# [help] how to make wood squares



## riskinhos (Feb 21, 2017)

I want to make a piece of wood like that in the picture made of several square holes (edges can be a bit round). I've searched a lot and I've seen mortises, chisels, routers, fancy drill bits and really don't know what would be the best way to do it.
A drill bench can't be used because of the large size of the piece. It doesn't have enough clearance. Also there isn't mortise large enough for the hole size ((about 5cm) but maybe I could make 4 holes for the square corners?). I don't have much experience but I've time and I'm committed. I just want it to be perfect or that I don't do any mistake (cutting to much and ruining the piece). So I'm asking what is the best way to do it. What tools should I use. 
Can someone help me please? Thank you.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Does this "piece" have to be one body? Or can it be made of strips of wood glued together. 

The latter would be far simpler.

George


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## riskinhos (Feb 21, 2017)

GeorgeC said:


> Does this "piece" have to be one body? Or can it be made of strips of wood glued together.
> 
> The latter would be far simpler.
> 
> George


thank you
yes, it has to be one body. just a single piece of wood with square holes on it. holes have to be hollow.
hole dimension is about 4-5cm . the piece has about 36cm hight and and 75cm in lenght. (size is a bit flexible)


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

I'll ask. What is this supposed to be?

If I made that, I would cut narrow strips, then put them together with half lap joints.

If you really need it to be made of one solid block of wood, you'll have to drill and chisel, or have a CNC cut it.


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## bargoon (Apr 20, 2016)

riskinhos said:


> thank you
> yes, it has to be one body. just a single piece of wood with square holes on it. holes have to be hollow.
> hole dimension is about 4-5cm . the piece has about 36cm hight and and 75cm in lenght. (size is a bit flexible)


You said the hole diminsion is 4-5cm, but what is the depth?


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## riskinhos (Feb 21, 2017)

sanchez said:


> I'll ask. What is this supposed to be?
> 
> If I made that, I would cut narrow strips, then put them together with half lap joints.
> 
> If you really need it to be made of one solid block of wood, you'll have to drill and chisel, or have a CNC cut it.


it's for a school project.
a CNC might be a good idea but I've no clue about the cost of such a service. I even have a 3D file of the object. maybe someone can tell me?
drill and chisel yes I get that. but what kind of drill and what kind of chisel? that's what I need to know...
I've looked at broachs, mortises, files, rasps, chisels, punches, square router bit etc etc. and how do I make sure it's aligned correctly?



bargoon said:


> You said the hole diminsion is 4-5cm, but what is the depth?


about 2cm


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

Hi riskinhos -

bunch more thought needs to go into this project. with 8 x 6 cells, 75 x 36 overall dimensions, the thickness of the wood between the cells (of 4-5 size...) is 38.9mm to 47.8 mm horizontally (8 cell direction) and 8.6 or 17.1 mm vertically (6 cell direction)

I tried putting 8 cells in the short dimension and 6 cells in the long dimension and that makes this worse - to the point that 8 - 50mm cells in 360 mm overall gives you a -4.4 mm cell wall thickness.

do these cells go all the way through the plank? or are they "pockets" in a thick plank?

any which way you cut it - this is going to be a fragile item when cut from a single chunk of wood. thin cell/pocket walls with the cross grain will very likely dry&crack and eventually break out.

if this is supposed to be a smooth finish piece there's little modern option than to use a very hard, perfectly seasoned, close grain wood that machines well - on a CNC router. and I'd hazard to say it's got less than a 50% chance of staying intact.

manually you could drill round holes and use chisels to square the corners. you'll need an "end mill" type drill bit if you want a smooth bottom. a drill press and sturdy guides/fences plus uber super critical set-up is required. can be done - plan on at least 2-3 're-do from start' before you get it perfect.

sorry if this seems over critical - but what you've sketched and described is not a real simple thing to execute with little experience and a few hand tools.

the cost of a CNC approach depends on where you are and whether you can sweet-talk the shop into 'support your local school' type of cooperation.


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## riskinhos (Feb 21, 2017)

dimensions will be about 720x350x25mm. holes are about 4-5cm it's a bit flexible. holes are hollow, they go all the way through. 
the draw is just an example but it will have about 100 holes.
wall thickness is about 5mm. I can increase it to about 15mm.


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## riskinhos (Feb 21, 2017)




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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

I have a collection of power tools and hand tools and near 50 years of doing home style wood projects - there is no way I would attempt to manually cut 100 holes like that. for example I have a manually cranked X-Y table I mount on a drill press for smaller tasks - your overall dimensions put you into b-i-g machinery mode; nothing likely to be found in the hobby home shop.

if neatness counts, a CNC router will get you there.

other items to consider: 
- finding one solid chunk of wood that size will be tricky - and if you find a chunk that size it will very likely warp/distort when you cut that much out of it.

