The modern market offers customers a huge number of drills different types. Some of them are used exclusively for wooden structures, let's figure out how to choose them correctly and how to sharpen a wood drill in the best way.

Features of choosing a drill for wood

When it becomes necessary to choose the right drill, the first thing you need to pay attention to is the color. So, for example, each shade of the product is responsible for the type of final processing, which shows the life of the drill and its strength.

• The worst option can be considered gray products, which are not processed in any way and their performance parameters are quite low.
• The color can be golden, which indicates titanium coating and a fairly long service life.
• Black drills treated with steam during creation are no worse in performance.

In addition, it is worth carefully visually examining the object. If there are visible signs of deformation on it, then it is better not to use such a product. It is important to choose a drill without a single scratch or crack; its surface should be perfectly flat and smooth.

Types of wood drills

Types of wood drills

Usually high-quality drills are used experienced craftsmen who require various types products for creating holes in wood. These could be holes, for example, for tenons, bolts or dowels. Moreover, the drilling process itself can be very diverse in quality, which will lead to thoughts about how to properly sharpen the drill after use and whether it will have to be sharpened at all.

The most common types of drills today include: screw, spiral, feather, center, ring and Forstner drills.

Screw

If you need to drill wood across the grain, without once again asking yourself the question of how to properly sharpen a drill for wood, then it will come in handy screw drill with fine thread at the end. They can reach up to 50 millimeters in diameter. A special screw shape will help remove chips from the work site in a timely manner and thus not overheat the rod. Depending on the required hole depth, you can purchase drills longer than a centimeter, with a minimum size of 400 millimeters.

Screw drills for wood

Spiral

A spiral product can immediately be distinguished by a perfectly polished milled spiral with an edge that prevents any movement of the rod to the side during operation. It is thanks to the spiral shape that they can easily drill holes in veneer structures. The diameter of the corresponding drills reaches 52 millimeters, and the smallest can be found at 3 millimeters. In order to accurately target the intended drilling location, the tail of the product is equipped with a conical shape, which gives a lot of convenience.

If, when purchasing, the choice fell on twist drills, then you should always remember the relationship between the diameter of the product and maximum quantity rpm it can produce. Otherwise, the service life of the product will be sharply reduced. If you need to process hard wooden surfaces, it is better to set a maximum of 900 rpm with a drill diameter of 14 millimeters or less. But for soft wood, you can set the drilling tool to 1800 rpm.

Twist drill bit set for wood

Feathers

The most common type of drill is the feather drill. It is this that makes you think about how to sharpen a feather drill for wood, and is most often used in repair and construction work. It is the most convenient and has various options in diameter.

It has only one important drawback: this shape of the drill does not facilitate chip removal and the drilling process becomes significantly more complicated, especially when a hole with a large depth is needed. That is why experts recommend using this type of drill when working with wood boards or thick boards, where the drilling process will occur as efficiently as possible.

The situation can be corrected special kind tip of a feather drill or a similar product with an extension. This extension has a hexagonal shape and can be used for other types of drills. In this case, the diameter of the final hole can reach up to 52 millimeters.

Feather drills for wood

Center and ring

But center drills are useful for creating perfectly straight through holes in wooden surface. Typically, such products take the form of a 50 mm (minimum 12 mm) rod with a cutting edge at the bottom, reaching a length of up to 150 mm. Of course, it will not be possible to make deep enough holes. For this purpose, ring drills are suitable, which look similar to a crown or a ring with teeth. They are usually sold as a whole set in the form of attachments with a centering drill and a single base.

Forstner drills

When it comes to repairing or creating furniture, and not about thoughts with the question of how to sharpen a feather drill for wood, then you can immediately safely go for Forstner drills, which are best suited for this task. They allow you to drill completely blind holes with a perfectly flat bottom. In this case, the diameter of the product reaches from 10 to 50 millimeters. The drill itself is coated with a specialized alloy, which serves as protection and increases service life.

Forstner wood drill bit

Correct sharpening of the drill

Before you start directly sharpening an expensive and high-quality drill, you should try your skills on old, used products. Thus, if the result is negative, the old drill can always be used consumables. When your hand is full, you can switch to a new drill without fear.

