All about the Forstner drill for furniture hinges

Drill (cylindrical cutter) ForstnerLike most other tools for a similar purpose, it is used to create correct and neat holes in all kinds of materials. It is necessary to choose such a toolkit, which differs both in structure and in price, in accordance with the material in which the hole is to be made, as well as the characteristics presented to the geometric characteristics of the latter.

Forstner's drills stand out among other types of drills with 2 significant positive points.

1. These cutting tools, due to the nature of their structure make it possible to obtain a perfectly clean round cut without chips... A special rim, which cuts the hole along the contour, cuts into the material being processed and cuts the fibers of its texture before the main cutting blades do it. Actually, as a result of this, it turns out to completely eliminate the appearance of chips along the edges of the hole being created, to make it with completely smooth inner walls and an even bottom.
2. Maintaining a clear direction of travel Forstner cylindrical cutters provide a specialized rim during drilling, and not the center of the point, which is characteristic of other types of drills. This property of the toolkit, which is mainly used as a drill in wood, is very much in demand when it is required to drill holes on the end parts of the product or create overlapping holes, as well as those located at an angle to the fibers, from which the internal structure of the material being processed is folded.

All modifications of the instrumentation have a fairly wide range of diameters. A cylindrical cutter for furniture hinges of 35 mm diameter is in great demand. Two other slightly less popular diameters are 26 and 40 millimeters. The length of the shank, also called the drill drive, may fluctuate depending on the manufacturer, however, as a rule, it is a polyhedron with 6 edges, 10-12 centimeters long, typical for modern screwdrivers and electric drills.

The actuator can be chemically engraved not only marking drill sizes and the logo manufacturing company, but also specialized scale of immersion depths... Sometimes a removable dive limiter may be included in the kit. It is a metal disc in diameter 4-6 millimeters larger than the outer diameter of the cutting tool. The limiter is fixed on the drive by means of a screw screwed into its sleeve.

Which cutters are preferable to buy - expensive original or inexpensive from third-party manufacturers - the choice is made depending on how often you will need to use them in your work. In a workshop where a stable production of furniture products is expected, this toolkit will need to be used quite often. In addition, you will need cutters of various sizes. And it is unprofitable to buy an expensive tool solely for your own household needs.

With intensive use, it is preferable to buy original products, to create conditions for continuous work and at the same time to keep the toolkit in working order for a long time. The high cost will pay off later. For infrequent use, it is better to purchase a set of 6-7 drills of common sizes (including the Forstner cylindrical cutter 35 millimeters), the cost of which will correspond to one expensive original sample.

For mounting the hinge, you will need to first prepare landing place... In this, a special drill will be your assistant.

However, the mere availability of tools is not enough. It is still necessary to do everything competently. Otherwise, the cost of the miscalculation is the facade of your furniture, damaged material. Practice on some scraps first.

So, you need a set that includes:

• tape measure or ruler;
• cylindrical cutter;
• awl;
• screwdriver;
• electric drill;
• screwdriver;
• pencil or pen;
• individual protection means.

The set can change based on the specific situation. The hinge bowl will need to be cut into the facade. First of all, the markup is done on it. The most important thing is to correctly determine the center of the future hole for the bowl. The center of the hole is marked 22-23 millimeters from the edge of the material. This will make it possible to leave approximately 5 millimeters between the edge of the façade and the edge of the hinge bowl.

It is recommended to practice stop cuttersso as not to accidentally drill the hole through or deeper than necessary. It is necessary to drill at a slight, constantly changing slope of the electric tool.

You can find out which Forstner drills are not worth buying in the next video.