I have known about, but had never used self centering drill bits. If i needed to center a screw, i just eye balled. It wood take a bit of doing, but in general, i got the screw where i wanted it.
In reorganizing my shop, i had an old bench with drawers that was actually too big. The drawers were too big and it was just one more vertical surface to capture dust and debris. The bench was the first item to be eliminated. I pulled it apart by removing screws and in a couple of places, breaking the glue joints. the bench had been left over lumber from other jobs, so the few chips from breaking glue did not really ruin much. The drawers were much deeper than anything I would need if I were to save space. My bandsaw solved all demolition problems. By the time i cut the backs and fronts from the drawers, I was able to salvage sides, after squaring, that were exactly 20" long. I set them aside with intentions of reusing for smaller drawers.
As i was moving, salvaging and throwing away piles of goodies and junk from the drawers and elsewhere in my cluttered shop, i happened to uncover some unused drawer slides. I checked them out and they were exactly 20". I proceeded to slap together new drawers (from old scraps including the parts salvaged from the bench). I am not spending any extra time with fancy joinery. Just but joints and screws. The dados for the bottom panels were already there in the old sides i had saved, so those were the only routing i needed.
I started adding those newfound slides (corner mounting). I have only added metal slides to a couple of projects in the past. I started my old method of eyeballing, but I had to leave for paying work elsewhere. while away, i decided i was only a couple of miles from my toy store and took a quick trip to pick up a set of self centering bits.
I think those bits paid for themselves with the first slide piece i put on the first drawer. I think i did the add ons to both corners of the drawer as quickly as i was doing one screw in the past.
WOW! that little side trip was with the travel. Maybe not by now, but by the time i finish all of my reorganization.
Tinker
In reorganizing my shop, i had an old bench with drawers that was actually too big. The drawers were too big and it was just one more vertical surface to capture dust and debris. The bench was the first item to be eliminated. I pulled it apart by removing screws and in a couple of places, breaking the glue joints. the bench had been left over lumber from other jobs, so the few chips from breaking glue did not really ruin much. The drawers were much deeper than anything I would need if I were to save space. My bandsaw solved all demolition problems. By the time i cut the backs and fronts from the drawers, I was able to salvage sides, after squaring, that were exactly 20" long. I set them aside with intentions of reusing for smaller drawers.
As i was moving, salvaging and throwing away piles of goodies and junk from the drawers and elsewhere in my cluttered shop, i happened to uncover some unused drawer slides. I checked them out and they were exactly 20". I proceeded to slap together new drawers (from old scraps including the parts salvaged from the bench). I am not spending any extra time with fancy joinery. Just but joints and screws. The dados for the bottom panels were already there in the old sides i had saved, so those were the only routing i needed.
I started adding those newfound slides (corner mounting). I have only added metal slides to a couple of projects in the past. I started my old method of eyeballing, but I had to leave for paying work elsewhere. while away, i decided i was only a couple of miles from my toy store and took a quick trip to pick up a set of self centering bits.
I think those bits paid for themselves with the first slide piece i put on the first drawer. I think i did the add ons to both corners of the drawer as quickly as i was doing one screw in the past.
WOW! that little side trip was with the travel. Maybe not by now, but by the time i finish all of my reorganization.
Tinker
