How to Drill at an Angle Into Wood

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 2 mins
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $0 to $20

Drilling at an angle by hand sometimes comes up with home improvement projects. While it's usually best to drill at an angle with a pocket jig or a drill press, basic angled holes are possible with just a drill, a drill bit, and a lot of careful positioning.

drilling a hole at an angle

The Spruce / Margot Cavin

3 Ways to Drill at an Angle

  • Drill press: An accurate and easy tool for drilling angled holes, a drill press nonetheless is expensive, bulky, and poorly suited for many home improvement jobs.
  • Pocket hole jig: A pocket hole jig such as the Kreg R3 Jr. is cheap, simple, and accurate. Still, pocket hole jigs aren't foolproof, plus they require a fair amount of practice.
  • Manual method: The manual method requires no tools other than the drill and can be used anywhere. Along with finesse and patience, manually drilling at an angle does have a few limitations that aren't shared by drilling with a drill press or a pocket hole jig.

Limitations

  • Hardwoods such as maple, walnut, and oak, are difficult to drill. Softwoods like pine and hemlock work best.
  • Holes between 45 degrees and 15 degrees are difficult but doable.
  • Holes below 15 degrees angle are not possible.
  • The drill bit may break.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Drill
  • Drill bit set
  • Speed Square
  • Pencil
  • Drill bit extender (optional)

Materials

  • Wood pieces (as needed for your project)

Instructions

Instructions

materials for drilling holes at an angle
The Spruce / Margot Cavin  
  1. Choose the Proper Drill Bits

    Choose a bit with a diameter that matches the final hole size you plan to drill, then choose a starter bit with a diameter about half that size. For example, if you want a 1/4-inch diameter hole, choose a 1/8-inch starter bit. Just be cautious of using extremely thin bits, as they may break.

    choosing the drill bits
    The Spruce / Margot Cavin 
  2. Drill a Shallow Pilot Hole at 90 Degrees

    With the starter bit, begin to drill a hole at 90 degrees to the face of the workpiece. Do not complete the hole. Stop the drill when the bit is about 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch into the material. The goal is to drill a hole just deep enough to hold the tip of the bit for the next step, in which you will change the angle of the hole.

    drilling a pilot hole
    The Spruce / Margot Cavin  
  3. Shift the Pilot Hole to the Desired Angle

    Pull the starter bit back from the horizontal hole. Move the drill to the desired angle and insert the bit back into the hole. Make sure that the bit is firmly seated in the hole—if it is too close to the edge, it will lose grip and dance away; if it is too deep, you will not be able to angle the drill.

    Drill the hole to its full depth, maintaining a slow and steady speed with the drill's trigger.

    drilling at an angle
    The Spruce / Margot Cavin 
  4. Switch to a Larger Bit

    Remove the starter bit from the drill. Now, insert the larger bit into the drill. Chuck it in tightly. Rotate the drill briefly to make sure that the bit is centered in the chuck.

    changing out bits
    The Spruce / Margot Cavin 
  5. Drill the Final Hole

    With the correctly sized drill bit, enlarge the angled hole to its final size. Go as slow as possible, since high speeds may cause the bit to move away from the pilot hole.

    Once you become proficient, the half-sized hole may not be necessary. Just start the correctly-sized bit at close to 90 degrees until it digs in enough to catch as the angle is changed.

    drilling the final hole
    The Spruce / Margot Cavin  

Tips For Drilling at an Angle

  • If you need extra room for drilling at low angles, add a drill bit extender. This inexpensive tool secures into the drill chuck, allowing you extra room for tight drilling.
  • Use only sharp drill bits. Dull drill bits will not catch the wood as well as sharp bits will.
  • Make a rudimentary pocket jig by first drilling an angled hole into a scrap piece of one-by material (i.e., one-by-four, etc.). Establishing the angle in advance can help guide the drill bit in the right direction for drilling the work material.
  • To help keep the drill moving slowly, change the torque setting. This will slow down the bit while increasing torque, making the drill easier to control.
  • If you're having a hard time toe-nailing into a two-by-four (as with building a stud wall), creating an angled hole will help.