Product Description
CMT 309.060.12 Dowel Drill - 6mm x 43mm x 70mm Left-Hand Rotation is a precision-engineered carbide-tipped boring tool from CMT, purpose-built for dowel hole drilling in panel processing and furniture manufacturing applications. Designed with a long-series 70mm body, this left-hand rotating drill excels at producing clean, flat-bottom blind holes in solid wood, chipboard, MDF, and laminates - delivering the accuracy and surface quality that cabinet makers and panel fabricators demand. The 4-flute spiral configuration evacuates chips efficiently, while the PTFE-coated cutter body resists pitch and adhesive buildup for consistent performance across high-volume production runs.
Key Features
- Hardmetal (HW) cutting head with precision-balanced centre point - delivers accurate, on-centre hole placement with minimal lateral drift, reducing setup waste and rework in multi-spindle boring operations.
- 2 precision-ground cutting edges (Z2) - provide a sharp, consistent shearing action that produces smooth bore walls and flat-bottom holes essential for tight-tolerance dowel joint assembly.
- 2 negatively ground spurs (V2) - score the material perimeter cleanly before the cutters engage, preventing surface tearout on laminates, coated panels, and veneered boards where edge quality is critical.
- 4 spiral flutes - promote rapid, efficient chip evacuation from deep blind holes, reducing heat buildup and keeping the cutting zone clear for consistent hole quality throughout long production cycles.
- PTFE coating on the cutter portion - resists pitch, resin, and glue accumulation on the tool body, extending service intervals and reducing cleaning downtime between operations.
- Super-strength steel body - supports the HW head under the high-cycle stresses of multi-spindle CNC boring, providing durability and dimensional stability over extended tool life.
- Parallel shank (10x20mm) with driving flat and length-adjusting screw - ensures positive, slip-free seating in boring machine spindles while allowing precise depth setting without additional tooling.
- Left-hand (LH) rotation - engineered specifically for left-hand spindle positions on multi-spindle boring machines, ensuring correct cutting geometry and clean hole production on the appropriate station.
- 43mm cutting height - accommodates deep blind-hole requirements in thicker panel stock, expanding compatibility to heavier furniture and cabinet carcass applications.
Why This Product
- The left-hand rotation designation makes this drill the correct tool choice for LH spindle positions on multi-spindle CNC boring centers - using the wrong rotation on these stations causes poor hole quality and accelerated tool wear, so selecting the right-handed variant specifically engineered for that position is essential.
- The long-series 70mm overall length with a 43mm cutting height addresses applications where shorter dowel drills cannot reach the required blind-hole depth in thick panel stock or stacked workpieces.
- The combination of negatively ground spurs and a precision-balanced HW centre point produces tearout-free entries and flat-bottomed holes - critical for furniture and cabinet manufacturing where dowel connections must seat flush for structural integrity and visual quality.
- The PTFE-coated cutter body and 4-flute chip clearance design reduce the frequency of cleaning and tool changes during continuous production, keeping panel processing lines running efficiently without sacrificing hole quality.
Specifications
- Manufacturer Part Number: 309.060.12
- Brand: CMT Orange Tools
- Diameter: 6mm
- Cutting Height: 43mm
- Total Length: 70mm
- Shank: 10x20mm parallel shank with driving flat and length adjusting screw
- Rotation: Left-hand (LH)
- Number of Flutes: 4
- Number of Cutting Edges: 2 (Z2)
- Number of Spurs: 2 (V2)
- Spur Sharpening: Negatively ground spurs
- Blade Material: Hardmetal (HW)
- Body Material: Super-strength steel
- Cutter Coating: Black or orange PTFE
Approved Applications
- Drilling blind holes for dowel joint connections
- Panel drilling in furniture manufacturing
- Cabinet carcass and face frame construction
- Chipboard and MDF boring
- Laminates and coated panel drilling
- Solid hardwood and softwood dowel hole production
- High-volume production boring on multi-spindle CNC machines
- HDF and plywood panel processing
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the "LH" designation mean and why does it matter when selecting this drill?
LH stands for left-hand rotation, meaning the tool is designed to cut when spinning counter-clockwise when viewed from the shank end. Multi-spindle boring machines use both right-hand and left-hand spindle positions, and each position requires the corresponding tool rotation to achieve proper cutting geometry. Installing a right-hand drill in a left-hand spindle - or vice versa - will cause the tool to rub rather than cut, producing oversized, rough holes and rapid tool wear. Always match the tool rotation to the spindle designation on your boring machine.
What is the shank configuration on this dowel drill and how does it fit into a boring machine spindle?
This drill uses a 10x20mm parallel shank with a driving flat and a length-adjusting screw. The driving flat provides a positive engagement point that prevents the shank from rotating in the spindle collet during operation. The length-adjusting screw allows the operator to set the precise insertion depth, which directly controls the blind-hole depth without requiring separate depth-stop accessories.
What materials is this drill designed to bore, and what role do the negatively ground spurs play?
This dowel drill is suited for solid wood, chipboard, MDF, HDF, plywood, laminates, and coated panels. The 2 negatively ground spurs score the material surface at the perimeter of the hole before the main cutting edges engage. This pre-scoring action severs surface fibers cleanly, which is especially important on laminates, melamine-coated boards, and veneered panels where tearout at the hole entry would compromise both aesthetics and joint fit.
Why does this drill have 4 flutes if it only has 2 cutting edges?
The 2 cutting edges (Z2) perform the primary material removal at the tip, while the 4 spiral flutes in the body serve a separate function - they create multiple chip-evacuation channels along the length of the drill. In blind-hole boring, chips cannot exit through the bottom of the hole, so adequate flute capacity is critical to prevent chip packing, overheating, and loss of hole-wall quality. The 4-flute design ensures efficient chip clearance even at the 43mm cutting depth this tool is capable of reaching.
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