Imagine that you are faced with a specific task: to make a blind hole in a tree for a bearing. To press it in, you need a certain diameter of the cutter; it is not a fact that a tool of this size will be in the store. Therefore, it is easier and cheaper to do it yourself.
Will need
We only need two M8 bolts and a washer with an outer diameter of 35-45 mm. By the way, the size of the bolt depends on the problem being solved. In our case, we select the future tool for a Forstner cutter to match the holes for a small ball bearing. It must be secured flush with the plane of the base. We will also make a clamp for pressing the element into the wood.
So, let's arm ourselves with power tools:
- Grinder (angle grinder) with cutting and grinding abrasive discs.
- Drill.
- Electric welding machine.
- Vertical drilling machine.
The hand tools we will need are: a file, a marker, and a caliper. Well, a workbench with a vice can be found in every workshop.
Homemade wood cutter (Forstner drill)
First, use a caliper to measure the remaining distance on the bolt head relative to the bearing being mounted. The head size in circumference of the M8 bolt is 12.73-13mm. The diameter of the handle is 11.60 mm, which allows it to be clamped in most modern drill chucks.
The cap will need to be adjusted to the diameter of the bearing. It is this part of the bolt that will be the working element of our cutter. For marking, it is best to use a thin, contrasting marker, the marks of which will be easily visible on the metal.
We mark the cutter's burrs. This will allow her to easily get rid of the shavings. We clamp the bolt in a vice, and using a cutting wheel we make these slits on the head with a grinder.
We measure the diameter of the bearing.
To work the faceted head of a bolt to a circle, we need to turn our drill into a lathe. We clamp it in a vice, and firmly fasten the bolt in the cartridge strictly in the center.
We fix the drill button at a constant operating mode, and proceed to processing the bolt head. This process should be constantly monitored so that the center of the bolt does not shift and disrupt the uniformity of the actuated teeth. We place an abrasive grinding disc on the grinder and grind the edges to a circle.
We also slightly remove the end part of the cutter, leaving only a small tip in the center. This detail is extremely important, since this type of cutter first finds the center when working, and only then begins to work the material with the cutting edges and rims. It can be carefully finished with a file so as not to be accidentally cut off during the grinding process.
The cutter is almost ready. All that remains is to shape the cutting edges and sharpen them.
This is what happened in the end.
Now you can try the resulting tool on an unnecessary piece of wood. It works, and quite well!
Blind hole:
And end-to-end:
The simplest clamp for pressing
We will make this device from the same M8 bolt and a washer of suitable diameter. We place the bolt vertically on a metal surface, providing mass contact for electric welding. We place the washer on top in the center of the bolt head, holding it with pliers. We scald the center with an electrode, filling the area of the inner hole of the washer.
We clamp the resulting clamp in a vice and clean it with an angle grinder. The back part can be passed with a cleaning brush attachment for a drill.
We insert the finished clamp into the chuck of a vertical drilling machine, and try to press the bearing into the wood. This simple device will save you unnecessary effort and allow you to accurately cope with such tasks.
Practical advice
This life hack also has one weakness. It is more suitable for quickly solving a short-term problem when there is no time to run to the store or market. Since ordinary steel is used for hardware like bolts, and not tool steel, such a cutter is guaranteed to wear out quickly. However, its life can be extended by hardening it at home, for example with a propane torch or in a blacksmith shop.
Also, in order not to get confused about the configuration of the cutting part of the cutter, its grooves, and their direction, you can take a photo of the finished cutter from the Internet as a basis. These cutters are most often used for holes for furniture hinges.
Although this homemade tool can be used infrequently. But you won’t spend a lot of money to make it, and when you need it, you will always have it at hand!
