How to Drill a Deep Hole in Wood With a Nail

Construct the Bit

• 1

  Cut the head off the nail using a strong wire cutter.

• 2

  Secure the shank of the nail solidly in a vise, leaving the sharp point of the nail exposed.

• 3

  File the nearly conical point on the sharp end of the nail to a flat point on one side. Then rotate the shank of the nail in the vise 180 degrees and file the other side flat. The flat sides of the filed point will cut into the wood better than the original, factory-made points.

Drilling the Hole

• 4

  Insert the nail-bit into the chuck of a power drill and tighten securely.

• 5

  Position the point of the nail in the location you need to drill the hole and start the drill.

• 6

  Press downward on the drill, forcing the nail-bit into the wood as the nail is turned by the drill.

• 7

  Watch and feel the progress of the drill job. Conventional bits are augers that remove the drilled-out material as the drill job progresses. When using a nail-bit, the material being drilled won’t be automatically removed.

• 8

  Stop drilling when you observe or feel the progress slow or stop. Remove the drill bit and blow sharply into the hole to expel the sawdust inside the hole.

• 9

  Reinsert the drill bit, then turn it on while forcing the bit down deeper into the wood. Again, watch and feel the progress and remove and purge the hole of sawdust as needed. Repeat this procedure as required to drill the depth of the hole as deep as you need it to be.