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Drilling Large Holes

By: Woodsmith staff
A clever way to avoid burning your drill bits or the workpiece that you're drilling. Make the hole in two steps.

Some projects require drilling large holes. This can be tough when working with hardwoods like oak. A Forstner bit tends to overheat quickly and can even burn the wood. The solution I came up with is to remove most of the waste first with a smaller bit centered over the hole’s final location.

With the small hole drilled, I just change bits without moving the workpiece, as you can see in this photo. Then I [drill the hole](https://www.woodsmith.com/review/best-drill/) to its final size which helps to prevent overheating the bit.

Published: Aug. 23, 2018
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