Sometimes when working on small wood carving projects, or even small areas on large projects, you will find a need to drill holes in the carving to support inserts. An example might be, to allow a caricature to hold a stick, rifle, or some other item that you want to carve out of a separate piece of wood. In doing so, you run the risk of causing the wood to split or crack in those delicate areas.
By incorporating the following 8 precautions, you will help to ensure maximum success:
1. Use only sharp drill bits
2. Drill at slow speeds
3. Don’t use a pilot hole in most instances
4. Drill the hole as early in the carving process as possible
5. Use a power drill instead of a manual hand drill
6. Use the least pressure that you can to get the job done
7. Secure the wood in some way to allow for both hands to be used in the drilling process
8. Wrap the areas to be drilled, in masking tape
