This article will show you how to drill a tapered hole with confidence so that they look professional and don’t cause problems with your project!

Drilling a tapered hole is an essential skill for any woodworker. Whether you are drilling holes in workpieces or installing dowels, tapers make the process easier and more accurate.

How to Drill a Tapered Hole?

Here are the steps to drill a tapered hole:

Step 1: Create A Setup

The first step is to create a setup on your drill press. You can use the worktable of your machine, or you can also improvise by using an adjustable clutched system that will allow you to secure the material in place. You can also use a hand drill to create this hole.

Step 2: Mark The Depth

The next step is to mark the depth of your hole on the material or piece that you are working with. You need to ensure that you have an accurate marking so it will be easy for you to know where exactly each stroke should start and end.

Step 3: Drill The First Section

The next step is to start drilling the first section of your hole. When you are doing this, you need to use very light pressure so it will be easier for you to control and monitor how deep each pass should go down your material. Do not push too hard either, as this can damage the hole.

Step 4: Drill The Second Section

The next step is to drill the second section of your home, but this time you need to use slightly more pressure when doing so in order for it to be easier and faster.

Make sure that you do not apply too much force, however, or else there will be problems such as the tapered hole becoming wider.

Step 5:  Drill The Final Section

The final step is to drill your hole all the way through, and in order for this to be possible, you need to push down with a little more pressure than before and can actually speed up as well, so it will not take too long. You would want to work on this section really quickly to ensure that you are able to finish the hole before the material starts breaking.

Step 6: Check The Depth Again

After drilling your hole, it is important for you to check its depth again so you will be sure if it came out right or not. Make sure that when checking, you do it while the drill is still spinning so you can get an accurate result.

Step 7: Clean The Hole

The last step in this process would be to clean out your hole and make sure that it came out right after drilling by using a sharpening stone or even sandpaper. If there are burrs around the edges of your tapered hole, this is where you can use the sandpaper to remove them.

Now that you know how to drill a tapered hole, why not try it out for yourself? We also recommend reading our post on drilling concrete gravel boards and drilling a hole in a file.