Drilling Plywood For Shelf Pins

[Mark W Pugh]

I built a jig and used a Rockler bit that goes with their shelf pin jig. The shelf pin holes did not come out well. It chipped around the edges of the holes and it did not properly remove the wood. My next attempt will be to use a router and an upcut bit.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

[johnny means]

I always make sure to ise my corded drill. Cordless drills just don't have the RPMs.

[Jim Matthews]

What bit was used?

I like Brad points for drilling wood.
The center spur keeps it from wandering.

The outer "lips" shear the side of the hole before anything else.

If you've got a guide, I would address the bits, next.

290488

[Lee Schierer]

I recently drilled a few shelf pin holes in some Borg plywood using a brad point bit with no splintering.

[Sam Murdoch]

Sharp Brad point - firm pressure on the jig to the ply (a loose jig results in tear out) - and if you are using a good variable speed battery drill you should have no problem (though in the past I always used an electric drill for the reason johnny means stated). The firm pressure between the jig and the ply is my most hard lesson learned advice. You can't be casual or in a hurry. Worth a clamp or 3 or at the very least - or for a few holes - very steady and firm hand pressure.

[Mark Wooden]

If you use a router, use a down cut bit; you need to cut into the veneer from the face, not lift it up. But it does sound like your problem is a combination of low speed/ wrong style bit. Try a faster speed on some scrap

[Matt Meiser]

I made Norms version of the MEG jig for the router and use a spiral bit. Mine isn't even a downcut bit and I've not had a problem. It works well enough that I bought a 5mm bit and made a new jig with the 32mm spacing since I think that standard looks better.

[Bill Huber]

I am with Mark, use a router and a down spiral bit.

I have not made a lot of shelf pin holes, maybe 100 or 2 but when I did I use the router and they came out great, no problem at all. The other thing about using a router is it is fast much faster then using a drill bit.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Yeah I wasn't too impressed with the Rockler shelf pin bit either. The bit is a bradpoint but it seems like maybe its not sharpened correctly or the geometry is all wrong, it really did a very fine job of tearing the face veneer and clogging. I used a corded drill on its fastest setting (2000 rpm) and really couldn't get any better results than Meh.. I used top quality plywood too (if there is such a thing)

[Phil Thien]

Yeah I wasn't too impressed with the Rockler shelf pin bit either. The bit is a bradpoint but it seems like maybe its not sharpened correctly or the geometry is all wrong, it really did a very fine job of tearing the face veneer and clogging. I used a corded drill on its fastest setting (2000 rpm) and really couldn't get any better results than Meh.. I used top quality plywood too (if there is such a thing)

This right here.

I've got the same bit, it tears the face veneer something awful.

I've been in the Rockler store when others have come in and complained.

I purchased a cheap bit from Woodcraft that fits the same jig, and doesn't tear the veneers. But it fell apart after use.

If you have some holes that need doing now, use this trick w/ your Rockler bit: Run your drill in reverse to score the veneer, then in forward to drill the hole. This will produce a tearout-free hole, but it is time consuming.

I still have to find a 5mm drill bit that works. I should really switch to the router, but for reasons I won't go into, I'm not going to. I could order another Woodcraft bit (the one I got was on closeout and deeply discounted, maybe the new ones are more robust). I've thought of a Vix. I donno.

[Prashun Patel]

I've been using the Rockler jig for years. I love it. I replaced the 1/4" bit with a good brad point bit - when I say good, I mean the one that came with the cheap, fractional brad point set that Rockler also sells.

I use mine almost exclusively with a cordless drill. The key is using the right drill bit.

* Something else you can do is tape a strip of blue painters tape down the length of the holes before drilling. *

One last thought: You can purchase collars for the holes.

[Jeff Duncan]

If you can replace the bit in that spring loaded setup that may be enough to fix the issue. I buy carbide tipped brad point bits at about $7 or so a piece, and they drill clean holes in any material veneers, melamine, you name it. Just not sure whether those bits are replaceable or not?

good luck,
JeffD

[Prashun Patel]

those bits are replaceable.

[Jamie Buxton]

Plunge router and a plunge bit. I use a standard spiral up-cut. Never splinters out.

[Loren Woirhaye]

You can grind a standard bit into a cabinetmaker's bit, which works the same as a brad point but lacks the dramatic point. The area on the wings of the tip are ground hollow on the edge of a grinding wheel and the end carefully shaped to a point. It takes a couple of minutes.

[Phil Thien]

those bits are replaceable.

The lengths of the bits, though, is pretty short, isn't it? Or is it a standard-length bit?

[Peter Quinn]

Those bits from Rockler are bit and miss, I've been through a few at work. If you are handy with a fine diamond file they are easy enough to sharpen which helps, of you can just change tips for a good brad point. I've found cordless drills just don't cut it in some species, also it pays to plunge a bit more slowly At the start of the hole , raming it in can lead to problems and dull bits.

[Bill Adamsen]

Like many commenting ahead of me, I too use a plunge router with template and straight cut bit sized for the pins (1/4") or the grommet (9/32"). I've done thousands of holes this way (probably with the same bit). I recently was given the opportunity to take a Vitap machine off someone's hands and declined because of space considerations for such a purpose built machine. The router method is that accurate and efficient. Kind of analogous to a track saw compared to slider.

Bits - while I have often thought of getting up or down spiral bits, the straight bits cut really clean holes in wood (in my experience), and are inexpensive. I carefully test the depth setting each time. You simply need to seat grommet and/or pin ... but typically going back to fix it later would be problematic.