- a wall thickness of 5 mm is almost certain to break along the grain of solid wood - whether it is one massive piece or glued up for width. if sawn or drilled out, just sanding the interior of a 5 mm wall would be risky, the vibration from a high speed cutting tool is also a big risk so even with a CNC router you will have to make extremely light/thin cuts.

- you may want to consider gluing up some high quality marine grade (i.e. no voids) plywood for maximum omni-directional strength.


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## riskinhos (Feb 21, 2017)

TomCT2 said:


> I have a collection of power tools and hand tools and near 50 years of doing home style wood projects - there is no way I would attempt to manually cut 100 holes like that. for example I have a manually cranked X-Y table I mount on a drill press for smaller tasks - your overall dimensions put you into b-i-g machinery mode; nothing likely to be found in the hobby home shop.
> 
> if neatness counts, a CNC router will get you there.
> 
> ...


thank you very much. everyone is so helpful around here. it clearly gives me an idea of the task ahead.

I don't mind manually drilling 100 holes. I know it's something that will take lots of time and effort. That's not the issue.
CNC is a good idea I'm searching around to find what companies can do it and the costs evolved (anyone has an idea about it).
I'm ofc concerned that it can break. That's the major problem. 5mm is not a lot. But what about 15mm? would that work?
A solid chunk of wood of that size is hard to find. Yes it is because it was hard to find one. I've a piece of 750x350x2.25mm of exotic wood.


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## Brian(J) (Feb 22, 2016)

I agree with Tom that this is a 'wise men fear to tread' situation, and in addition that the CNC shop I work with would not touch this for fear of it blowing up in the machine. Just holding it rigid is a question.
But, it's an interesting thought experiment. 
OK, if I had to do this I would draw it in CAD and send the file away to PONOKO and have them laser cut it out of something 6.5mm and stiff. Or maybe have it waterjet out of 1/4" aluminum, but that is more money. 
Then, I would clamp the resulting template/pattern to the wood, then drill out by hand with a sharp 1.5" spade bit each square. I would finish with a top bearing flush router bit.
At that point I would make the weak 'bars' stronger by soaking zap-a-gap or some less expensive CA glue, thus converting them to fiber reinforced plastic. I think repairing the blow-outs would be required at this stage also.

someone has to have a better idea than this one.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

well, here's an approach - drill four ten mm holes in the corners, then a 50mm hole in the middle.
that's 500 holes - all drilled perfectly perpendicular / normal to the surface.

that leaves some "ears" projecting about 5 mm. you could set up a straight edge and nibble them back with a jigsaw - minimizing the eventual chisel slicing and finishing.

pounding on a chisel will almost certain crush the wood fibers - it's gonna' be all hand work - push and slide to slice it clean. you'll need a darn sharp chisel and a way to keep it sharp.

earlier you mentioned 2 cm deep, your exotic wood stock is 2.25 mm? the thickness is going to make a huge difference in effort and exact drilling requirements.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

There has been a lot written about how this really is an impracticable project.

On the other hand we have never been told just what type of school project this is and just why it has to be one solid piece. This ;information may help people arrive at reasonable solution(s).

George


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*more free advice ...*

This project should NOT be made from wood. It's too fragile and will crack and split along grain lines. Aluminum or plastic would work, but not wood. It looks like a grill on a air conditioner or some such thing and they are molded in plastic.

If you can find a CNC shop to do it, don't make it from wood for reasons stated above. It may be beyond the means of a student...?
:crying2:

Your title is misleading. You should say help is needed to make square *holes* ... not squares.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

You may get away with a hollow mortising chisel and bit if you settle for a 1" square hole, still will be tricky with a narrow wall between the holes.


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## riskinhos (Feb 21, 2017)

so against all advices I'll attempt to do it. I won't learn anything if I don't try 

what tools should I use?
square hole punch:








square mortise chisel:








corner chisel:








corner chisel 2:








square file:








square rasp:








square broach:


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Here's why it won't work .....*

A chisel of any type requires that you "force" it into the material, in this case "wood". Wood has directional grain which is present when it grew on the tree it came from ... unless it's a man made material like MDF. When you have enough force needed to "shear" away the material/wood, you also risk the material remaining will also crush, shear or split along the grain lines. It's too thin, too fragile. It won't work. :frown2:

A rotary cutter, like a router bit, requires only enough force/spinning power to remove small amounts of material each time the cutter rotates. This is less risky to the surrounding material. A CNC machine could be programed to make the "square holes". It may be expensive and beyond you budget, I donno?

