# Drilling clean holes through paper and wood?



## jaredhite1 (Dec 16, 2012)

Hello-
I've gotten myself into some trouble on the last step of a big project. For Christmas I'm recreating a marble game board my grandmother used to play with my siblings and I. I got an artist to recreate the artwork that was on the board, had it professionally printed out, and used Mod Podge (which is pretty much watered-down Elmer's glue) to attach the artwork to 1/4" maple plywood.

My plan was to use this Rockler marble bit to drill nice round-bottom holes in the boards for the marbles to sit. I created a template to guide the bit and tried the first four holes tonight. The results were beyond horrid. Rather than drilling through or cutting out the paper, the drill bit just kind of bunches it up around the hole. I also tried putting a rounded router bit in my drill and tried that, thinking that the sharper cutting edge would give me cleaner results, but I got pretty much the same thing. Here's a visual of the hideousness:








Larger Version

Does anybody have any ideas how to make a clean hole (preferably with a rounded bottom but if I have to I'll go all the way through the board) through Mod Podge, fairly thick paper, and plywood? I can spend some money to get better tools if needed. But I've got about 1,200 holes to drill before Christmas so it would be nice if the solution could be quickly repeated. I don't have a forstner bit, but maybe that would give me a cleaner hole? Could I use the forstner bit to get the hole started through the paper then use the rockler marble bit to finish it off?


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## buggyman1 (Nov 16, 2011)

Try putting a piece of lexon or plexiglass or some type of acrylic sheet over the top of your pattern. Make sure its tight (maybe tape it around the pattern). A forstner bit or a sharp brad-point bit should work to cut through the paper, then finish up with your marble bit. A drill press will do a better job if you have one. A spray adhesive glue will probably do a better job on gluing the paper to the plywood.


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## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

I think you may need to look at how well it is glued to the board


Next .... a radiused router bit in a drill press on high speed may get the desired finish.

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I think you would have to first cut the paper with an exacto knife before you drill the holes. I can't picture any drill bit being sharp enough to drill the hole without tearing the paper.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*all of the above*

Make certain the paper is really bonded to the plywood...... it looks like it's not. Try using a rolled on application of glue, full strength. Then press the paper on using a roller and or heavy weights. The wood and the paper need to be homogeneous, not easily separated.

Then use a brad point or Forstner bit to start the hole through the paper. Finish it off with your marble bit. I would make a clear drill guide I could press down around the hole as I'm drilling to prevent tearout. It could be made from 1/4" Plexi or Lexan, just large enough to manage easily one hole at a time. You can try it without first to see if that step is necessary...I donno?

Nice project BTW. :yes:


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## Sorrowful Jones (Nov 28, 2010)

About the only thing I can think of is to use something that is the same diameter of the holes you are wanting to drill as sort of a cookie-cutter. This would score or cut through the paper prior to drilling so the edges would not tear out. If possible practice on a piece of scrap.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

What works well is to use a substrate on top that is securely clamped down on the paper...mashing it tightly. You could use ¼" plywood or thicker. Drill through the ply and into the board.











 







.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

AS before, cover the board with clear plastic and just drill the holes in this.
Personally, I would use a countersink bit to make a hole with the tip not going right through the plastic.
johnep


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## J Thomas (Aug 14, 2012)

I think cutting the paper first would be the right course. 
You might use a "grommet punch" by hand with a twisting motion or perhaps lightly with a small hammer.
These are used to fabricate custom tarps, boat covers, canvas, leather etc.
There are 3-4 parts to the kit but all you would need for this application would be the "hole punch" of a proper size.
Check with boat yards, fabric shops, upholsterers, and the like... you might be able to just borrow one for the project.
Good luck..Jon..


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## Dave66 (Apr 6, 2012)

+1 on the "Grommet Punch". Depending on the diameter, a leather punch might also work. Check with craft supply or leather working stores.


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## jeffsw6 (Nov 24, 2012)

jaredhite1 said:


> I got an artist to recreate the artwork that was on the board, had it professionally printed out


What kind of paper did they use? My initial thought was, the heavier the paper stock, the easier it will probably be to work with. It sounds like you will need it re-printed anyway, so get some paper samples and try drilling them before you do the re-print.

Since you have limited time, go to a local print shop for photographers or sign-makers and get samples.

There are special drill bits for paper. They are like tiny hole saws. Google for "paper drill bit." Here is a page with some bits: http://www.cfsbinds.com/drillbits6.html

You should also know that dyes and pigments for printing can be directly applied to metal now. It might be possible for you to have your game board printed on metal, which could make your project go more smoothly. Boutique print shops for photographers will be able to advise you about this, too.

