Router vs Drill

[Jeff Tunstall]

I'm finishing up building a work bench and plan on drilling bench dog holes in the top. I had originally planned on using my brand new Xmas present plunge router to drill the holes but had someone tell me that using a router as a drill wasn't the best idea and I would be better off using a drill guide with a portable drill to drill the holes. I do have a drill guide so that isnt a problem. However, I'm not sure I understand why using the router isnt the preferable method.
Comments?

[Julie Moriarty]

There are router bits designed for plunging. They look like drill bits and have both up cut and down cut flutes. But you would have to secure your router to the bench so it doesn't drift. Using a drill with a guide and a good forstner bit would keep the cut on center (because it has a point on it, unlike a router bit) and cut cleaner. You also wouldn't have to clamp it to the workbench. And a good forstner bit would probably cost a lot less than a router bit of the same diameter and give you much better results.

[Prashun Patel]

You can do both. The router does a good job of keeping the hole vertical. However, it might not go to the depth you wish that easily.

I've done it both ways:

Start with plunge router, finish with spade bit
Start with forstner bit in drill, finish with spade bit.

Don't forget to back the bottom of the cut.

[Erik Christensen]

Before you take any tool to your benchtop I would practice on scraps of the same thickness to make sure you will get the results you are looking for. I have used a 3/4" router bit to make holes in tops but I have a big router with speed control (you do not want to spin a 3/4" plunge bit at 20,000 rpm) and the thickest top I did that for was 1 3/4". If I needed to go deeper I would consider finishing the job with a 3/4" forstner bit.

From your post it sounds like the bench is complete (top installed on the base) and now you are going to drill dog holes. It will be difficult/impossible to put a backing strip on the bottom side of the top when creating the holes so expect some blowout no matter the method you choose. I would not use a spade bit if you are going to use bench hooks as i don't think they make even enough holes for that to work well.

If you have the right attitude - it's a work bench & function is the only thing that really matters - you really can't screw up. You can always create more holes and you have to do that a lot before you degrade the structural integrity of a bench top.

[glenn bradley]

I use a router and a 3/4" spiral bit. I've done the drill thing and it is a pain IMHO. I use some clamps to hold a backer board underneath to avoid blowout (you can see in one pic where I failed to do this ).

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[pat warner]

Spiral bit here = HSS, or solid carbide or?

[Larry Frank]

There are all kinds of ways of doing this. When I was faced with the same issue, I tried several on scrap boards which were the same thickness and material as my real top. I ended up using a 3/4" Irwin long auger type bit. I made a two inch thick board which I drilled with that bit on my drill press to make certain it had a perpendicular hole in it. I then used that board to keep the drill bit perpendicular when I drilled my new work bench top.

My workbench is two 3/4" thickness of MDF. After drilling the holes, I used superglue on the inside of the holes to strengthen and harden them. Later, I chased the holes with the drill bit. For me, it has worked great.

[John Coloccia]

A router is a great way to do this, but I wouldn't plunge. I would make a template. Drill a hole in a piece of mdf, put a bushing in your router, and plunge with a 1/2" bit. A 1/2" bit with a 3/4" bushing gives a 1/8" offset, so if you want a 3/4" hole, drill a 1" hole with a forstner bit in the template, and viola.... (3/4" hole = 3/8" radius...with the 1/8" offset, you need a 4/8" radius hole, or 8/8" diameter...so 1").

[Geoff Barry]

Amz Pk and bench 014.jpgAmz Pk and bench 015.jpgAmz Pk and bench 018.jpg

To some degree, it depends how quickly you want to be done and how finicky, for lack of a better word, you are about your bench. My benchtop is simply 2x4s jointed and edge glued, then run through a planer (plus a maple skirt). I figured if I turn out to be a big bench sort of guy, then I can make a bench out of real wood in the future when I'll also have a good idea of what I liked and what I didn't like with my current setup. So I didn't really care about blowout on the bottom. I marked the holes on the top, then went over all of the holes with a 3/4" forstner bit to get a clean edge. I then used an 3/4" spade bit to hog out the rest of the holes. I used a vertical guide, and, most importantly, a corded drill It went really, really fast, and has worked just fine. If my benchtop was made from European beech or somesuch wood, I might have used a backer board . . . but the forstner/spade bit combo and a corded drill worked really well.