Drilling and Countersinking Chainring Bolts

D

drummer

New Member
I bought some of the chainring bolts to try on a knife for the first time. I ordered the ones that are 3/16" dia. with the .249 dia heads. What are you guys using to countersink the heads? I'm going to be using them on a G10 handle scales and the blade and scales are already drilled to 3/16". I'm going to have the blade Cerakoted, so I've got to get the handle scales flush before the blade is finished.

McMaster-Carr has some step drills but the small diameter is under 3/16". So my other option is to not use a step drill and eyeball the countersunk hole. What do you guys use?
 
A mill would be the way to go, but only for ease of locating your hole. Use a .250 end mill to countersink. If you don't have a mill, but have a drill press and a vise, clamp you vise to the table, then clamp your material in the vise and drill the .1875 hole and put a .25 end mill (probably a 2 flute carbide would be best and will last for years) in the drill chuck and plunge to the proper depth before you move the material. Use the depth stop if you have one. If your material is not able to be clamped in vise you might need to clamp it to a piece if steel or aluminum that you can hold flat and level in a vise.

Feel free to ask questions if you need to.

Duncan
 
I like to use counterbores. Just drill them for the shaft size like you would be using regular pins and once you get them fitted just go back and use the counterbore to drill the hole for the 1/4" shoulder to the depth you want. Like Duncan said, use your depth stop to drill them all the same depth.
 
Thanks for the replies, guys. I don't have a mill, only a drill press. But it seems like it would make life easier if I get a vise for my drill press. I think i'm going to go the route of the .250" end mill instead of the counterbore. Again, thanks for the responses.
 
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