I’m using Carbide Create with Shapeoko Pro XL with a Makita compact. I need to drill 1/8" holes all the way through the wood. When using the drill function on Carbide Create should I use an actual drill bit? Should I put in an 1/8" drill bit in since the motion will be a straight down drilling motion? Or should use the 1/8" CNC milling bit?
@wmoy did a good video about drilling with a cnc router a while back
generally you don’t want to load a normal drill bit into a router. However there are specialty bits available.
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Thank you so much. Video was very good and informative. I’m quite nervous about the decision. Drilling through a combo of oak and resin almost a half inch deep.
When drilling, verify your toolpaths and plunge rates in the G-code — best to use top of stock for the origin.
If you have access to a drill press, you could use the Shapeoko to spot where the holes will be, then finish the drilling operation on the press.
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This is often what I do - use a chamfer mill to just put a few dots where you want to drill.
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I drill holes for cribbage boards all the time. I use high speed drill bits but I find that even when dropped down to 10K RPM they get dull fast and depending on the wood they do a little burning. Not much but some, especially if I don’t replace a dull bit soon enough.
I have been using these bits for years for my cribbage boards. I can drill 6-8 4 player boards (533 holes each board) before needing to be replaced. They are solid carbide and work fantastic. I’ve used them in bamboo, hard woods, soft woods and exotic woods as well.
I peck at 0.10" and run them at 12K RPM. I cannot recommend them enough. They are $1.65/ea at the time of this posting, and I just order them 10 at a time to save on shipping.
I can also recommend the 0.0781" bits from drillman1 as well for smaller (I call them portable / travel) cribbage boards that use 5/64" pegs, like the #12 “mini” pegs. I’d link the drill bits, but they are OOS right now.
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I’ve been buying bits from the Drillman since 2008, and never had to take advantage of “The Rule of the Tool” for a return or replacement. I have a number of his 50 bit cases that came with various orders over the years. Highly recommended!
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I’ve only been buying since 2016ish. I used to get bits in little cases that held 10 at a time, but those stopped a couple of years ago. So I ended up buying a bunch from AliExpress so I can do this.
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