Hi there! I’m confused with this one… I’ve got these plywood squares that I had to drill a bunch of holes in. Despite using a low speed on my drill and adding masking tape (below) there’s still pretty nasty tear out on nearly all holes. (EDIT: These are not through holes, this is for crochet square blocking boards. Metal rods which need to stay in place are put into the holes.)
And this is it after removing the masking tape.
What should I do? Thanks in advance!
Did you try backing the plywood with a piece of hardwood while drilling? If you can clamp the two together that will work even better.
Also pull the drill out to clear the flutes just before you pierce the far side. Clogged flutes mean you’re really just punching through, rather than cutting.
I’m sorry I didn’t clarify this in the original post - the holes do not go all the way through as they are for putting metal crochet rods in.
So you’re getting this tearout on the top?!
That’s kinda nuts, never seen it before.
Make sure your drill is sharp, and consider a brad-point.