'Tis the luck of the Irish!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I've been building an outfeed table for my tablesaw forever and a day. It's made from left over materials from other projects in an effort to achieve an outfeed table and clear up some space in my shop simultaneously. It has a cabinet with open shelves on one side and 4 drawers on the other side. My typical method of joinery is to use dados, glue, screws and countersunk screw holes. The two countersinks I have been using, one uses a 5/64" bit and the other uses 7/64" bit. The one using the smaller bit is the proper size and of course, while building the cabinet I broke every 5/64" bit I had and the local retailer gets over $2 a bit. I then began using the next larger size which uses a 7 /64" bit and of course, broke every bit I had. Locally, these bits were even more expensive.:(

So...one evening on Amazon I found a deal on 5/64" bits and 7/64" bits. I ordered and received 3 dozen 5/64" bits and 1 dozen 7/64" bits.

Tonight I prepped the 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood that will form the table top. I drilled 180 countersunk holes with the countersink that uses the 5/64" bit. I didn't break a bit. I will guarantee you that if I didn't have that many spares, I would have broke the only bit I had, been really profane and wouldn't have got the job done.

'Tis the luck of the Irish!:D

[Jim Matthews]

Why do well prepared people consider themselves lucky?

Time is our most valuable commodity that we are forced to spend.

[Frederick Skelly]

Why do well prepared people consider themselves lucky?

Time is our most valuable commodity that we are forced to spend.

+1. Good planning Ken!

[Al Launier]

Good point Ken.
If by chance you should break one of those drills, say after the 1000th hole, be sure to replace that drill immediately to keep the Luck 'o the Irish going! ;)

[Glenn Clabo]

Good planning...now we'll wait to see how long it takes for you to tell us you can't find one. :D
For me drill bits are like clamps...you never have enough or the right size.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I just glued up the two panels and drove 180, 1 1/4" woodscrews into the predrilled holes. I dearly enjoy using my 18 volt Makita impact driver! It made the job easy!

[Lee Schierer]

I think Murphy who made all the laws regarding how stuff happens when and where it does was Irish.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I think you had crappy drill bits, and got some decent quality ones.

I buy bulk of those two sizes as well, and a few other common small-diameter users.......they go fast.

[Bruce Page]

I don't think I have ever broken a bit in wood. Metal on the other hand... :o

[Stew Denton]

Ken,

Surely you have heard of the perversity of inanimate objects.

To break more bits, I think you left out a couple of factors. One factor is to be working on a project that has to be finished the next day. The second factor is to be poorly prepared, so, it is evening after everything is closed up, and you only have 3 bits of the right size...in such cases it doesn't matter how good the bits are, you can break all 3 if you're like me.

Ops, I just thought of one more factor. If the project is for your wife, and is critical for something she is planning for the next day, and if you have put off working on the project, and she knows you have put it off.....in short if there will be heck to pay......

Being overly prepared like you were, you can't expect something to go wrong with the bits....it doesn't work that way.

Good job! The inanimate objects lost for once!

Stew

[Shawn Pixley]

"The outcome of successful planning always looks like luck to saps." -Hammett

[Moses Yoder]

We use these tapered bits with countersinks set up for #8 1-1/2" screws, similar to these (DRILL COUNTERSINK) (http://www.amazon.com/Insty-82603-Quick-Change-Countersink/dp/B004TS0A90/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1433925483&sr=8-15&keywords=tapered+drill+bits+countersink) . They only break when the drill drops on the floor.