How to Drill Angled Holes Into Wood

Drilling angled holes is a skill that comes in handy for many home-related projects. One familiar example is when you want to nail a 2x4 at a 90-degree angle into another 2x4 to create the framework for a wall, yet you don't have a lot of room to swing the hammer. Toenailing into drilled, angled holes, is the answer for tight areas like this. If you have a hard time getting the nail started, a short angled pilot hole helps immensely by guiding the nail at the correct angle and reducing the amount of hammering needed. 

Another example, common in woodworking projects, is drilling pocket holes when two pieces of wood need to be joined at an angle, and where you want the screw heads to be recessed below the surface of the workpiece.

But drilling angled holes in wood comes with its unique set of problems. Perhaps the most frustrating problem is when the drill bit begins to bore correctly, then quickly skitters across the wood and out of position. This is why you need to take special measures, either by purchasing a tool that will do the job for you or by adopting a technique with your drill that improves the likelihood of a perfectly angled hole.

3 Methods for Drilling Angled Holes

There are three common methods for drilling angled holes, but two of them are more appropriate for experienced woodworkers who can afford the tools.

Drill press: A drill press is the best way to drill a hole at an angle. However, a drill press is an expensive, bulky, standalone tool that only lets you work on small pieces of material. Drill presses are poorly suited for many home improvement projects because they cannot be moved from the shop.

Pocket hole jig: A good alternative to a drill press is a pocket hole jig. Pocket hole jigs, such as the Kreg R3 Jr., are cheap, simple devices that guide your drill bit into the material at an angle. If you need to drill more than a few holes, it may be worth purchasing a jig like this. However, pocket hole jigs are not foolproof; they still require some practice time before moving on to the actual work material. And a good pocket hole jig is a fairly expensive accessory, especially if you won't use it regularly.

Manual method: The manual method requires no special tools. Along with finesse and patience, you only need a drill and a set of good drill bits. One bit will be the size of the intended hole and the other bit will be around half the size of the intended hole. This method has some limitations, though.

You will not be able to drill holes at every angle with the manual method. You can easily drill an angled hole of up to 45 degrees. Between 45 degrees and 15 degrees, the process becomes more difficult, but not impossible. At lower than 15 degrees, the drill will move around too much. When the starter bit dances too much, you cannot establish a well-defined starter hole.