Has anyone drilled through melamine? How did the bit hold up?
I don't see a specific recommendation for it.
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Has anyone drilled through melamine? How did the bit hold up?
I don't see a specific recommendation for it.
It’s a quality bit and will handle it. Also, replacement bits are available for a reasonable cost if you do wear it out.
Make sure to use a sacrificial backer board - the blowout on the bottom side can be severe! (I was halfway through creating my top before I figured this out! :mad:)
It comes with an adjustable depth stop. If you use that, there’s no need for a spoil board.Quote:
Originally Posted by John M Wilson
the bit cuts MDF lik a knife in hot butter. Baltic birch? Not so much. I suspect Melamine is somewhere in between.
Ugh. I've had the system for a number of months, but still haven't drilled the holes in my 2" thick Baltic Birch top. What happens when you use the bit to drill into that?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike King
MDF "shaves" nicely as the holes are bored because it's a composite that has no layers and as as result is structurally different than plywood. If you keep the tooling touched up sharp and not let it get really hot (take your time) it should bore the plywood just fine, but it will not be as "easy" as the MDF. I suspect Peter P included quality components in the kit...it's kinda his thing based on my impression of him.
I found it required a fair (lot?) of force on the drill to get through 18mm bb. And the bit is still sharp. My table had 240 holes to drill…Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Lightstone
Also, not sure how things will go with 2 inches. My top was 18mm bb topped with ½” MDF and the depth stop to prevent blowing through was pretty close to the end of the shaft of the bit.
The majority of the "surfaces with lots of holes" that a system like this is designed to create are only a single thickness of 3/4" or 19mm-ish sheet stock, so I don't think that extra thick was rolled into the design, for the most part. There is the option to drill the layers separately and then glue them together if necessary. One should be able to do that with very good registration if care is taken with the first few holes.
Mine is long since glued together to a 2" top. Frankly I've been a little scared of screwing it up by drilling it, but have lost the utility I need for dogs, clamps, etc... I'll get around to it at some point. I've tried the Woodpeckers system on some test pieces and it was a total non-starter, so bought the UJK Parf system.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Becker
Keep in mind that some formats of clamps designed to be used with MFT-type surfaces are not friendly to the thicker tops. You might consider putting in some clamping slots, too, for more flexibility.
Good point. My Festool and Makita clamps work with a 3/4” top max.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Becker
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Quenneville
This is correct if using them in a 20mm dog hole.
With a slot like Jim suggests - your limit is just a bit less than the clamp length.