When installing furniture connecting elements, it is convenient to use a drill, which uses a special drill, with which you can evenly select the waste material and make a hole to the required depth.
Furniture hinges, attached after processing the base with such a tool, “sit” evenly and securely.
Equipping a drill with a drill suitable for the selected hinges is the main task when working with cabinet furniture doors.
Furniture hinges, attached after processing the base with such a tool, “sit” evenly and securely. It is important to choose the correct drill diameter depending on the parameters of the hinge bowls.
A drill for furniture hinges is a special milling attachment that allows you to work with wooden and plastic bases of sufficient width.
You should select milling elements in specialized stores.
What is it and how does it work?
A drill for furniture hinges is a special milling attachment that allows you to work with wooden and plastic bases of sufficient width. With its help, you can make the desired hole in a solid panel, MDF, chipboard or laminated chipboard.
With its help, you can make the desired hole in a solid panel, MDF, chipboard or laminated chipboard.
You can find both standard and non-standard drills with a quality certificate and a guarantee from well-known manufacturers.
The nozzle is a base with a bridge and three teeth. The middle spike is installed in the center of the future circle, which is outlined using a prepared gauge, and the rest make a round hole of the required diameter. Typically the depth of the final cut is about 9mm.
The nozzle is a base with a bridge and three teeth.
Elements that are too cheap are an indicator of a low-quality product, so it’s worth considering options with prices below the market average.
Furniture hinges for which a drill is used are mainly four-hinged. The hole for each is made almost instantly. When working, the drill is held slightly inclined, and not straight, so that the waste material is selected to the desired depth and evenly.
Typically the depth of the final cut is about 9mm.
This cutter is reliable and will last a long time.
Kinds
When installing hinges on cabinet furniture, two types of drills are used, differing in size:
- 35 mm;
- 26 mm.
The hole for each is made almost instantly.
It is important to choose the correct drill diameter depending on the parameters of the hinge bowls.
The diameter is selected in accordance with standard hinges or with a reduced bowl. Each type of fastening has its own drill.
With its help, you can make the desired hole in a solid panel, MDF, chipboard or laminated chipboard.
The nozzle is a base with a bridge and three teeth.
A universal drill with interchangeable attachments is suitable for installing furniture hinges.
When working, the drill is held slightly inclined, and not straight, so that the waste material is selected to the desired depth and evenly.
The middle spike is installed in the center of the future circle, which is outlined using a prepared gauge.
Milling machines use automatic calibration and attachments, but at home you cannot do without a special hand-held power tool.
The diameter is selected in accordance with standard hinges or with a reduced bowl.
Each type of fastening has its own drill.
General information about the Forstner device
A Forstner drill for furniture hinges is a device with a complex configuration and has several varieties. But all of them are based on one central point, a transverse incisor and two on the rim.
There are three main types of drills for installing furniture hinges:
- Original design , made by milling and finished by hand
- With cast working part , adapted for fully machine production
- Manufactured by casting with welded high-speed steel
In terms of cost, these three types also differ radically - the most expensive are the representatives of the first type, and the most budget-friendly are the third. The quality can be either consistently high (for Forstner drills made according to the first type) or quite mediocre. In any case, this device is not too cheap and when purchasing it, you need to carry out a thorough visual inspection for quality of workmanship (no surface defects, chips, smooth and symmetrical sharpening, accurate welding and hardening).
Main dimensions and working diameters of the device
All device options have a fairly wide range of diameters. A drill for furniture hinges with a diameter of 35 mm . Two other slightly less popular diameters are 26 and 40 mm . The length of the shank may vary depending on the manufacturer, but most often it is a hexagon 10-12 cm .
Not only the manufacturer’s logo and drill size markings, but also a special immersion depth scale can be chemically engraved on the shank. Sometimes the kit may include a removable dive limiter. It is a metal disk with a diameter 4-6 mm larger than the outer diameter of the drill. The limiter is attached to the shank using a screw screwed into its sleeve.
