# Drill bit size for Cabinet Handles holes



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Try 3/16".
The screw does not have to be tight in the hole, in fact a little bit loose is better so the holes in the handles line up easier.


----------



## MT Stringer (Oct 19, 2008)

DeeEyeWhy said:


> My pulls and knobs came with an 8-32 size machine screw and I wanted to ensure i drilled the right holes in my new cabinets, but i am a dope with drill bit sizes.
> 
> Any help is appreciated on drill bit size.
> 
> ...


I seem to be the worlds' worst at guessing drill bit sizes. So I eyeball'em! :surprise:

I pick the next size larger and drill a hole in a piece of scrap wood and make a test fit. Like Joe said, a little loose is a good thing. It will suck up tight when you screw it on.


----------



## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

+1 on the 3/16" bit. I've installed quite a few kitchens, all with hardware, and that seems to be the bit I always use.
Mike Hawkins


----------



## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

If you are mounting a bunch, you may want to make up a drilling jig.


----------



## DeeEyeWhy (Jan 19, 2016)

Thank you all, 3/16 bit worked like a charm


----------



## FrodoOne (Mar 4, 2016)

DeeEyeWhy said:


> My pulls and knobs came with an 8-32 size machine screw and I wanted to ensure i drilled the right holes in my new cabinets, but i am a dope with drill bit sizes.


I read this post (and the succeeding posts) and could not understand what was being discussed.

I saw "8-32 size", so I thought that this may mean 8/32" (which is strange, since that equates to 1/4")

Reading on, I realised that there was something very wrong with my interpretation of what was being discussed and, on searching on "8-32 size machine screw" found https://www.boltdepot.com/Product-Details.aspx?product=1739, which enabled me to understand that this was a machine screw with a diameter of #8 with, seemingly, 32 threads to the Inch.

(While I wondered what a diameter of #8 may mean, a little bit of further reading indicated that, in "US machine screw diameters", #8 indicates 5/32")

I strongly suspect that what is mentioned here is actually what the "British" world would call a 5/32" Whitworth threaded item, which would comfortably fit into a 3/16" hole
It may be that US manufacturers may not wish to acknowledge their debt to the "Industrial Revolution", which originated in Britain.
Be that as it may!
However, I consider that it is a pity that dimensions such as these are quoted in such a "cabalistic" manner.

Over 95% of the world does NOT use obscure dimensions in such discussions. The only dimensions used elsewhere are SI.


----------



## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

8-32 would be a spec for a .164" nominal body, 32 threads per inch. 
The thread specs would be UNC (Unified National Course), per ASME definition and tolerances. I believe the #8 designation originated from the wire gage. 
Agreed, metric designations much simpler. Only one standard pitch per size.


----------

