Dave wrote:
Rod wrote:

Dave wrote:

Wife has decided to change 8 sets of door handles and guess what? All
the securing screws are not at the same pitch as the ones we have
now :-(

What I propose to do is buy some doweling and a spade drill slightly
smaller than the dowel. If the spade drill is making too large a
diameter hole, I'll grind the side edge until it makes a tight fit
for the dowel and then glue the dowel in to provide a blank location
for the door handle attachment screws.

Can anyone see a problem with this, apart from the fact that the
screws will be going down the grain, instead of across it.

Dave


I would not choose a spade bit. Rather just an ordinary or lip & spur
wood drill.

A spade drill will let me make the hole to my dimensions. I can grind
the sides to reduce the diameter.

But it might just be easier to shove some matchsticks, preferably
coated in decent PVA, into the existing holes. If needed, tap in with
a hammer. Let set, use a chisel to remove any excess. Fit new handles.

The holes are too close to do that, so I have to blank off old holes and
new with the plug I want to use. The handles are being replaced for the
third time :-(((


I think I must be not getting the picture! If there is an existing
screwhole, and you fill it with matchstick(s) and glue, you can make a
new hole for a new screw anywhere - including half a mm to the NW of the
original hole. If there are three holes in a cluster, fill all three!

If you nonetheless decide to use dowels, or even just to get new holes
started nicely on an imperfect surface, you could help yourself by using
some sort of drill guide. Like these:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-Drill-Guide-Kit-21306.htm

(Annoying those steel guide bushes are in prehistoric units. In metric I
would own a set.) Note also the other versions at the bottom of that page.

--
Rod

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