Questions/Advice re: plug cutting

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Hello all

As mentioned in the project journal, i mistakingly laid out and cut 3 three 3/4" holes in the leg of my bench. 

@Von had the great suggestion to fill them with plugs. The plug cutter arrived yesterday. I haven't done this before, and after a few practice plugs... I have a few questions. 

 

1. The legs are 3.5" thick. Should my plugs fill the entire hole (i would likely need 2, or maybe even 3 plugs to do that) or am I ok just "capping" the hole on each side with a short plug? (Structurally, i don't think there's much concern if the holes are not plugged all the way through.) seems like capping the holes would be ok but i only get one chance to do this with the bench unassembled so i gotta get it right!

 

2. The plugs are slightly larger than the holes, so they'll need to be brought down in size so that they can be glued and inserted. 

I don't have a lathe. My only thought on how to do this is to drive a headless nail into the middle of the plug, Chuck that nail into a drill, wrap the plug in sand paper and spin it until it fits. 

Unless there's a better suggestion for sneaking up on the fit? At 3/4" diamater the plugs are far too wide to be chucked directly into a drill or press, as i would do with a dowel. I will taper one side of the plugs to ease the entry. 

 

Thanks in advance!

[Von]

I wouldn't fill the whole hole. As you say, It's not structurally necessary. If I had a dowel on hand that fit, I'd fill most of the hole with it and then just use the plug for the visible end. 

I may have failed you - is your plug cutter tapered? That is what I always use so the plug adapts to the hole diameter and I took that for granted. 

Looks like not, so I don't have a better suggestion than sanding it besides to put a taper on it as you suggest while you do so, which should remove the risk of overshooting. As long as it fits somewhere on it's length, you're good, just cut off the excess and sand flush.

Good luck.

[martym]

Just a thought, have you considered going in the opposite direction? Rather than trying to hide the misplaced holes. How about using them to embellish or make them a playful reminder that a human made this.  Maybe a shotgun shell? Or a couple  googly eyes, emoji faces etc etc.. 

I wouldn't do go this route on a piece that was going in a home or for the public to see.  However being shop furniture  I would embrace the idea. I don't know about you but no matter how well the grain and color match they would forever jump out and scream at me every time I walk by , might as well have fun with it.

[wtnhighlander]

I'm pretty well convinced that the entire art of inlay was invented to hide a boo-boo...

[h3nry]

3/4" holes in the leg of a workbench ... just use them for storing bench-dogs, holdfasts, etc ... 3/4" holes are useful features, not mistakes.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 7/30/2024 at 4:07 PM, h3nry said:

3/4" holes in the leg of a workbench ... just use them for storing bench-dogs, holdfasts, etc ... 3/4" holes are useful features, not mistakes.

@h3nry that is their purpose, they are for holdfasts. I just put them in the wrong places is all.

 

On 7/30/2024 at 3:30 PM, wtnhighlander said:

I'm pretty well convinced that the entire art of inlay was invented to hide a boo-boo...

You may be on to something there!

[Coop]

Ron, which is not 3/4”, the plug or the hole? I know that you invested in a plug cutter but maybe a 3/4” dowel would fit? If not, is it possible to enlarge the hole with a slightly larger bit? 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 7/30/2024 at 9:01 PM, Coop said:

Ron, which is not 3/4”, the plug or the hole? I know that you invested in a plug cutter but maybe a 3/4” dowel would fit? If not, is it possible to enlarge the hole with a slightly larger bit? 

Hi @Coop, the holes were cut with a 3/4" bradpoint and is just slightly under 3/4". 

I bought a plug cutter and i do have some poplar dowels. I wanted the plugs so i could match the grain as much as possible. They're just slightly too small so getting the plugs down to size shouldn't be too bad. There's not too far to go until they will fit. 

 

Thanks!

[Beechwood Chip]

I think it was Marc (The Wood Whisperer) who said

There are four ways to handle a mistake:

• Patch it / hide it
• Re-make the part
• Celebrate it (eg, contrasting inlay, or make it a design feature)
• Live with it

Sometimes a mistake is what turns a well executed but unremarkable piece into a work of art.

[wtnhighlander]

I'll toss in that inexpensive spade bits can easily be filed to size when a custom size hole is needed. In case reducing the plug size doesn't work out.

Bore a hole through a scrap with the resized bit, then clamp that over the hole to be resized, to prevent wobbling as the bit enters the existing hole.

[Von]

Hey Ron, if your holes are slightly under 3/4" are you sure your hold downs are going to fit?

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 7/31/2024 at 8:59 AM, Von said:

Hey Ron, if your holes are slightly under 3/4" are you sure your hold downs are going to fit?

Hi @Von great question.  

I have one holdfast and one Lee Valley hold down right now and they both do fit. I'm planning to order some new holdfasts when this bench is complete. I think the post on most holdfasts is slightly under 3/4", to make them easier to use. 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 7/31/2024 at 7:10 AM, wtnhighlander said:

I'll toss in that inexpensive spade bits can easily be filed to size when a custom size hole is needed. In case reducing the plug size doesn't work out.

