in order to properly and efficiently drill a hole in the wood, you need to heed the advice of processing masters wooden structures, who are also called wood modelers.
Rules for drilling holes in wood
The rules are definitely simple, but following them will help you save your time, nerves and expendable materials in the form of wooden blanks and ready-made parts. So, what you need to pay attention to:
- Before drilling, you need to accurately mark the place for the hole.
- Choose the right one cutting tool... This refers to drills for working with wood, countersinks, pen drills with a drill depth stop and ring cutters of the required diameter.
- When drilling, the tool (basically a drill) must be kept strictly vertical.
- Use drills designed for a specific material only.
- Wooden parts must be firmly fixed in a vice.
- The cutting tool should be pressed firmly, but with even pressure.
Drilling techniques in wood
Screw head hole countersink
Let's start drilling simple holes for a screw or. These are usually small holes and can be easily drilled. The only thing that needs to be done is to countersink the hole before drilling, that is, to unfold the surface of the wood under the screw head. To do this, firmly fix the wood and make a recess in it with a countersink slightly larger than the height of the screw head or self-tapping screw. After that, firmly pressing the drill of the required diameter to the surface, drill the hole you need.
There are situations when you need to drill a "blind" hole for a spike connection. For this you need to use nib drill with a stop that fits on the drill according to the size of the drilling depth
It is more difficult to make holes in large diameter wood, since the use of conventional cylindrical drills cleaves the surface of the material, spoiling it appearance... To successfully cope with this task, pen drills and annular cutters are used.
Drilling with feather drills
Drill bit
For successful work when drilling feather drills clamp the wood firmly in a vise and press the tip of the drill bit against the surface of the material. Then drill (at low speed) the hole until the tip of the drill appears at the bottom of the wood. Stop drilling and remove the pen drill from the hole, then turn the wood over, hold it in a vise and drill the hole on the other side. This will prevent the bar from splitting when drilling.
Hole drilling
Annular cutter for wood
An annular cutter is used for drilling holes in wood with a diameter of more than 38 mm. Drilling begins with a small-diameter pilot drill, which is structurally connected to the cutter in one piece. This lead serves as a guide for the annular cutter.
Here are some tips from professionals to help you when drilling holes in wood:
a) for vertical drilling, you can set the square parallel to the drill;
b) if you often have to do carpentry work, purchase a special stand for a drill, which allows you to hold the tool strictly vertically and controls the depth of the holes;
c) be sure to use a vice when drilling to avoid wood splitting;
d) so that the outlet does not have chips, place it under wooden detail waste block and drill them together. This is especially applicable when making holes in a thin board;
e) if you do not have a drilling depth gauge, wrap the drill in the place of limitation with bright electrical tape or molar tape.