Make a larger hole

[namluke]

Hi,

I have a 21 mm dowel and a 20 mm forstner bit.

Does anyone have a good tip on how to make the dowel to fit the hole without sanding the dowel down to fit the hole?

Im thinking of some sort of router bit jig, but before i go down that route i thought i would ask here to see if there is any better advice.

 

Thanks

 

Luke

[Chestnut]

Assuming you at using a forstner bit. Drill a template in a piece of hardwoods clamp it over your hole that needs to be enlarged and drill through your work piece.

[wtnhighlander]

If you jave some way to make a 21mm hole in thinner material, make a template as chestnut said, and use a top bearing pattern bit in your router.

Or stick the dowel in the microwave and see if you can shrink it.

[drzaius]

If your drill press chuck is big enough, then spin it while sanding down to size.

[Coop]

1 hour ago, Chestnut said:

Assuming you at using a forstner bit. Drill a template in a piece of hardwoods clamp it over your hole that needs to be enlarged and drill through your work piece.

It sounds like he hasn’t drilled a hole yet and doesn’t have a bit large enough for the dowel? I agree with Frank, spin the dowel while sanding it. Or treat the dowel like a shoe, put it in a vise and use your sandpaper strip like a buffing cloth, if your old enough to remember those ? 

[wdwerker]

There is a good chance that your dowel isn't perfectly round. Most dowels change shape after they are made.

[Chestnut]

1 hour ago, K Cooper said:

It sounds like he hasn’t drilled a hole yet and doesn’t have a bit large enough for the dowel? I agree with Frank, spin the dowel while sanding it. Or treat the dowel like a shoe, put it in a vise and use your sandpaper strip like a buffing cloth, if your old enough to remember those ? 

Oh shoot i miss read the post. That's what i get for reading the forum on the couch while watching tv. Nerve mind my other post.

[Gary Beasley]

Any chance you have a 22mm forstner? Might be easier to tighten a loose fit if the dowel cant be slimmed down.  That or wrap sandpaper on a smaller dowel and sand out a mm.

[namluke]

Thanks for all your advice and ideas, ill give them all a go and ill try and source a 20mm dowel next  

Im making a pegboard so im after the best fit possible.

[Tom King]

If you had some way to drill a 20mm hole in a piece of metal, you could pound the dowel through, and it would come out the right size on the other side.

[RichardA]

What is the Imperial size in relation to the Metric size?  Sometimes you can switch from one to make another actually work.

[wdwerker]

Consider that commercially available dowels across the world are usually imperfect and drill an undersized hole then sand to fit is the norm and you will be on a smoother path....

[Mark J]

Yup.  Just bought two 1/4 inch dowels from the store.  Drilled a 1/4 inch hole.  One dowel will not fit even with some force, the other is too loose to form a good glue joint.    

[drzaius]

I've had good luck with the dowel stock that Lee Valley sells.

[Byrdie]

I'm in the "chuck the dowel in your electric drill, give it a few spins in a sheet of sand paper and be done with it" camp.

[Wimayo]

Sanding down the 21mm dowel or getting a smaller dowel is probably the easiest. If you don't want to do that, use an adjustable circle cutter to cut your holes or purchase a 21mm forstner bit. You could also use a drum sander in your drill press to enlarge the hole.

[Gary Beasley]

Theres dowel cutting jigs to be had for making your own. That would give you much more control over the fit and quality of your pieces. Another way is to mount it up on a lathe and turn your dowel to size,, but that takes a little practice to get a good uniform dowel. That sanding idea is good if you have a big enough drill chuck. A little jury rigging can turn a drill press into an impromtu lathe to spin the dowel for sanding, might take a little thought to get it right.

[Coop]

Then there’s this idea. Take the 21mm dowel back and buy 20mm. 

[RichardA]

35 minutes ago, K Cooper said:

Then there’s this idea. Take the 21mm dowel back and buy 20mm. 

That's way to simple and easy.

[Coop]

Buy a new house to fit your sofa or buy a sofa to fit your house. 

[TerryMcK]

Instead of welding a vertical joint turn the ship on its side to weld horizontally.