Bore a hole through a scrap with the resized bit, then clamp that over the hole to be resized, to prevent wobbling as the bit enters the existing hole.

That's a great idea! It also occurred to me that they i have a 3/4" forstner bit i could use to try to enlarge the holes just a smidge. 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Interestingly enough, i have the exact same issue with my dowels. I am drawboring the M&T joints and the dowels i bought measure exactly 3/8" on a caliper, but they are just ever so slightly too big for the 3/8" holes bored to receive them. 

That's an easy fix though as all i have to do is chuck a piece of dowel stock into a drill, and use some sandpaper to take it down to a good fit. 

I'm wondering if the high humidity is contributing to this issue.

[Mark J]

35 minutes ago, Ron Swanson Jr. said:

wondering if the high humidity is contributing to this issue.

I think it may be your drill bit.  Do you have another 3/4" you can try?  I have also heard of people using a plunge router and 3/4" end mill bit to make these holes.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 7/31/2024 at 9:57 AM, Mark J said:

I think it may be your drill bit. 

Nailed it. 23/32". 

Which ticks me off because this bit was not cheap and was bought for the express purpose of these dog holes. I have a forstner bit that I can try, or as you mentioned, a spiral router bit. 

This one is going back to Rockler. 

[fcschoenthal]

On 7/31/2024 at 10:15 AM, Ron Swanson Jr. said:

Nailed it. 23/32". 

Agreed that it should be a true 3/4", but measure it at the tip (spurs). I've seen some bits that are a little smaller at the body. I've got this WoodOwl bit that I bought from taytools specifically for drilling dog holes. About the same price as Rockler ($23.99), but much better and dead on for when you need it.

[Mark J]

Yes you want to measure across the lands, and at the tip.   Lands are the cutting edges.  Still may come out a tad small.

[Mark J]

At the risk of digressing a bit let me add this.  I have discovered that a given twist drill bit used to drill a hole in plywood (I haven't tried hardwood/softwood) will not fit back into the hole it has just made.  And it's not an alignment problem. 

I've clamped a piece of wood to the drill press and drilled a 3/8" hole.  Let the bit cool.  Then, not moving anything, tried unsuccessfully to insert the bit into the hole it's just made.  Tried while manually rotating the chuck and could get the bit to go in a little ways and "reluctantly".  Certainly couldn't get either end of the  bit to go into the hole manually. 

Repeat drilling of the hole on the drill press did not fully solve the problem, either.

This was a very curious observation so I tried a few 3/8" bits from other sets and found the same.  But  I also discovered that sometimes the bit from set A would fit into hole made by set B.

Observation only, I can offer no explanation...

...I just live on this planet. 

Just guessing, I'd say a Forstner bit would generally be more accurate.  

[BillyJack]

Wood plugs are normally tapered..

[JohnG]

Also remember that runout in the bit or chuck (or wobbly hand if not in a DP) will also affect the resulting hole size.

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

On 7/31/2024 at 4:59 PM, JohnG said:

Also remember that runout in the bit or chuck (or wobbly hand if not in a DP) will also affect the resulting hole size.

Right, but that would usually make the hole larger, not smaller, correct? . I think my bit was just a hair undersized is all it was. 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

Thanks to everyone who weighed in here. Great and informative stuff, as always. 

 

I did get them plugged. It's not perfect but hey, it's a work bench and not a tea table for the Queen of England. 

[Von]

Looks good.

[wtnhighlander]

5 hours ago, Mark J said:

At the risk of digressing a bit let me add this.  I have discovered that a given twist drill bit used to drill a hole in plywood (I haven't tried hardwood/softwood) will not fit back into the hole it has just made.  And it's not an alignment problem. 

I've clamped a piece of wood to the drill press and drilled a 3/8" hole.  Let the bit cool.  Then, not moving anything, tried unsuccessfully to insert the bit into the hole it's just made.  Tried while manually rotating the chuck and could get the bit to go in a little ways and "reluctantly".  Certainly couldn't get either end of the  bit to go into the hole manually. 

Repeat drilling of the hole on the drill press did not fully solve the problem, either.

This was a very curious observation so I tried a few 3/8" bits from other sets and found the same.  But  I also discovered that sometimes the bit from set A would fit into hole made by set B.

Observation only, I can offer no explanation...

...I just live on this planet. 

Just guessing, I'd say a Forstner bit would generally be more accurate.  

Mark, I'd hazard a guess that this is a characteristic of how a twist drill cuts. They are really designed for making holes in homogenous materials, like metal. They are usually not sharp enough to cut softer, fibrous materials like wood cleanly. This means there are torn fibers bent over inside the hole, that will spring back a bit. Kind of explains why twist drills tend to 'screw' themselves in when the break through thin stock, too.