CMT 310.045.12 Dowel Drill 4.5 x 22 x 57.5mm Left-Hand Rotation is a premium 2-flute carbide-tipped boring tool engineered for precise blind hole drilling in furniture manufacturing, cabinet making, and panel processing applications. Designed for left-hand rotation, this short-series dowel drill features a hardmetal (HW) cutting head with a precision-balanced centre point, negatively ground spurs, and a PTFE-coated spiral that resists pitch and adhesive buildup - keeping the tool clean and performing consistently across chipboard, MDF, solid wood, laminates, and coated panels. The parallel shank with driving flat and length adjusting screw ensures secure, repeatable positioning in multi-spindle CNC boring machines and panel processing centers.

Key Features

• Hardmetal (HW) Cutting Head with 2 Precision-Ground Cutting Edges (Z2) - carbide-grade cutting material stays sharp longer under the continuous demands of production boring, reducing downtime between sharpenings.
• 2 Negatively Ground Spurs (V2) - scribe a clean perimeter ahead of the cutting edges, producing flat-bottomed blind holes with crisp, tearout-free walls in chipboard, MDF, laminates, and coated panels.
• Precision-Balanced Centre Point - self-centres on contact so the drill registers accurately without walking, maintaining consistent hole placement across every panel in high-volume runs.
• PTFE-Coated Spiral Flutes - the orange or black PTFE coating prevents pitch, resin, and adhesive from bonding to the flute surfaces, extending tool life and making cleanup faster between operations.
• Parallel Shank with Driving Flat and Length Adjusting Screw (10 x 27mm) - locks securely into multi-spindle boring heads and CNC boring centers, and allows precise depth setting so every blind hole is bored to the same depth without manual re-measurement.
• Super-Strength Steel Body - the high-grade steel shank and body absorb vibration and resist deflection, supporting consistent hole geometry even at high boring speeds.
• Left-Hand Rotation (LH) - specifically configured for left-hand spindle positions on multi-spindle boring machines, ensuring correct cutting geometry and clean chip evacuation on LH stations.
• Short Series Total Length of 57.5mm - compact overall length suits the tight spindle spacing typical in multi-row boring heads, allowing maximum flexibility in boring pattern layout.

Why This Product

• Purpose-built for left-hand spindle stations - using a right-hand drill on a left-hand spindle produces poor hole quality and accelerated wear; this tool is correctly configured so the cutting geometry works with the rotation direction, not against it.
• The 4.5mm diameter and 27mm cutting height match the geometry required for standard dowel joint blind holes in furniture and cabinet panel assembly, delivering accurate fit-up without secondary hand operations.
• The combination of negatively ground spurs and a precision-balanced centre point directly addresses the two most common sources of hole defect in panel boring - tearout at the perimeter and drift at the start of the cut - making it well suited for finished surfaces and melamine-coated boards.
• The PTFE-coated flutes reduce resin adhesion during continuous production runs in MDF and chipboard, helping maintain cutting performance over longer intervals between tool changes.

Specifications

• Manufacturer Part Number: 310.045.12
• Brand: CMT Orange Tools
• Product Type: Dowel Drill
• Diameter: 4.5mm
• Cutting Height: 27mm
• Total Length: 57.5mm
• Shank: 10 x 27mm (parallel shank with driving flat and length adjusting screw)
• Number of Flutes: 2
• Number of Spurs: 2
• Number of Teeth: 2
• Spur Sharpening: Negatively ground spurs
• Blade Material: HW (Hardmetal / Carbide-Tipped)
• Rotation: LH (Left-Hand)
• Coating: PTFE (orange or black) on spiral portion

Approved Applications

• Blind hole drilling for dowel connections
• Panel drilling in furniture manufacturing
• Cabinet making and case good production
• Drilling in chipboard, MDF, HDF, hardwood, softwood, plywood, laminates, and coated panels