I need to install some Blum hinges that require drilling a 35mm hole in some cabinet doors, but I don't have a drill press. I've noticed that the warnings on most 35mm forstner bits say to only use the bit in a press or with a drill guide attached to a hand drill. I also don't have a drill guide (and don't want to buy one since I will probably spring for a drill press sometime in the late summer or fall this year). Can somebody tell me how dangerous it is to use a forstner bit in a hand drill? Is it a safety issue or simply an issue of the resulting quality? (These cabinets are just garage storage cabinets, so quality isn't my #1 concern in this case.)
Drilling 35mm hinge cup holes w/o a drill press
jstewart
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there is a little plastic guid home depot sells for about 5 bucks. It works just fine it locates th position of th brad point for the forstner biy. Make sure your door is clamped securly and use a sharp bit. work slowly and practice on ascrap of wood, just take precautions for safety. This ain't rocket surgery,
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I know this post is pretty much ancient, but you are all overthinking it. I've used a super fancy automatic machine by Blum that clamps, bores and releases with the push of a couple buttons. Now that I don't work at a cabinet shop anymore, I have a plain old cordless drill with a 35mm (1-3/8") forstner bit. I don't use a guide at all. Just mark the hole location, drill till the top of the bit is flush with the wood, and move on to the next hole. The hinge drops in perfectly. I have never wrenched my hands, never bored thru the other side… nothing. Lol… Also, I own the jog pictured above. Not worth the $30…
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I do the same. No problem. How am I gonna put a big cabinet door on my drill press anyway?
When I first started out I didn't know anything about forstner bits. I used to rout them out with a hole cut out in a board and the router would go around inside the hole.
Talk about being green, that was when you learned the hard way before the internet.
Talk about being green, that was when you learned the hard way before the internet.
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i have the one Lone Rider shows from Rockler, it does do well
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I must be doing something wrong because I've been drilling out Euro hinges for several years freehand with a forstner bit, a battery drill and a home made disposable templet. Never considered it to be anything but the practical way to do it.
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