Product Description
CMT 314.120.12 Dowel Drill for Through Holes - 12 x 35 x 70mm Left-Hand by CMT is a precision-engineered left-hand rotation boring tool designed for drilling clean through holes in panels for dowel joinery. Built on a super-strength steel body with a tungsten carbide (HW) head, this 12mm diameter drill is purpose-built for furniture manufacturing, panel processing, and cabinet assembly where accurate, blowout-free through holes are essential. The PTFE-coated spiral flutes resist pitch and adhesive buildup, keeping the tool cutting cleanly across repeated production cycles on chipboard, MDF, hardwood, softwood, plywood, and coated laminates.
Key Features
- HW (Tungsten Carbide) Cutting Head - delivers long-lasting edge retention in abrasive engineered sheet goods like chipboard, MDF, and HDF, reducing regrinding frequency in high-volume production.
- Super-Strength Steel Body - withstands the mechanical stress of multi-spindle and CNC boring operations without deflection, maintaining dimensional accuracy hole after hole.
- PTFE-Coated Spiral Portion - the orange or black PTFE coating on the flutes prevents pitch and glue from adhering to the tool, extending service life and reducing cleaning downtime between runs.
- Precision-Balanced Centre Point - ensures the drill enters the panel on-target without wandering, producing accurately located through holes that align precisely with dowel positions.
- 2 Precision-Ground Cutting Edges (Z2) - balanced dual-flute geometry produces smooth bore walls and clean entry and exit surfaces, reducing tearout on coated panels and laminates.
- 2 Spiral Flutes - efficient chip evacuation keeps the bore clear during cutting, preventing heat buildup and improving hole quality in dense materials.
- Parallel Shank with Driving Flat and Length-Adjusting Screw - the 10 x 26mm shank seats securely in multi-spindle boring heads or CNC chuck adapters and allows precise axial depth setting for consistent through-hole depth across a full panel run.
- Left-Hand (LH) Rotation - designed specifically for left-hand spindle positions on multi-spindle boring machines and CNC boring centers, integrating directly into standard panel processing setups without modification.
- Sharpening Specification - Through Holes 60 - the tool is engineered to a defined sharpening standard, enabling professional resharpening to restore original cutting performance and extend tool investment.
Why This Product
- Purpose-Built for Left-Hand Spindles - unlike general-purpose drill bits, the LH rotation geometry of this dowel drill is engineered to match left-hand spindle positions on multi-spindle boring machines, making it a direct, correct-fit solution for balanced boring head configurations.
- Clean Through-Hole Results on Coated and Laminated Panels - the precision-ground Z2 cutting edges and balanced centre point work together to minimize tearout at entry and exit, which is critical when drilling through melamine, HPL-coated chipboard, and laminated MDF where surface quality is visible in the finished product.
- Extended Tool Life Through PTFE Coating - the PTFE-coated flutes actively resist pitch and adhesive buildup that commonly clogs boring drills in furniture production environments, reducing tool changes and keeping throughput high.
- Consistent 35mm Cutting Depth for Standard Panel Thicknesses - the 35mm cutting height accommodates panels up to standard furniture panel thicknesses, and the length-adjusting screw on the parallel shank allows repeatable setup so every hole in a production batch hits the same depth without manual re-measurement.
Specifications
- Manufacturer Part Number: 314.120.12
- Brand: CMT Orange Tools
- Diameter: 12mm
- Cutting Height: 35mm
- Total Length: 70mm
- Shank: 10 x 26mm (parallel shank with driving flat and length-adjusting screw)
- Rotation: Left-Hand (LH)
- Number of Cutting Edges: 2 (Z2)
- Number of Flutes: 2
- Cutting Head Material: HW (Tungsten Carbide)
- Body Material: Super-Strength Steel
- Coating: PTFE (orange or black) on spiral portion
- Sharpening Specification: Through Holes 60
- Application Type: Through Holes
Approved Applications
- Drilling through holes for dowel connections in furniture panels
- Panel processing on multi-spindle CNC boring machines
- Through-hole boring on CNC boring centers and panel processing centers
- Boring on machines fitted with an adapter or chuck for 10mm parallel shanks
- Cabinet and furniture manufacturing production lines
- Dowel joinery in chipboard, MDF, HDF, hardwood, softwood, plywood, laminates, and coated panels
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a through-hole dowel drill and a blind-hole dowel drill?
A through-hole dowel drill is designed to bore completely through the panel, producing a hole that exits the opposite face cleanly. The CMT 314.120.12 has a 35mm cutting height and a total length of 70mm specifically sized to pass through standard furniture panel thicknesses. Blind-hole drills, by contrast, are designed to stop at a set depth without penetrating the back face. This tool's geometry - including its precision-balanced centre point and Z2 cutting edges - is optimized for clean exit conditions to prevent blowout on the panel's back surface.
Why does this dowel drill use left-hand (LH) rotation, and how do I know if my machine needs it?
Left-hand rotation means the drill spindle turns counterclockwise when viewed from above. Multi-spindle boring machines and CNC boring centers typically have both right-hand and left-hand spindle positions arranged symmetrically across the boring head. LH drills are required for the left-side spindle positions so that the cutting edges engage the material correctly and chip evacuation flows in the right direction. Consult your machine's spindle layout diagram to confirm which positions require LH tooling before installing this drill.
What does the PTFE coating on the spiral flutes do, and does it affect sharpening?
The PTFE coating on the spiral portion of the CMT 314.120.12 creates a low-friction surface that resists pitch, resin, and adhesive buildup during drilling. This keeps the flutes clear and reduces heat from friction, which helps maintain hole quality and extends the interval between sharpenings. When the tool is sharpened - to the specified Through Holes 60 sharpening standard - the coating on the body remains intact; only the cutting edges at the tip are reground, so the anti-buildup benefit is preserved through multiple sharpening cycles.
What does the length-adjusting screw on the shank do, and why does it matter for production work?
The parallel shank of the CMT 314.120.12 includes both a driving flat and a length-adjusting screw. The driving flat transmits torque securely from the machine spindle to the drill, preventing slippage under load. The length-adjusting screw allows the operator to set the axial position of the drill precisely within the spindle holder, controlling the exact depth at which the tip engages the panel. In production environments where many identical panels are bored in sequence, this adjustment ensures every hole is drilled to the same consistent depth without re-measuring or re-setting between parts.
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