How to cut wood using a drill

41 comments

I am so bad at sawing wood that if there were an Olympic event for the worst “straight line” I’d win gold, no question.

I had to cut an old bookshelf unit down to match the size of another that I want to use as worktable supports (before, I’d hacked one end of the surface so that I could jam in into the taller unit, where a shelf would support it. Of course, the cuts weren’t straight, so “jam” was the operative word. But that left that unit exposed to the weather, and so the board backing got soaked and fell out; the unit lost its “backbone” and started to sag so badly that I had to put a loop of string round it and tie it to the fence. It also meant that the shelves in that unit were at 90o which made getting stuff out a prob when the space between them was filled.

So, with foreboding and trepidation, I got out my saw. I exceeded even my low expectations of success: here’s one I made (a mess of) earlier … I tried from each end, and still can’t decide which is the worst – they’re both pretty gruesome:

Even with the guide line, I’ve gone all over the place – always to the right. I’ve tried standing to the left a bit more, but that just slows down how much I veer right-wards.

So I thought, if I drill holes every now and then, it’ll give me something to aim for, and maybe a series of short cuts between pairs of holes would be easier to keep straight than one long one: didn’t work …

I had to hack bits off to get to the first hole, and then try to continue from there. Even tried using a small tenon saw (shorter blade, less bendy) to make a pilot groove; that had to be shallow, because of the reinforcement on the back of the blade.

Then came my brainwave, or brainstorm – it’s easier to tear paper in a straight line along a row of perforations than a plain sheet. So I got a hammer and just bashed the top and it fell off more or less along the line of drilled holes.

It’s rough, but still not half as rough as it would have been had I continued using the saw. And these could be planed down (if I had a plane).

The new top of the unit is badly shredded on one side – that was from the saw veering so much. The drill-and-hammer method might not work for fine furniture, but it sure takes less effort and time – I’d been sawing for half an hour or so (with plenty of back-breaks and hand-rests every dozen or so strokes) – the drilling and bashing took five minutes, if that. And it’s a damn sight easier to line up a drill bit neatly than to try to control a saw that veers so much to the right it should wear jackboots.

I’d not been looking forward to using the stack of wood I rescued from beside the bins – but now, I’m going to go the drill-and-hammer route. And if I put the holes much closer together, then the break will be a lot smoother – provided I’ve got the holes properly lined up.

As Roy Hudd used to say in the old teabag adverts: “It’s me little perforations …”

20 Feb, 2012
6 likes

Comments

Terratoonie

Well, Fran...
I've had a headache all day..
... been feeling rather poorly ..
... but this blog has had me laughing so much...

thank you ..

I so admire you for your enterprising ideas !!!

I hope you're not offended that I found it funny...

I hope your techniques with the hammer and saw will improve with practice :o))))))))))))))))))))))

20 Feb, 2012

Yorkshire

well Fran your not only a star but your a trier I'll give you that, like Terra I just sat here shook my head and laughed,
Hope your feeling better Terra,

20 Feb, 2012

Terratoonie

Been feeling worse all day, Yorks. but Fran's blogs are a fabulous tonic :o)))

20 Feb, 2012

Yorkshire

have you got a migraine

20 Feb, 2012

Terratoonie

Headachey and keep coming over hot ..

20 Feb, 2012

Yorkshire

maybe you have picked up a virus, keep warm and just take it easy, try having a little nap,