drilling holes for cabinet knobs..how??

17 years ago

I had a falling out with my contractor (long story) who left me with a maple bathroom vanity with no knobs. I want to drill them myself but I need some guidance. I understand the need for keeping the drill level and I have access to a drill with a built in level. MY husband made a jig out of wood but the jig already has an elongated hole from a practice drilling though scrap wood that went wonkers. I might be better off doing it free hand (without the jig).

The door fronts are 3/4 inch thick but the drawer fronts are 1 1/2 inch thick. Will it be hard to keep the drill level though the 1 1/2 inch thickness with out something like a drill press? I also noticed another problem when we did the practice drilling, when the drill exited the back of the scrap wood it splintered, how do I keep that from happening?

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Comments (2)

brickeyee
17 years ago
Make a jig up ising 3/4 inch thick wood for the front and the guides to position it. This is thick enough to help hold the drill straight and not wallow out easily.
Use a clamp to hold the jig and a scrap of 3/4 inch wood on the back of the door or drawer.
Drill.
If the screw head can strike a face frame, you may need to countersink the hole on the back side (inside cabinet door) and use a flat head screw.
Flat heads can also be handy in drawers if you want a rack/tray to fit flush to the front of the drawer.
mike_kaiser_gw
17 years ago
Where to start?

Measure twice (thrice, if necessary) drill once. Fixing a hole on the front a drawer is hard to do.

A brad point bit helps a lot. TheyÂre different that the ordinary twist drill because they come to a very sharp almost needle like point. They also are far less likely to wander and they make a very clean entry hole. You can find them a woodworking stores, better home centers and hardware stores, or online. YouÂll likely need a 3/16" bit.

You can make a jig to help with positioning. If you donÂt want to make one Rockler (www.rockler.com) sells them for a relatively modest price. If you just have a few drawers to do, you can just measure carefully and mark by hand. Just some green painterÂs tape to cover the approximate position of your hole. Green is easier to see pencil marks on than blue.

Drilling level takes practice. They do sell some portable drill press devices but I havenÂt used anyone them so itÂs hard to say if they would help in your situation.

As for splintering as the drill exits, just clamp a scrap of wood behind the hole.

You may need longer screws for you hardware too. YouÂre looking for whatÂs called a "truss head" screw Â they have a much larger head than a regular screw which will help to cover any splintering on the back side. Rockler carries them, as does McFeeleyÂs.

Depending on your drawers you might need to take a careful look at where the center of the drawer front relates to the drawer box. IÂve run into situation where the screw head would hang over the edge of the drawer box.

Good luck!

Mike
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