monophoto
Member
From time to time, we are all faced with the problem of drilling to a known depth. Yes you can buy drill bit stops that attach to a bit using a grub screw. Unfortunately, the set I bought from Harbor Freight are nearly useless - it comes with a small Allen wrench that is supposed to fit into the hex socket in the grub screws, but in fact it doesn't.
Alternatively, there is also the trick of adding a masking tape 'flag' on the bit to mark the desired depth.
But here's another idea - cut a slice from one of those plastic wine corks that are now used in a lot of less-expensive wines. Drill an on-axis hole (it doesn't have to be exactly on-axis - close is fine) in the slice that is slightly smaller than the bit it will be used with (eg, for a 1/4" bit, I drill a 7/32" hole). Slip this over the bit, and there you have it - a stop that will slide along the length of the bit, but that fits snugly enough that it won't move unless you really want it to.
Alternatively, there is also the trick of adding a masking tape 'flag' on the bit to mark the desired depth.
But here's another idea - cut a slice from one of those plastic wine corks that are now used in a lot of less-expensive wines. Drill an on-axis hole (it doesn't have to be exactly on-axis - close is fine) in the slice that is slightly smaller than the bit it will be used with (eg, for a 1/4" bit, I drill a 7/32" hole). Slip this over the bit, and there you have it - a stop that will slide along the length of the bit, but that fits snugly enough that it won't move unless you really want it to.
