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RWW 91 Boring Straight and True

I’ll bet you thought I forgot about the hand tool tip series. Nope just had some other things in the pipeline first. I’ll be getting back to the Queen Anne Table shortly too but I still have some editing to do on that footage. Let’s just say I’m happy with how it came out. Today I share a little tip on keeping your holes straight and square using a brace and bit.

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Tico Vogt

Hi Shannon,

In timber framing there is quite a bit of deep boring work with augurs. I learned from Jack Sobon that, when the lead screw just breaks through the opposite face, you then drill from that face back through the hole 1/8″ and get a nice clean exit hole. That’s faster than clamping on a block to prevent the blowout.

Years ago I was working on someone’s house and found in the wall cavity an entire collection of augur bits in a canvas roll that some workman had closed sealed off for a future generation!

Shannon

Great point Tico and I probably should have mentioned that in this episode but since I wasn’t concerned about blow out on the bottom of the bench I didn’t think about it. Good tip.

Aluminum Extrusions

Great video! It sounds like swing smaller would be a read pain. I bet the holes turn out wonderful with this tool compared to a standard drill! Great instructional!

Cando

Nice demo. It’s probably easier to get the hole perfectly lined up the way you do it compared to a power drill.

Daniel

Cool video. Was that REM playing in the background?

    Shannon

    Daniel, that is actually the Smiths playing in the background. I do have some REM on that playlist somewhere though.

The Newage Neanderthal

Shannon,
I just recently got a box of #4 -#16 Irwin pattern bits off of Craigslist. I know the difference in those and the jennings as for as design, but what about use. Do you prefer one over the other, or is it just whatever you have?

    Shannon

    I have mostly worked with Irwin bits so I can’t honestly compare. My Jennings Pattern experience is less than an hour work but I didn’t really see any difference. Supposedly the Irwin pattern will clear chips better but that remains to be seen for me. So the easy answer is probably, “whatever you have”

Harvey

Very useful, thanks. Is 3/4″ the standard diameter for dogs and holdfasts? And I’ve got to ask: how did you drill the impressive row of holes in the front of your bench? Would buying a power drill and a drill bit that could drill such a deep wide hole would be more expensive than getting a vintage brace and a 3/4″ bit off eBay?