Whatever you do, you will want to seal the finished print to extend its life. You've probably seen print-outs fade with not much age, and paper change colors. Quality paper and inks last a lot longer than the stuff used for documents in offices.


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## jaredhite1 (Dec 16, 2012)

jeffsw6 said:


> What kind of paper did they use? My initial thought was, the heavier the paper stock, the easier it will probably be to work with.


I had a photography shop print it out on the very heavy paper they use for printing large portraits, and they recommended the mod podge for sealing it in for durability. I'll probably put on a polycrylic or something as a final topcoat to seal in the holes as well.

I agree that the base problem is that the paper isn't stuck well enough to the board (The other 12 boards don't have the big air bubble like you see in the picture - that's why I picked that one to be my guinea pig.) I think part of the problem is that the glue hasn't completely dried yet - I tried a few more holes this morning and the results were noticeably better, although most were still pretty bad. If I could wait a few weeks for the Mod Podge to cure, maybe the marble bit by itself would be OK.

After reading all your suggestions, I went to Harbor Freight and bought two sets of hollow punches (one for hand use, one to put in a drill), a set of exacto knives, and a set of brad drill bits and ran some tests. The hollow punches and the brad drill bit suggestions both did the trick, and the resulting holes were very smooth. I'm particularly impressed at how clean the brad bit takes off the paper. I prefer those methods because I can make a new template specifically to fit and get lots of holes done very quickly with my hand drill. Since I'm making 12 boards and each one has 100 holes, being able to do this with a template rather than lining up each hole manually is important for my sanity. It will be tough lining up the holes exactly with one template for the bit to cut the paper and another to make the rounded holes, but I think I can manage.

Thanks very much everybody for the suggestions, I've been working on this replica project for a couple months now (I also had to make 12 replicas of the box my Grandmother used to store the marbles) and I would have been devastated if I couldn't get it done in time for Christmas because of my own stupid mistakes. I'll post a pic of the final product if I get one good enough to show.


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## Alchymist (Jan 2, 2011)

Is it possible to drill the board and accurately apply the paper afterwards? If so, a sharp exacto knife would cleanly slice the paper using the edge of the hole as a guide. If the knife is used to cut on the down stroke against the edge of the hole at just the right angle, a clean cut can be obtained. Think scissors action with the blade as one side of the scissors and the wood as the other. Just a thought....


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## ChiknNutz (Apr 22, 2011)

Since you had it printed "professionally" I am surprised that they didn't recommend printing it on adhesive backed vinyl. This would have (1) precluded the need to use glue to adhere it and (2) would probably have drilled cleaner than the paper. Additionally, I would have put a clear laminate over the print for added durability. I used to have a vinyl printer (and related sign-making business) and this would have been my first thought had a customer approached me with this project.


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## jaredhite1 (Dec 16, 2012)

ChiknNutz said:


> Since you had it printed "professionally" I am surprised that they didn't recommend printing it on adhesive backed vinyl. This would have (1) precluded the need to use glue to adhere it and (2) would probably have drilled cleaner than the paper. Additionally, I would have put a clear laminate over the print for added durability. I used to have a vinyl printer (and related sign-making business) and this would have been my first thought had a customer approached me with this project.


That does sound like a good idea, probably would have been pricey for 12 15.5"x15.5" boards but it might have been worth saving the hassle. I'll definitely look closely at adhesive-backed vinyl if this doesn't work out. After seeing how much a chain like Kinko's charged to print it out on the crappiest paper imaginable ($7.50/sq ft, so about $120 for the 12 boards), I figured the cost of a sign shop on something better would be prohibitive. But a few places online looked pretty affordable.


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## jaredhite1 (Dec 16, 2012)

Alchymist said:


> Is it possible to drill the board and accurately apply the paper afterwards? If so, a sharp exacto knife would cleanly slice the paper using the edge of the hole as a guide. If the knife is used to cut on the down stroke against the edge of the hole at just the right angle, a clean cut can be obtained. Think scissors action with the blade as one side of the scissors and the wood as the other. Just a thought....


I'm sure it's possible, and I might have considered it if I was only doing one board. But with 1,200 holes to deal with, I didn't want to cut each hole individually. I think it would also be pretty tough to do it precisely.


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## ChiknNutz (Apr 22, 2011)

jaredhite1 said:


> That does sound like a good idea, probably would have been pricey for 12 15.5"x15.5" boards but it might have been worth saving the hassle. I'll definitely look closely at adhesive-backed vinyl if this doesn't work out.


Eh, maybe. Depends on what you consider expensive. I would have charged about $15 each for those at that qty. Prices can vary widely, but that should be pretty close to what you should be able to get them done for.


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