Drill into mdf?

Question

I am a complete diy idiot! I've never used a drill before and I'm trying to drill through a thin sheet of mdf but the drill won't go through! I bought a cheap as chips impact drill - what am I doing wrong? do I need to adjust the depth (which I also can't seem to do!)? I need to do this for a fancy dress costume tonight - aaaaah!!!

Thanks all - sorry for being a complete fool! x

Answer 1

Sounds like you need a new drill bit. Also, the drill should have a button or switch to engage the impact. Turn it off for MDF.

Answer 2

Hmmm... need a bit more info(no pun intended...lol) Are you talking about the drill or the bit itself?And just how thick are we talking about?And how big of a hole?

Answer 3

You are confusing us also. What type of MDF are drilling? Are you using the drill on a drill setting to the right?  Do not use an impact drill setting to drill except for concrete or ceramics. How big a hole are you drilling?

Answer 4

Make sure you have the drill on the right setting (it should spin clockwise and not make a rat-a-tat sound) then make sure you have the right bit, it should be corkscrewed and have a sharp end and not a flatish chissel looking end with a different type of metal on it.(look up cermaic bits, and wood bits, or check at a hardware store).

An important thing to remember when working with MDF is that the dust from MDF (medium Dencity Fibreboard) is verry bad for you, because the glue that is used to stick the fibres together, espechally if it smokes/heats up while drilling it, also the small fibres / dust is verry bad for your lungs, infact on building sites here in Australia, you have to have a mask on when working with it, and it can only be cut in special areas.

For just drilling one hole I would place a vacume cleaner up close to the drill bit (just the pipe bit not the part you use to clean the floor) and this will suck the dust and smoke away while you drill, making it safe. It also stops the dust going EVERYWHERE and making a mess. That's how i do it anyway.

Hope that helps