What Type Of CNC Machine Cuts Multiple Holes?

[Joe Wood]

I have 13 of these cedar posts, will probably 4x4, that need ten 3/16" holes drilled up them.

what type of CNC rig will drill these? Hopefully I can find someone in the San Diego area if I know what types of machines will cut these. It would save my poor elbow cutting all of them on the drill press!

[Kevin Jenness]

In theory any flatbed router with enough gantry height and a bed as long as the drilling pattern would work. In practice it may be difficult to find a long enough bit/collet combination to do the through holes.

If the timbers are accurately milled square you could bore from both sides with a good setup. I don't think many routers will run under 5k rpm which may be an issue.

130 holes doesn't seem that onerous though, shouldn't take more than a couple of hours on the drill press.

There probably is some other type of non-woodworking cnc machine that is better suited to deep boring- try a machine shop?

[Jim Becker]

Kevin is correct. If they are relatively square the boring could be done on a CNC router if it has enough headroom to clear the material with tooling that's long enough to do the job. That means a bigger machine with 8-9" of true Z-axis clearance at a minimum. The job may be costly, however, because CNC operators charge for time...both for doing the necessary CAD/CAM to setup for the job and for the actual cutting.

A portable drill guide and a corded electric drill that fits in it would be a decent alternative if it will accommodate a bit long enough to clear through the workpiece.

[Brad Shipton]

If you have a 1000 or more holes, I get it. If reasonable quantities I would make a nice jig with the properly sized bushing. CNC wise you will need someone with a machining center. They will have the proper setups to jig them quickly as well as the Z axis height you will need. If you need a large quantity I would post a quote request on the woodweb. Lots of different ones looking for work these days.

[Richard Gonzalez]

I would drill any Flat board you have, install some drill bushings and a couple stops to position it, and use that with a hand drill. Would take less time with excellent repeatability. Unless you are looking for an excuse to get a new tool, in which case you need a nice $20k machine. 😀

[Joe Wood]

That's an excellent idea Richard! I found the drill bushings, but what are the stops you mention, for drilling depth?

[Kevin Jenness]

I would use a drill press, easier and more accurate than a handheld drill. Mark out the centers with screw points driven through a 1x4 and save on the bushings.

[Richard Gonzalez]

That's an excellent idea Richard! I found the drill bushings, but what are the stops you mention, for drilling depth?

No, just to position the board on your fence posts and line up the holes where you want them. To me, using a drill by hand seems easier than trying to balance the boards on a drill press. Using a board with drill bushings saves the measuring and marking out, and leads to the consistency you need to line up the holes for your cables. I have a CNC that could do the job (not in your area, sorry) but that's probably how I'd do it. The CNC spindle is too fast for drilling deep holes, drills have the proper speed range.

[Joe Wood]

Yeah I already have a drilling jig I've used before, just need to add those bushings!

[Jerome Stanek]

You can buy depth stops that you mount on your drill bits or just drill through a wood block that only lets you drill down so far