I'm trying to build a small wooden box and need to create a wooden hinge from dowels. Each dowel will be cut into equal pieces, and I'll use a thin wire rod that needs to be pushed through the center of each piece to form the hinge mechanism. A drill press would make drilling perfectly centered holes easy, but I don't have one. Does anyone have suggestions for how to accurately drill the holes in the dowel ends without a drill press?
6 Answers
What if you change the order of operations? Drill a hole in some wood to the length you need, use a reference piece through that hole, and then shape your dowel down to size. For the final step, maybe secure the reference at a right angle and drive it through like you would with drawbore pegs.
It’s not foolproof, but I've found it easier to mark the center using an awl, then chuck the dowel and hold the drill bit steady in a vice. It seems to work better for me!
I actually bought a drill guide online for about $90 because my drill press was blocked in the garage. It worked so well that I ended up selling my drill press after I got my car fixed!
I’ve heard of Rob Cosman's wood hinge jig. It's not the cheapest option but still less expensive than a decent drill press. For really precise center drilling, a lathe might serve you better than a press.
Honestly, going for the jig might be your best bet. It's tough to achieve that precision on a drill press, but this jig can get you centered every time.
I hope you find some great advice here! I've had the same idea for a hinge and ran into this same issue! I even considered drilling a long hole through a regular piece of wood, shaping the dowel afterward, but that feels like it would be a ton of work without great results.
You could drill a hole that matches the diameter of the wire through a block of wood first. Then, drill a hole halfway through that block that matches the dowel's diameter. Put your dowel in place, and from the opposite side, drill through using the original hole as a guide. This should help keep things centered!
That's a great suggestion! I can see how this would work out well. I'll give it a shot; thanks!
This sounds like the best option. You might even consider making a right-angle drill guide or picking up a drilling block to ensure your holes are straight.
I’m having a hard time understanding this. What does ‘halfway through’ mean? Which side do I drill from?
Sounds like a hoot!