The process of working with a Forstner device
Using a Forstner drill makes the process of cutting a hole very easy. There are two options here:
- Without depth limiter . If the device does not have one, then you need to proceed as follows - prick a hole in the center with a tap, place the center point in it. Next, drilling begins at medium speed. Taking frequent breaks to check depth. At this time you need to apply the loop cup and see if it fits. In addition, breaks will prevent the drill from overheating and setting the wood on fire.
- With limiter . In this case, the work is simplified. The main thing is to correctly set the immersion depth of the device. Marking the shank or using a caliper will help here.
- When setting the depth for the Forstner fixture, you need to take into account the size of the central tip. Most often it is from 2 to 4 mm . If you forget about this, you can ruin the front surface of the part - the façade of the furniture.
In general, before you start working with real furniture parts, you should practice several times with unnecessary pieces of material of similar thickness and composition. This will make the work much easier.
- When working with the device, try to maintain uniform rotation and maintain its perpendicular position relative to the surface of the part. You can avoid chipping it by first gluing a piece of masking tape to the drilling site. Once the recess is made, it will be easy to remove, and the edges will be burr-free.
Advantages and disadvantages
Furniture hinges require precision during installation, so the ability to make exactly the recess that is needed is the main advantage of a Forstner drill. This provides a special stop that prevents penetration into the hole beyond a fixed length. The drill is limited by teeth that do not allow it to deviate from the specified location. The hole turns out perfectly clean, thanks to which the loop cup fits very tightly.
A universal drill with interchangeable attachments is suitable for installing furniture hinges.
At home, you can’t do without a special hand-held power tool.
The only drawback of a Forstner drill when working with solid wood can be its low quality, which is typical for non-factory production. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a product from an official supplier and obtain a guarantee.
Furniture hinges require precision during installation, so it is possible to make exactly such a recess.
Depending on the type of panel, the cutter can become very hot, burning the edges and the material removed from the recess. Therefore, when working with such a base, it is recommended to take breaks to cool the drill, doing 3-4 approaches. This usually happens with MDF panels. When working with laminated chipboard and chipboard, hard alloy elements allow you to make holes for hinges quickly and without much effort.
The drill is limited by teeth that do not allow it to deviate from the specified location.
Types of loops
Installation of furniture hinges directly depends on their type. In practice, you can most often find the following types of loops, which have their own characteristics and advantages:
- Invoices. They are highly widespread, especially in the design of hinged bedside tables, cabinets, drawers and other pieces of furniture. When opening, the movable part of the overhead hinge rotates 90 degrees. They have wide adjustment possibilities due to the presence of many adjusting bolts.
- Semi-overhead. The fastening of such a hinge is provided on the inside of the furniture body; it is often used for cabinets and bedside tables with three or more fronts.
- Internal. Somewhat similar in design to the semi-overlay, but differs in a characteristic hump that sticks out when open.
Of course, you can find other types of furniture hinges, for example, gallery or piano hinges, which are used in certain pieces of furniture. Their installation will also differ from cases with standard hinges, the features of which are listed above. You can choose any hinges depending on the model of your furniture and personal preferences.
Semi-overlay hinges for furniture
How to choose?
Equipping a drill with a drill suitable for the selected hinges is the main task when working with cabinet furniture doors. In order for the hole to be precisely adjusted in radius and depth, you need to take a cutter of the required diameter.
| Four-joint hinges with 35 mm bowl | With such parameters, the drill must be appropriate. |
| Non-standard fastenings | Requires a suitable nozzle diameter. |
| Forstner drills | Suitable for wooden and plastic panels with a thickness of 16 mm. |
The hole turns out perfectly clean, thanks to which the loop cup fits very tightly.
The product must be from an official supplier and obtain a guarantee.
You should select milling elements in specialized stores. There you can find both standard and non-standard drills with a quality certificate and a guarantee from well-known manufacturers. Elements that are too cheap are an indicator of a low-quality product, so it’s worth considering options with prices below the market average. This cutter is reliable and will last a long time.
Depending on the type of panel, the cutter can become very hot, burning the edges and the material removed from the recess.
