Flat Bottom Holes?

J

JH225

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Feb 7, 1999
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What are you guy's (or Gals) using for drilling flat bottom holes? I am talking about the type of hole needed for seating cap screws or pivot pins into the wood or whatever handle material being used. I was using a countersink and I don't like the look. I want to seat them so they are flush and have it look clean. I am looking into Brad point drill bits, and someone also mentioned End Mills. Any advice or help is greatly appreciated.

Also, what size bit is needed for the cap screw heads for the various screws? ie: 4-40, 2-56, etc.

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C.O.'s-"It takes balls to work behind the walls "
 
You might wanna try using a square nosed end mill.

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Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!http://www.nebsnow.com/L6steel
 
I just use a regular drill bit. It doesn't have to be flat bottomed, long as the top of the screw is below surface. Almost all the screws I use are pan head and not but .040 high. Even in thin handles, plenty of room.

For pivot bolts in folders, I use a piloted aircraft counterbore. It does a flat bottomed hole.
 
Nothing flashy but if you can regrind a drill (preferably the one you're using to drill the primary hole) so that the point is square, it will clean out that last little bit left by the standard pointed drill. If the drill isn't too big, buy a couple of them and use them as you would a set of taps...do the primary hole and bottom out!

All the Best

Dileas Gu Brath
 
There are a couple of choices in drilling flat bottom holes. The endmill idea is good if you have a good way of holding and positioning your material. If the primary hole is already drilled you can use a piloted counter-bore. This follows the original hole, presuming you use the same size pilot as the main hole, and you can set the depth with your drill press. They are found in most knife supply cataloges or in machine tool supply sources like MSC. The best souce of the sizes of heads is the machieries handbook or just mic a couple to check out the average sizes.
 
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