For the most correct implementation drill sharpening and for wood, its geometric parameters should be observed. This means that it is important to maintain the factory sharpening angle. Sometimes the result can be just like this - perfectly sharpened for a hammer drill. The drill itself can be processed either manually or using an electric sharpener.

Device for sharpening drills at home

Manual sharpening

At manual sharpening A mild steel file is used. Moreover, it is worth starting the processing process with a tool with a wide notch pitch, processing both the cutting edge and reverse side. After this, you can bring the drill to perfect condition using a finely cut file.

Sharpening with an electric sharpener

When sharpening a drill occurs in “automatic” mode using an electric sharpener, it is very important to have a cold water(in a container or flow-through), since it is necessary to constantly cool the rod. This will keep the product from overheating and damage.

With this option, the drill should be sharpened on the edge of the sharpening disk.

Once the required drill geometry has been achieved, it is worth finishing the drill at low speeds.

Homemade drill sharpening machine

If you don’t have a sharpening machine at hand, you can easily make one yourself.

1. It is necessary to firmly install the grinder in a comfortable position. A stationary frame with a motor speed of up to 1500 rpm (with a power of 200 W) is also suitable.
2. Basis for homemade machine Thick plywood or wooden beams may well serve.
3. For more correct sharpening, it is necessary to eliminate any vibration of the engine and create conditions for a smooth transition to different speeds. To achieve this result, you can use an abrasive wheel.

Step-by-step instructions for sharpening a drill

The result of the above actions is specific scheme actions:

1. Guide the drill to the edge of the grinding machine disk.
2. Mandatory adherence to the factory sharpening angle of 95 degrees.
3. To improve the quality of sharpening, the drill should be secured in a washer, the rear edges of which should be tucked a couple of millimeters.
4. Once sharpening is completed, it is worth continuing work at lower speeds.
5. After this, you can cool the sharpened product and test it for functionality.

When sharpening a drill, it is important to understand that a person must have very good eyesight. Therefore for best result It is necessary to organize high-quality lighting of the work place. If the rules are strictly followed, a sharpened drill will last a very long time and will always be a “savior” during repair or construction work.

1. Pros and cons
2. Dimensions
3. Operating rules
4. Selection rules

The feather drill for wood is very popular among craftsmen in carpentry thanks to its high performance, in which it is unlikely to be compared with standard twist drills for a similar purpose. Drilling feathers do an excellent job of forming holes with a diameter of 5 to 60 mm, not only when working on wood, but also when processing other materials (chipboard , MDF , plastic, drywall, etc.). As for the cleanliness of the cut, it is not ideal here, so perka is in most cases used to perform rough processes. Feather drills have an elongated body-rod with a cutting tip and a hex shank.

Your name carpentry jig with a central tip and a pair of incisors branching off from it, it was obtained thanks to the special shape of the working part, made in the form of a feather. Spade drills come in both single- and double-sided types, and perform cuts in one or two directions, respectively. A sample with a one-sided cutter has a cut angle of 75-90°, while a double-sided drill this parameter equal to 120-135°.

Pros and cons

One of the main advantages of feather drills is their affordable price. If we compare them with cylinder drills, then the pen models have a large range of working areas, while the cost of such samples is several times less. The length of the tool is 15 cm, but the hole can be deepened by 30 mm by using a special extension.

The wood tip drill has a simple configuration, thanks to which it can be sharpened without problems both on professional equipment and manually, and you do not need a special expensive sharpener, but a regular file will be enough. In practice, craftsmen use such drills quite widely, drilling with them not only wood material, but also thin sheet metal. The hexagonal shank of the product allows you to tightly fix the drill in the power tool chuck, completely eliminating its rotation.

Along with the advantages, feather drills also have disadvantages, and first of all this concerns the limitation of the cutting diameter, since the maximum groove in diameter here will be no more than 60 mm. Drilling process in in this case is carried out exclusively with end-point sharpened cutters, while the rounded sides of the tool, when in contact with the edges of the groove, leave small wood fibers on them. Because of this feature, the surface of the hole becomes rough and takes on a not very neat appearance. Another disadvantage of the perka drill is that the tool quickly becomes dull and requires re-sharpening.

