Perfectly countersunk holes

A countersink bit is essential when joining projects with screws. A countersink bit allows the screw to be driven below the surface of board products to allow for a variety of finishing options.

 

Tork Craft offer a variety of countersink bits, but the most common size that you will use for furniture projects is a 12mm. Buy at your local Builders store. Countersink bits are fitted into any drill / driver, and the drill / driver set on 'drill' function for maximum power.

To determine how deep to drill a countersink hole, use the screw itself to determine the depth. Ideally, you want to screw head to sit just below the surface of the board, so that when driven into the board it will be just below surface level.

It is important that the screw head be just below the surface for two reasons:

1. Some projects require that you have access to screws in the event that they need to be taken apart at a later stage. For example. if you are making beds - you want to be able to take these apart if you move to another home. In this case it is better to fit screw cap covers to hide screws. In order to fit screw cap covers the screw head needs to be as close to the surface as possible without being visible.

2. If you are covering up screws with wood filler, you don't want to have deep holes to fill. The less wood filler you use the quicker it dries, the less chance of cracking and the less sanding you have to do.

If you are using wood for your project and need to cover up screw heads, the best way to do this is to use plug cutters. Tork Craft offer a set of plug cutters in various sizes and you can click here to find out how to use plug cutters without using a drill press.