Clean Drilled Holes

[Andy Harris]

In all the promo images, like in banner of this site, the holes you see drilled are always really cleanly drilled.

I find that in pine I never get this, except in some harder external lumbar.

Is it just me or do other people suffer from same issue?

Any tips on how to stop I rough holes happening?

[Ken Darga]

Bring the drill to full speed, before you start the boring.

When you touch the wood, and then engage the drill motor, it'll cause tears.

2500rpm is recommended to obtain smooth drilled holes, and a sharp drill bit.

[KregRep]

Ken is correct. Your drill should always be running at full speed before it comes in contact with your wood. For many years, we have recommended using a 2,000-RPM drill to create your pocket holes. The higher speed drill will make the cut more efficiently and result in a pocket hole with less tear-out and better outward appearance.

However, due to the growing popularity of cordless drills, coupled with the dramatic power increases and multi-speed features they bring, we have no problem recommending them today. We still recommend drills that reach 2,000+ RPM, but it's certainly not "necessary" to get quality results.

When driving the screws, we generally recommend the use of a cordless drill. Their adjustable clutch decreases the likelihood of over-driving.

It is also a good idea to frequently switch out your drill bits, or have them sharpened when they dull. And the good news is, we offer a drill-bit sharpening service here at Kreg: https://www.kregtool.com/customer-service/questions/joining-tools-q....

Good luck, and good woodworking!
KregRep

[Jerry Morris]

   I use a cone shape grinding wheel made for sharpening. It fit the shape of the hole and leave a nice clean edge. The finish is good enough, that some of my projects have the Pocket Hole on the outside in plain view. 

   As long as they are covered and aligned, they look very good and different.