Dimensions

Depending on the nature of the work, craftsmen purchase individual copies or a complete set of feathers, which usually includes the most popular nozzles of the following diameters: 25 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm and 60 mm. It is precisely these diameters of joinery that will allow you to cope with standard tasks when forming various holes. If you need to cut a groove with a diameter of more than 60 mm, it is better not to purchase feather drills, as they will not be able to cover large area material and drilling will not be correct.

Operating rules

To ensure that the drill bit does not become deformed during operation and that the work is completed correctly, it is necessary to follow the basic rules for its use. Before starting drilling, craftsmen recommend marking the place where the hole will be formed and using a core to make a small indentation at a given point. Whenever possible, when working with pen-shaped drills, it is better to use a drill with variable speed control. The thing is that in this case the diameter of the pen is directly dependent on the cutting speed: than larger size cutter, the lower the shaft rotation number should be, and vice versa. If you neglect this rule, you may encounter an unpleasant moment when high speed This will cause rapid wear of the cutters or the drill will simply break.

If you need to drill deep holes, initially purchase a special extension. Such an auxiliary device, installed on feather drills for wood, is equipped with a locking element, which is clamped using a 3 mm hexagon, making the cutter itself and its extension turn into a single part.

To correctly outline the contour of the groove at the beginning of drilling, set the minimum rotation mode of the drill shaft; for this, it is recommended to use an adjustable power tool. The spindle drill must be installed on the surface of the workpiece strictly perpendicularly, with moderate pressure applied to it. Please note that due to design features during drilling, sawdust is not thrown upward, as is the case with Forstner drills, so do not forget to periodically stop work and remove chips from the groove.

Selection rules

All companies that produce carpentry tools produce feather drills, so to select a quality sample, do not be lazy to familiarize yourself with the following product parameters:

• configuration - must be symmetrical;
• cutting elements must be smooth, which indicates the decent quality of the factory model;
• the absence of any defects on the drills is mandatory, since chips and all kinds of irregularities are more likely to be characteristic of handicraft products.

In addition to the signs listed above, pay attention to the color of the pen drill, because it can tell a lot about the quality of the metal. If the cutting element in front of you is steel-colored with a gray tint, then it did not lend itself to additional processing that improves the quality of the drill. Dark metal indicates that manufacturers strengthened the product with steam, thereby increasing the strength of the nozzle.

If the drill is produced using a special technology that involves removing material by internal pressure, the metal will acquire a golden color. The highest quality factory drills have a bright golden color, which is typical for products coated with a layer of titanium nitride. This coating significantly increases operational period tool by enhancing its strength characteristics, which means that with its help you can drill grooves longer, and a mandrel for feather drills will be needed much less often.

Properly sharpening the tool

The feather drill is the easiest to maintain, and you can sharpen it without any problems with your own hands at home, and this can be done using a flat file. If you have it in stock sharpening machine, then the process will go even easier. Before sharpening a dull nib, carefully inspect new tool, which is good for checking the shape of the cutters when editing them. Special attention Pay attention to the tip - it is turned exclusively in the center. Even the slightest deviation relative to the axis will negatively affect the drilling progress and the wood will not be processed properly.

If there is significant deformation working area tool, there is no point in restoring it, since the efforts made are not worth the result, which is unlikely to be ideal, and the cost of a new piece of joinery allows you to change it whenever necessary. In the video you can view the option of sharpening a feather drill and apply it in practice.

Drilling wood is one of the most common tasks in repair and construction, but it’s not always possible to purchase a high-quality wood drill. Therefore, it is very important to know how to choose a good tool and be able to sharpen a dull product!

Modern drills are often sold with a set of different drill bits, however, basically, it is always the same type of product, just different lengths and diameter. So you have to choose for yourself types of drills woodworking that meets all your needs. Of course, such a set should include a twist drill for wood; products are presented in a wide range - from 3 to 52 mm in diameter! Good tool this kind should have an edge, thanks to which it will not slip off the surface.

Products with a diameter of 10 mm or more must have a hexagonal shank so as not to rotate during operation. It is also important to know what number of revolutions when drilling should correspond to a particular tool diameter. For example, if you are dealing with small products up to 14 mm, you should set no more than 1700-1800 rpm for soft wood and half as much when drilling hard wood. When working with tools with a diameter of 16 to 25 mm, on hard rocks you should stick to 500 revolutions; the speed can be increased three times when drilling soft rocks.

