DIYbanter - View Single Post

Bill[_37_]

J. Clarke wrote:
In ,
says...

This seems like a good place to ask this newbe question:

It you bore a hole with a 7/32" brad point bit, is it reasonable to
expect to be able to tap a 1/4" dowel into it? I have to assume this is
why they make 7/32". Is the dowel generally chosen to be of soft wood
to accommodate this?

Generally speaking you want to use a 1/4 inch bit for a 1/4 inch dowel
unless you are using some kind of proprietary system with special bits
and dowels.

7/32 would be the pilot drill for a #18 straight shank wood screw in
hardwood or the clearance drill for a McFeelys #12, among other uses.

Thanks for the explanation. I know better than to try to put a square
block in a round hole, but I was trying make sense of all of the "off
size" drill bits I was seeing (like 7/32"). I know they sometimes cut
off-size dado's to accommodate plywood that is thinner than it is
supposed to be and I thought perhaps the situation was something like
that. But your explanation (for screws) makes the most sense.

Bill