A 1" mortising chisel will also cost a considerable amount and will be difficult to "force" into the material/wood without a very large press, or hollow chisel mortising machine. This operation you are describing is "material removal" much like drilling a hole. The problem is you can't drill a square hole without a very specialized machine. 

The tool you show in the bottom photo is a "broach" used in metal machining. It will not work in wood because of the force needed and the fragile material surrounding it. It will break the thin surrounding material. 

If you want to try this ... :frown2: make an accurate drawing having 4 of the squares on some wood, maybe Pine or other soft wood. Then accurately cut and chisel right up to the lines and see how well it works. The reason you asked on this forum was to get "good" advice from woodworkers with experience. If you chose to ignore it, that's your choice. :grin:


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

A sharp drill to get each hole made, then a good wood file to shape each corner.

There will be no easy, quick way to do this. It's going to take time and patience, or forget it.


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Given how thin the wood is, chisels are not a great choice along the grain. Here's what I'd do. 

1) Build a pair of forms out of aluminum. Make them so they go side to side on the board, and cover at least two rows.

2) Clamp the forms to the board, making sure they line up with each other.

3) Drill out the openings with the largest bit you can safely fit inside the openings of the form.

4) Use a very sharp chisel to clean out the end grain sides of each hole, and a small file to clean up the long grain sides. Or just use a file for everything.

5) Move the form down, and start again.

In theory, the form should reduce the odds of the wood splitting or breaking out, IF you clamp it tight enough. Having each hole supported all the way around on both sides will both help in keeping the holes even, and give the wood support while you're working it with a chisel or file. It's still going to be tricky, and I'd still expect it to break if the humidity changes too much, but it might be doable.

Why does it need to be a single piece?


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

Maybe because he simply bought a piece of wood that size. We already mentioned half lapped strips.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Another thing to try would be to make some square strips that will easily fit in the holes and cut them to the thickness of the material and plug the holes after drilling them, move them along so they are always adjacent to the holes being made from what ever method you choose. This may help from blowing out the walls between the holes.


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## riskinhos (Feb 21, 2017)

but isn't 15mm enough for the walls not to break? initially I had 5mm ones but I can increase it until 15mm.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

15 mm is a decent shot at it - but it's still a risky project. one or two holes, might pull that off.

100 holes? the probability of disaster increases . . .

someone mentioned above - it would be really smart to use some cheap wood and perfect your technique before starting in the finished project piece. and in the process of that, I'd recommend you increase the forces involved to the point that you do break out both a cross grain and a long grain wall. sounds perhaps silly - but if you actually bust it up in a prototype you'll acquire some experience in 'how much is too much' - you don't want to learn how much is too much on the 73rd hole . . .


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## Brian(J) (Feb 22, 2016)

I think enough people have responded that the path options for you are pretty clear. I was you, I'd get started.
One path, more money in tools but faster and better, is a router on a guide rail. You would start with the rail horizontal and the router only able to move in X axis. Slide the router to the start of the first square, lock it, and drill a 9mm hole with the plunge router. Basically it's drill press at that point. Move the router ~6mm and repeat. After the holes are roughed out you can go back with the router and clean them up. Here's a picture of that system: http://tinyurl.com/j9glz6u

Low tool costs, much more time, go with Tom's post #13.

There are a lot of tips, jigs, and homemade guides that will help with whatever path you choose. For example a carefully made template with a row of holes, perhaps even with drill guide bushings, for the smaller holes that you clamp to the work and use in place of measuring and laying out each hole.
When you are done you'll know exactly how to do it. Please report back.


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

riskinhos said:


> but isn't 15mm enough for the walls not to break? initially I had 5mm ones but I can increase it until 15mm.


Depends on the wood and the climate. Some woods move a lot as humidity and temperature change, some don't. Part of the problem is that you're going to have a LOT of exposed end grain in some places, and basically none in others. So it won't expand and contract evenly with temperature changes. 15mm of hardwood will certainly hold up for a while, and will likely survive the building process if you're careful, but over time it's likely to crack.

We still don't know what you're doing with this, so we're all being pretty conservative in what we suggest.


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## riskinhos (Feb 21, 2017)

thank you all. it's invaluable help and information I got. I'm still waiting from quotes from CNC shops but if it's too expensive I'll do it myself with all the tips I got from here. Sure I've some pieces of wood to try before I even attempt to do the real thing and I'm very well aware of all the risks involved. It's a win win situation. If I do it and everything works great. If I break it and can't do it great too because I'll learn some skills.


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## sunnybob (Sep 3, 2016)

The answer is simple;
BANDSAW.

Cut the block into 6 straight pieces.
Cut eight tooth comb slots in each piece,
stick it back together.

No stress on wood, glue lines almost impossible to see.


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