Drill bits for loveless bolts

[lanternnate]

I'm going to be trying out some loveless bolts for the first time, and I want to make sure I use the right drill bit sizes. I know that Jantz sells a specialty drill bit for the loveless bolts, but I want to see if I like using them before buying a specialty bit. I’ve only used standard pin material so far. The ones I ordered have a 1/4” collar and a 6-32 bolt. I have read that you can make things “tight” with micarta/g10, but need to be careful with wood not to crack it. It wasn’t clear to me though whether that meant tight as in how much you wrenched the bolt or tight as in how much tolerance you had in the holes.

Order of ops when not using the specialty bit, I assume it’s best to drill the bolt hole first and use that to center the larger collar hole, and do the best possible with the press’s depth gauge to not blow through?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

You can make a simple counterbore. It isn't nearly as good as a machined one, but it will work.

Take a wood drill bit the size of the Loveless "nut" - let's say you are using the 1/4" size LOveless bolt, so use a size F bit.

Chuck the bit in a cordless hand drill and go to the belt grinder. Run the grinder at medium speed if it is VF. While the bit is running in the drill on high, set the side of the end against the bely and grind the last 1/4" of the bit down to the size of the Loveless bolt shaft - usually 1/8".
Try and keep the shoulder pretty square. Now you have a homemade counterbore.

Drill the scales with a regular drill bit just like you were putting in a 1/8" rivet ( use a #30 bit). Make sure the Loveless bolt shafts go through and they all can be inserted. The best way tom assure a perfect fit is to drill one hole through both scales, stick the bolt through, drill the next and put in the bolt, then drill the last ( if using 3 bolts.) All three bolts should fit smoothly that way.

Once the scales are drilled, use the counter bore to drill the 1/8" holes about half way through the scales, making the seated holes.