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I am wanting to fix my MDF cabinet together with cam dowels and connectors (I rent, so for ease of moving I want the option to flatpack. Of course I will glue up when I get somewhere permanent, don't moan at me :-P).

I have bought the following:

enter image description here

I have been doing a test piece to connect 2 scrap pieces together and have been coming up against a bit of an issue...

My MDF is 18mm thick, the quoted length of the cam connectors is 10mm with the locking centre being quoted as 6mm, so in theory I should be able to drill in with my drill bit and have everything line up ok as shown in my diagram below...

enter image description here

However... I have been finding that the point of the drill bit is rather long and appears to be either poking through the other side of my MDF, or at least making a small bulge.

Is there anything I can do to avoid this? Would a forstener bit be a better option for this job?

UPDATE So after a few more tests, drilling in slowly and checking the fit I was still frustrated and decided to actually measure the length of the point on the drill bit... It appears the point is greater than 4mm, so of course it is poking out of the other side! Would a forstener bit's point be less dramatic as to help me with my issue here?

enter image description here

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  • you need a forstner bit with a shorter point. youtube.com/watch?v=Z6_JMLUm6-I
    – Jasen
    Commented May 9, 2020 at 10:53
  • @Jasen yeah it would make sense to have a shorter point. See the image I added to my question; I didn't expect the point on this bit to be 5mm+!!!!
    – physicsboy
    Commented May 9, 2020 at 11:05

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You can simply grind down the point of the bit you have to suit this job, rather than purchasing another tool and hoping that it will conform to the geometry you need.

Nothing says that a tool is unalterable once you own it.

Note - do not remove it entirely (that will prove VERY hard to use) and do keep it centered.

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  • I was thinking something simlar! I did end up going out and buying a set of Forstner bits in the end, but they're only £10 for 7 different sizes 12-35mm.
    – physicsboy
    Commented May 9, 2020 at 13:59
  • draw a center line on the point before you start grinding
    – jsotola
    Commented May 9, 2020 at 17:01

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