Templates - while that MEG template looks awesome, as others have pointed out, it is expensive. But is has some nice features worthwhile considering if making your own template. The adjustable offset is nice when the cabinets have a rabbeted or otherwise inset back - or the cabinets are either shallow or deep, or using face-frame or inset doors over shelves. A consideration is that since the template rotates 180° when cutting front and back, any error in spacing of holes would be exaggerated unless you can flip the template over and cut from the other side (flipping over would allow the same errors). The clamps found on the MEG are an obvious solution and really nice ... but eliminate "flipping it over" as an option. Because of this you really need to either get a friend to cut on their CNC machine, or measure carefully, and drill on the point preferably using a drill press - otherwise you will encounter incremental errors that make it hard to get a flat setting shelf. Although Jim Mattson (http://www.woodworking.org/WC/GArchive99/4_23holejig.html) has an interesting one where he cut it in half and that solves the problem too. I have a small radius around each hole to make it easier to drop the guide into. I have trouble keeping the guide tight when doing a lot of holes ... don't know why.

Glad to see this posting because it reminded me that I had wanted to upgrade my template to make it more flexible and friendly.

[Mac McQuinn]

Have you thought about using pins with support sleeves? The last project I did was with MDO and I used the following;
http://www.leevalley.com/us/hardware/page.aspx?p=40183&cat=3,43648,43649&ap=1
Used a older German made Delta Brad point bit for the holes with excellent success to install.
good luck,
Mac

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have always used brad point bits with no problem.

[Larry Frank]

I made a wooden jig and used a plunge router with a 6 mm spiral down cut router bit. I set it up for making Euro 32 mm cabinets and must have made a thousand holes for my shop cabinets. It was extremely fast and accurate and made very clean holes.

[glenn bradley]

I prefer a router also but, when I use a drill I use one that spins at least 2000RPM to drill clean and properly clear chips with a 1/4" bit.

[Mark W Pugh]

Bits - while I have often thought of getting up or down spiral bits, the straight bits cut really clean holes in wood (in my experience), and are inexpensive.

Are we talking plywood here or hardwood? I need clean cuts in ply. Previous poster said that he uses an upcut bit with no problems in ply.

[Mark W Pugh]

Have you thought about using pins with support sleeves? The last project I did was with MDO and I used the following;
http://www.leevalley.com/us/hardware/page.aspx?p=40183&cat=3,43648,43649&ap=1
Used a older German made Delta Brad point bit for the holes with excellent success to install.
good luck,
Mac

yes, but I couldn't find a 9/32 router bit for cutting the holes (locally). I have a shelf pin bit from Rockler that is suppose to be 9/32, but it leaves the hole too big.

[Justin Ludwig]

http://www.amazon.com/KREG-KMA3200-Shelf-Pin-Drilling/dp/B005FKX6D8 (http://Kreg Shelf Pin Jig)

This works well and is cheap. Comes with a brad point.

[Andy Pratt]

Just buy the kreg shelf pin jig, the bit that comes with it is pretty decent (short brad point) and it is the simplest, most inexpensive, fully functional option out there. Above all that, it just works, with no issues or problems of misalignment. At most, two passes with a 220 grit sanding block will remove any small frass you have left from it. You could probably call it the dowelmax of shelf pin jigs if they made it out of aluminum instead of plastic.

[Brian Backner]

+1 for a plunge router and MEG style jig. I built a huge library about ten hears ago - think over 9,000 shelf pin holes (yes, nine thousand). I bought an actually MEG jig and used a downcut spiral bit. Did not have one hole with tear out. I was more than satisfied.

[Tom M King]

My jig is the same that I've used since 1982, or at least that's the first time I remember using shelf pin holes. I use a strip of 3/4 BB plywood that has holes spaced by stepping them off with a pair of dividers as the spacing guide, along a line draw with a pencil and combination square. That strip has holes drilled on the drill press, set up with a fence for even spacing out, that allow a slide fit on an old TIG welding tungsten. The strip is quick-clamped to the cabinet piece, and each hole location is marked with the old tungsten, which is ground to a centered point, with a little wood handle, by just pushing it with finger pressure. The drill press gets the right sized brad-point bit, and each hole hit by eye into the mark made by the tungsten. It really goes fairly quickly, but we might only make a hundred feet of cabinets that use them a year. It might not seem like that would be accurate enough, but I never remember making one that a single shelf wobbled on. Cost was nothing but a few minutes of time making it. If I like a different hole spacing because of the way it looks in a piece of furniture, I just step it off with dividers and make a new strip in a few minutes.

[Rick Potter]

I have the Rockler jig also, and have good luck with it.

Two things I find helpful: First, as has been said, use a corded drill full speed. Second, clamp the jig down in a couple places. If it moves just a bit, sawdust gets under it and you lose the crisp edges on the work.

OH, yeah. I also like to set the bit out just a bit in the holder, just to make sure the holes are deep enough.

Rick P

[Bryan Hunt]

+1 for using a router with a spiral down cut. I've used mine on a couple of projects built with plywood and it works great. I made a jig from 1/2" MDF that looks like a T-square with big holes down the center from a forester bit that fits the O.D. of one of my router template rings. Just set the router template ring into the desired hole(s) and plunge down. Fast and simple.

[Bill Neely]

I have an 8mm collet for my router and use a right hand boring bit.