Product Description
CMT 311.070.12 Dowel Drill - 7 x 35 x 70mm Left-Hand Rotation is a precision-engineered, carbide-tipped boring tool built for dowel hole drilling in furniture panels, cabinet components, and engineered wood products. Designed for left-hand rotation spindles on multi-spindle boring machines and CNC panel processing centers, this 7mm diameter drill delivers clean, flat-bottom blind holes with no tearout - making it an essential tool for high-volume furniture manufacturing and cabinet joinery operations. The spiral portion carries a P.T.F.E. coating that resists pitch and adhesive buildup, while the hardmetal (HW) head provides long-lasting cutting performance in chipboard, MDF, hardwood, softwood, plywood, laminates, and coated panels.
Key Features
- Hardmetal (HW) cutting head with 2 precision-ground cutting edges - tungsten carbide construction delivers extended tool life and consistent hole quality across chipboard, MDF, hardwood, softwood, plywood, laminates, and coated panels without frequent resharpening.
- P.T.F.E.-coated spiral flutes - the orange or black P.T.F.E. coating on the spiral portion prevents pitch and glue from adhering to the tool, keeping the flutes clear for efficient chip evacuation and reducing downtime for cleaning.
- 2 negatively ground spurs (V2 configuration) - precision-sharpened spurs score the material perimeter before the cutting edges engage, producing clean bore walls and flat-bottom blind holes with no rough edges or fiber tearout in veneered or laminated surfaces.
- Precision-balanced centre point (HW) - the hardmetal centre point locates accurately on the workpiece and stabilises the drill at entry, preventing walking and ensuring hole position accuracy critical in dowel-joint assembly.
- Left-hand (LH) rotation - purpose-designed for left-hand spindle positions on multi-spindle boring machines and CNC boring centers, ensuring correct chip evacuation direction and optimised cutting geometry for LH applications.
- Parallel shank 10 x 30mm with driving flat and length-adjusting screw - the driving flat transmits torque securely without slippage, and the length-adjusting screw allows precise depth setting directly in the spindle holder, speeding up setup on production machines.
- Super-strength steel body - the high-strength steel shank and body resist flexion and vibration under repeated boring cycles, maintaining dimensional accuracy over long production runs.
- 70mm total length (long-series format) - the extended overall length provides clearance for use in multi-spindle heads and boring centers with deeper spindle housings while still delivering a 35mm cutting height for blind hole work.
Why This Product
- Matched geometry for LH spindle positions - many multi-spindle boring machines use both right-hand and left-hand spindles in the same head. This drill is specifically made for left-hand rotation, ensuring correct cutting action, proper chip flow, and clean hole walls on LH spindle stations rather than forcing a compromise with a single-handed tool.
- Flat-bottom blind holes with no tearout on laminated and coated panels - the combination of negatively ground spurs and a precision-balanced hardmetal centre point means the drill scores cleanly around the hole perimeter before cutting, which is critical when working with melamine-faced chipboard, HPL-coated panels, or veneered surfaces where surface damage is unacceptable.
- Reduced maintenance intervals through P.T.F.E. coating - in production environments using adhesive-based dowel assembly, pitch and glue buildup on drill flutes is a common cause of tool degradation and hole quality loss. The P.T.F.E.-coated spiral directly addresses this, helping maintain consistent performance between tool changes.
- Purpose-built for dowel joinery in panel furniture production - with a 7mm diameter and 35mm cutting height, this drill matches the standard 7mm dowel pin used widely in flat-pack and cabinet furniture, making it a direct fit for established drilling programs without custom setup adjustments.
Specifications
- Manufacturer Part Number: 311.070.12
- Brand: CMT Orange Tools
- Diameter: 7mm
- Cutting Height: 35mm
- Total Length: 70mm
- Shank: 10 x 30mm (parallel shank with driving flat and length-adjusting screw)
- Rotation: Left-Hand (LH)
- Number of Flutes: 2
- Number of Cutting Edges: 2
- Number of Spurs: 2
- Spur Sharpening: Negatively ground spurs
- Blade Material: HW (Hardmetal / Tungsten Carbide)
- Coating: P.T.F.E. (orange or black) on spiral portion
- Product Type: Dowel Drill
Approved Applications
- Blind hole drilling for dowel connections and dowel-joint assembly
- Panel drilling in furniture manufacturing and cabinet making
- Drilling chipboard, MDF, HDF, hardwood, softwood, plywood, laminates, and coated panels
- Left-hand spindle positions on multi-spindle CNC boring machines
- CNC boring centers and panel processing centers
- Boring machines equipped with a compatible adapter or chuck accepting a 10 x 30mm parallel shank
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this dowel drill use left-hand (LH) rotation, and how do I know if my machine needs it?
Left-hand rotation drills are designed for spindles that turn counter-clockwise (when viewed from the cutting end). Multi-spindle boring machines commonly have both right-hand and left-hand spindles arranged across the drilling head to allow simultaneous drilling without mechanical interference. Check your machine's spindle layout or operator manual to confirm which positions require LH tooling before mounting this drill.
What does "negatively ground spurs" mean, and why does it matter for panel drilling?
Negatively ground spurs are sharpened with a geometry that causes them to score the material perimeter in a slicing action as the drill enters the workpiece. This pre-scores the surface fibres or laminate layer cleanly before the main cutting edges remove material, preventing chip-out or delamination at the hole edge. This is especially important when drilling through melamine-coated chipboard, laminated panels, or veneered surfaces where a torn edge would be visible in the finished assembly.
What is the purpose of the P.T.F.E. coating on the spiral flutes?
P.T.F.E. (polytetrafluoroethylene) is a low-friction, non-stick coating applied to the spiral portion of the drill. In boring applications involving chipboard, MDF, or glued-panel materials, resin, pitch, and adhesive residue can accumulate on uncoated flutes, reducing chip evacuation efficiency and increasing heat at the cutting zone. The P.T.F.E. coating inhibits this buildup, helping the drill maintain clean cutting performance over longer production runs before cleaning or replacement is needed.
Can this drill be used for through-hole drilling as well as blind holes?
This drill is a dowel drill with a precision-balanced hardmetal centre point and a 35mm cutting height within a 70mm overall length, designed primarily for blind hole boring to the depth required for standard dowel pins. While the tool can physically penetrate a panel if the material thickness is within its cutting range, its geometry - including the flat-bottom configuration produced by the centre point and negatively ground spurs - is optimised for clean blind holes rather than through-hole applications.
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