tomtheelder2020
Well-Known Member
Replacing a 70 yo 1-1/4" exterior door (two 3-1/2" hinges) with a 1-3/4" door (three 4" Everbilt hinges). First time doing something like this but mortising door went well. However, for the hinge screws, the retracting barrel on largest self-centering bit in the set I bought (11/64 - same diameter as screw threads) slips through the hinge holes instead of centering. The barrel has only a little play once in the hole - my electronic caliper says barrel 1/64 smaller or same size, readings vary. Surely that is close enough for this purpose.
Since the 11/64 bit is the same size as the screw threads, I will use it only to mark the location, then drill the pilot hole with a smaller bit. For the next time, I thought about getting better bits than the cheap Harbor Freight ones I have* but everything I see online looks to be about the same thing regardless of price. What should I be looking for to find a self-centering bit that will actually center on this size hinge yet drill a hole that is right for the screw? Thanks.
Tom
*This is not only problem with these bits. Two of the three have a drill bit that extends beyond the end of the retracting barrel, so they would not center even if the barrel was the right size. I will try to replace them with shorter bits.
Since the 11/64 bit is the same size as the screw threads, I will use it only to mark the location, then drill the pilot hole with a smaller bit. For the next time, I thought about getting better bits than the cheap Harbor Freight ones I have* but everything I see online looks to be about the same thing regardless of price. What should I be looking for to find a self-centering bit that will actually center on this size hinge yet drill a hole that is right for the screw? Thanks.
Tom
*This is not only problem with these bits. Two of the three have a drill bit that extends beyond the end of the retracting barrel, so they would not center even if the barrel was the right size. I will try to replace them with shorter bits.