The larger the diameter, the lower the speed - by observing this ratio, you will extend the service life of the product for a long time! When choosing tools, pay attention to the color of the metal - if it is ordinary gray, then such a product has not been subjected to any additional processing, and accordingly it will not last long. Black color indicates very hot steam treatment, and yellow inherent in products that are treated with titanium nitride, which increases their service life significantly.

Long wood drills are very dependent on their diameter. You will not find thin and at the same time long products - the thinner the tool, the shorter, otherwise it may break even with light pressure. So, a ten-millimeter drill can be up to 45 cm long, while a twelve-millimeter drill can be up to 60! Of course, it is absolutely not necessary to buy such long ones, unless you are dealing with drilling holes in thick beams.

Of course, you must maintain a healthy relationship between the capabilities of the drill itself and the dimensions of the drill, because a product with a length of 45 cm and a diameter of 52 mm will weigh almost 3 kilograms! An ordinary household drill will barely turn it even when idle! Experienced builders When working with such “giants”, even low-speed drill-mixers are used!

However, there is a trade-off between the ability to drill holes large diameter and the weight of the drill! Products of this type are called feather products, since drilling occurs due to the “feather” required diameter at the end of a long rod. On the market you will find tools from 10 to 55 mm. True, this compromise option also has significant disadvantages compared to the same spiral ones - they do not have a chip outlet, which greatly complicates the process of working with deep holes. Most often, these are used for drilling not very thick boards, as well as fiberboard and chipboard, so they are produced up to 15-20 cm in length. True, there are also extensions with which you can make holes up to 40 cm deep!

Typically, these tools have a hex shank to ensure a firmer fit in the chuck. This option is perfect for holes under door locks. But you can work with them even with not very powerful tools, and they are much cheaper in price than spiral ones - sometimes the difference is 5-10 times! Recommended rotation speed when drilling for hard wood with tools up to 25 mm is 1500 rpm, if drills of a larger diameter are reduced to 1000. Soft wood can be drilled at 1500-2000 rpm.

Forstner drills are especially popular among furniture makers because they can be used to drill blind hole with a flat, even and smooth bottom. That is why such drills are often called plug drills, although in fact this definition does not quite suit them, because there are special products of a different design just for drilling plugs.

The diameter of the products is presented in the range from 10 to 50 mm. Quite often, the cutting edges are made of hard alloys, which significantly increases the service life of the product. As a rule, such drills are up to 10 cm in length, although with the help of extensions this parameter can be tripled. In operation, recommended speeds for soft wood range from 2500 rpm to 1000 rpm for large diameters, whereas hard rocks It is recommended to drill at fairly low speeds. For example, for tools with a diameter of 15 mm, it is recommended to set no more than 500 rpm.

The external resemblance to a crown gave rise to another name for such products - crowns. Their most important advantage is the ability to make holes of large diameters, which cannot be made even by the largest spiral or feather drills. The crowns look like a ring with teeth and are usually sold in sets, like attachments on one base, inside of which there is a centering drill. Of course, you can’t make very deep holes like this - ordinary models are capable of cutting through material up to 22 mm, professional ones - up to 64 mm. In addition, such tools are effective when working with plastic and drywall.

It wouldn't hurt to note one more thing unusual look– termite drills, or as they are called in professional language, milling drills. Thanks to the characteristic appearance such products cannot be confused with anything - they have a monolithic tip, like a conventional twist drill, and a core with many cutting edges. With the help of such tools, not only drilling is performed, but also milling - first we drill, and then we go in the right direction. You can work with milling products on both wood and plastic. Their diameter does not exceed 12 mm.

From the author: Hello, dear masters! Many people who frequently exercise construction work, deal with a variety of drills that sometimes require sharpening. This element can be used for a long period of time, but sometimes there comes a time when it begins to work worse. Then a person may have a question about how to sharpen a wood drill.

People who have never done such an activity find it difficult. But those who have repeatedly resorted to sharpening tools know that this process is quite simple.

Features and types of wood drills

So, first you need to figure out what this item is. Many people know that for quality work with any material a special variety is required construction tools, this also applies to .

