How to properly drill 2 holes for drawer pulls?

[dennis thompson]

I am trying to install drawer pulls on 3 drawers for a library table I have made. The drawer pull has two holes in it. How do I line up & drill the holes for the pulls so they are centered on the drawer?
Thanks
Dennis

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Dennis - use a small piece of scrap to make a 'template'. Put the pull on the scrap (parallel to an edge) and mark where the two screwholes should go; measure the distance between the marks to find the midpoint. Scribe lines from the screwholes and the midpoint to the edge of the scrap, and voila - instant template. Now just mark out the centerline on the drawer face, and line up the centerlines on the drawer and template and you will be able to mark where the screwholes should go.

[Steve Griffin]

For three drawers, I wouldn't horse around with a template, especially if they are at different heights.

Grab a combo square, a tape measure, calculator and mark your hole location.

For more than a few drawers, I still wouldn't horse around with a template. See attached tool which is one of the best purchases I ever made.

[Bill Huber]

I use on of these and put a T-Track on so it is like the other one. It works very well and once set it really fast to put on the pulls.

This is the one I got.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5877&filter=pull template

Then with some T-Track I had I made it work like this.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16411&filter=pull template

[Robert Chapman]

OK Steve - where did you get it and how much did it cost?

[Bill Huber]

OK Steve - where did you get it and how much did it cost?

This is the one I was looking at but I just could not see the money for my needs. The thing I really like about it was the self centering I think that would be really nice.

http://woodworker.com/fullpres.asp?PARTNUM=892-834&LARGEVIEW=ON

[Bruce Wrenn]

WoodSmith #165, page 4 has a drawer pull drilling guide that was submitted as a tip. Looks cool. Perhaps someone here can scan it for you.

[scott vroom]

Tape measure, pencil, square.

[Steve Griffin]

OK Steve - where did you get it and how much did it cost?

Robert--I got it from a hardware supplier, here it is on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/True-Position-TP-1934-Basic-Hardware/dp/B003E46SVO/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

The price has gone up since I bought it last year, and it's probably not worth it for most hobbyist.

On the the other hand, cutting knob install time in half for the rest of your woodworking life is worth a lot.

[Dan Bowman]

Some cabinet pulls are not centered on the two screw posts, so if you use a center point and mark your holes symmetrically, your handles will be off. DAMHIKT

[Mark P. Miller]

Liberty makes these little templates that can be handy to have around for things like this. Cheap too. I've bought them from the depot.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=liberty+drawer+template&hl=en&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS392US392&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1067&bih=736&ix=hcb&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=9740839624879779374&sa=X&ei=gm46T-7SFcrRiAKe5eCTDA&ved=0CFUQ8wIwAQ

[frank shic]

i use the self-centering SH drawer pull drilling jig but it ain't cheap...

[Edward A Miller]

It's really difficult to improve on the accuracy of a 'proven pattern' made from a scrap of wood. Not only are you (1) recycling what might have otherwise been a throw-a-way piece of wood, but the template (2) can include an edge guide by simply attaching a block that will locate off an edge of the drawer, say the top. This can be attached with glue or with double-sided tape to eliminate a mis-measured tape & pencil layout. The template (3) can also easily be marked* as such for future use. I find that a real benefit of a 'drill guide' is that I can drill holes in it on the drill press thru the template so that if using a hand drill, (4) the thicker piece of wood template helps to guide the drill and provide a hole that goes straight thru the workpiece.

*Anytime you create a special template, write on it what it was used for and assign a date as well. I put a 5/8" hole in most templates and shop patterns so they can be hung; doesn't take up a lot or room and they can easily be found later. Occasionally I'll have help in the shop and it's richly rewarding to discover years later a template long forgotten made by someone else...............; (at which point) I can't remember not smiling!

FWIW: Being a commercial jig builder, one of the first templates I designed was a handle pattern. It had to be strong enough to appropriately support the weight of a jig, had to have a 'finger hole' large enough for everyday use (outdoors with gloves) and stylish enough not to 'feel' uncomfortable or interfere with the operation on the jig. The handles are made and stocked by the dozens and used for in-shop use as well. Yes, an attachment drill template compliments the pattern!. I have found that home-made handles provide a golden opportunity for a woodworker to 'sign' a project! Enjoy your project.

[Alan Schaffter]

A couple of ways. I lot of guys buy or make a simple drilling guide- a piece of MDF or ply with stops so the guide aligns to the drawer front and drilled with a pair of properly spaced drill guide holes.

Another way is to draw horizontal and vertical centerlines on all drawer fronts and use a compass set to half the hole spacing and swing it to both sides.

Another way is to draw a vertical line for the left hand or right hand screw hole on all drawer fronts, mark the horizontal centerlines all drawers, and drill the single screw hole. Take two spare drawer screws or some allthread and grind the off the heads. Sharpen one to a point. Thread the screws into the pull with point facing out. Slip the flat tipped screw into the drilled drawer hole and use the pointed tip to mark the location of the other hole on all drawer fronts. Finish drilling the holes.

The previous method also works for making an accurate drilling guide.

[pat warner]

"How do I line up & drill the holes for the pulls so they are centered"

Assumptions: Caliper to measure pull hole centers. Centers = outside of OD's - 1 Diameter.
Knowledge of US 8th grade linear algebra (or 3rd grade in Japan).
The pull should reside on the long centerline of the drawer front.
A drill press with a straight fence and that you have the drawer front loose in hand (unassembled).
Set the fence so the distance from fence to the drill center is acceptable. This adjustment manages the Y dimension/location of the pull, (the horizontal centerline of the pull). A noncritical setup, as a rule.

Now where does the first hole go with respect to the left end of the drawer front?

That number = (L - C)/2
Where L = length of drawer front and C = pull hole center.
So if you had a 10" front and a pull with 2" centers, the first hole would occur 4" from the left and the second at 6". If you want to get very close: Read on.
************************************************** *********
Put a .500" pin in the chuck and butt the panel up to it and clamp it down.
Cut a spacer stick = .25" + (L - C)/2, place it between the left end of the work and a fixed stop.
Slide work to fixed stop, clamp and drill.
Cut second spacer stick = C. Move fixed stop by amount = C, slide work against the shifted stop, and drill the second hole, done city. No scribing or knifing but measuring required and all woodworkers are metrologists, right?
That's our bidness.