"Joe Willmann" wrote in message
. 77...


Drill the holes first then plane the top of the board.

RIGHT!

Only way I can think of else is to reduce the brittleness by oiling the
surface heavily.

Can't you remove the bit and put in a brad point? My Makita branded allow
bit replacement. Willing to bet that reverse chucking a 1/8 and applying a
bit of sandpaper would do for the shank.

First thing you do when you buy a template is use it to make another
template. Second thing you do is put it in a safe place while you use the
one you made. Sorta like floppies back when....