SawDustB Posted September 2, 2015 Report Share Posted September 2, 2015 I'm in the midst of building a kitchen helper. Since I have no domino (much as I want one) I'm using a dowel jig and 3/8 dowels. It's one of these: The jig works great when I'm drilling into the edge of boards and it's long grain. The issue I'm having is on the small pieces, they're only 1.5 inches and I'm drilling into end grain. I find the jig keeps wanting to shift on me. Any tips? I should mention that I'm using hard maple, but it's a brand new Brad point bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodbutcher74 Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I have a jig very similar to yours. If you center the bushing over the spot you're trying to drill you shouldn't have any problems. If nothing else try adding blocks the thickness of your stock on either side of your work piece and clamp them in place. Also, just because it's new don't mean the bit is sharp, unless it's a Colt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 Try starting with regular split point bits for steel. Start with the smallest bushing and increase to using the brad point bit for the final size.Drilling end grain on hardwood can be quite tough. Drilling out the center leaves room for the chips without clogging the channels in the bit. Cheap imported bits are not well suited for this task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted September 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 Thanks for the suggestions. I'll certainly take a look at how sharp the bit is - it seemed like it was OK quality, It drilled fine into the face grain, but it seems to want to burnish the surface on the end grain unless I apply a lot of pressure. I can try with a smaller bit first, I guess, if I put in the 1/4 inch bushing first. Blocks on either side of the piece are a good idea. I suspect if I could get everything clamped better, it would help quite a bit. I may resort to using a couple of pieces of scrap to make a jig to help stabilize everything. I think part of the problem is that the aluminum of the jig is pretty slippery so I'm having to crank down quite a lot to get it to stay put. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 Another thing you could try to stop the jig shifting is use some self adhesive sand paper (or just double stick tape some sandpaper) of about 180 or 240 grit to the faces of the clamp. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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