This item is divided into several types, each of which is used for different categories of work. The following modifications are distinguished:

• feather (feather). This type drills are used to drill holes of medium diameter - up to twenty-five millimeters. Typically, this element is used when the accuracy of the geometric parameters and the quality of the hole made are not important. It is not very expensive and, among other things, very easy to use;
• spiral (screw) - the working part of such a drill is somewhat reminiscent of an auger; it is used for drilling holes of small diameter. The design is practical in that the process removes wood chips very well. And, in addition to the above, the screw drill accurately and efficiently fulfills its role;
• screw- a variation of the previous option. Designed for working with wood, but the peculiarity is that it drills against the grain;
• Lewis drill- subspecies of auger. It has a serpentine shape. The diameter of the drilled holes is from ten to sixty millimeters;
• crowned- designed for making holes of larger diameter;
• Forstner drill- this item helps to make a hole with a bottom. This is its difference from previous types - it is not intended for through drilling. When working with such an element, the bottom turns out to be perfectly flat.

What you need to know before you start sharpening

Sharpening is quite important process, affecting the subsequent operation of the tool. But it's important to know that you don't need to sharpen it if you don't need to. This is a waste of time and effort (especially when sharpening by hand). That is why it is necessary to become familiar with the signs that a tool has become dull.

Firstly, it quickly heats up during operation, becomes deformed and interferes with its normal use. This is one of the signs that it is time to sharpen.

Secondly, if during the process it feels like the holes are taking much longer to drill than before, then it is worth examining the drill for dullness.

And finally, thirdly, the hole made is too uneven. This is probably one of the most important signs indicating the need for sharpening.

Sharpening methods

It's time to get closer to the main question - what is the right way? There are two available ways to do this:

• using a file;
• electric machine.

Performing the procedure with a file is more problematic and time-consuming, so many people prefer electric machine. But some are conservative and use exclusively manual methods.

The disadvantage of the machine is that the tool will have to be cooled frequently (during sharpening it will heat up too much, which can lead to deformation). With a file this problem will not arise, but as mentioned above, the process will take much longer.

Using an electric machine

To begin with, it is worth clarifying that this process will be quite difficult for those who have never sharpened before. If you are one of these people, then try to practice and sharpen an already worn out tool that you have not used for a long time. Only after a little training will you get an idea of ​​how things are going with the process. You can get down to business directly.

The work is painstaking - one extra movement can ruin the instrument, which you, of course, do not want. Therefore, it is very important to follow the instructions below, it will help you complete the procedure most correctly.

During execution, you need to follow several rules that will ensure you a good outcome:

• place a container with cold water- it will be useful for cooling an overheated drill;
• 45 degrees - this is the most correct angle. Therefore, try to keep the element in this position;
• the drill is installed on the edge of the machine disk - this is the most correct option;
• if you want sharpening to be carried out most accurately, then place the element in the washer - this way you will be confident that the work will go smoothly;
• the rear edges of the drill must be turned a few millimeters and then ensure their evenness;
• the bridge of the tool should be thin, this will provide you with the greatest ease of operation;
• after the process is almost complete, slow down the machine speed a little and continue sharpening;
• After finishing, cool the finished item with water, make sure it works properly. If this is not the case, then continue the process until the instrument is in optimal condition.

Practical training

If you feel that you are unable to sharpen the tool correctly, then you should practice more. This can be done through a lot of practice - take a few drills that you no longer use and try to sharpen them correctly. Through trial and error, you can learn to perform the procedure perfectly.

Tool sharpening is not complex process, although some think otherwise. Many online resources describe in detail and even show the steps of this process. Here you can watch a video that very accurately shows exactly how to sharpen a drill.

The video shows how to sharpen correctly. By following the man's instructions, you can get the job done efficiently. The tool should turn out the same as it was purchased. Only if the procedure is correctly performed will you be able to use it in the same way as before.

If you make a mistake, you will have to throw away the drill. But everyone makes mistakes, so don’t be upset if you weren’t able to sharpen your tool the first time. Every person learns from their mistakes. The main thing is not to quit unfinished work because something doesn’t work out for you.

In order to learn how to perform an action with the highest quality, try to get involved in the process as much as possible, to understand how it works. Only competent consideration of every detail can lead you to success.