Sorry Janne, I realize now that I read the thread too quickly before I wrote my post. I blame it on it being the middle of the night 
If it's just a few handles you need to mount, I would probably trace the 40x50 ellipse on the door and drill with a 40 mm bit in the middle. The (0-5) millimeters that are left on the sides can then be removed with a sharp chisel. With a steady hand and a little patience, it shouldn't be a problem.
If there are many handles you need to mount, a router is probably a smarter option. In that case, you make a template out of, for example, a piece of MDF and then rout out for the handle with a template guide where the bearing is on the shaft, or use a standard straight bit combined with a guide bush (in the latter case, the hole in the template needs to be adjusted to account for the size of the guide bush). Freehand routing can also work, but it's easy to make mistakes, especially if you're not used to it...
Other factors can also come into play, such as justifying the purchase of a router to the spouse
If it's just a few handles you need to mount, I would probably trace the 40x50 ellipse on the door and drill with a 40 mm bit in the middle. The (0-5) millimeters that are left on the sides can then be removed with a sharp chisel. With a steady hand and a little patience, it shouldn't be a problem.
If there are many handles you need to mount, a router is probably a smarter option. In that case, you make a template out of, for example, a piece of MDF and then rout out for the handle with a template guide where the bearing is on the shaft, or use a standard straight bit combined with a guide bush (in the latter case, the hole in the template needs to be adjusted to account for the size of the guide bush). Freehand routing can also work, but it's easy to make mistakes, especially if you're not used to it...
Other factors can also come into play, such as justifying the purchase of a router to the spouse
Okay, today I was looking at routers and considering skipping the handles and just routing 1 cm deep into the 19 mm MDF door in the shape of a rectangle to use the routed area as a handle - but maybe the edge will get damaged over time?
9 doors and 50 SEK per pair of handles equates to a cheap router - but as mentioned, it might ruin the edge of the MDF groove when you pull the doors, making it look bad.
Another issue is if you drill the 8mm deep hole required for a round handle, the drill tip goes through the panel - which means I would have to drill all the way through and install handles on both sides, doubling the cost - or leave it as a hole on the back which is barely visible anyway. But it made me consider routing even if I buy handles, nothing is visible on the other side.
However, I couldn't figure out how to route a nice round hole with the router.
But if I understand Bygga_bo correctly, there is an attachment for the router that follows the hole in a template.
Do such parts usually come with a router? - Can someone show an example of a copying ring?
9 doors and 50 SEK per pair of handles equates to a cheap router - but as mentioned, it might ruin the edge of the MDF groove when you pull the doors, making it look bad.
Another issue is if you drill the 8mm deep hole required for a round handle, the drill tip goes through the panel - which means I would have to drill all the way through and install handles on both sides, doubling the cost - or leave it as a hole on the back which is barely visible anyway. But it made me consider routing even if I buy handles, nothing is visible on the other side.
However, I couldn't figure out how to route a nice round hole with the router.
But if I understand Bygga_bo correctly, there is an attachment for the router that follows the hole in a template.
Do such parts usually come with a router? - Can someone show an example of a copying ring?
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If you only mill out a handle without doing more, the edges will become fragile. Rounding them off might work, but then the grip on the handle will suffer. An alternative could be to mill out a rectangular hole (you'll need to square up the corners with a chisel since they become round after milling) and line the inside with a thin strip of oak or another hard type of wood. A bit of fiddling, of course...
Is the tip of the drill you bought really long enough to go through a 19 mm board when you drill an 8 mm deep hole? My brad-point bits have considerably shorter tips than that. Or is it a spade bit you bought? Regardless, the hole will be fairly small and should easily be filled before you paint them.
If you're going to start milling, you can easily make a template from a scrap piece of MDF. In this, you make a hole the same size as the recess you intend to mill out in the door (i.e., the 40x50 ellipse). Suitable tools for this are a drill and a jigsaw. Then you'll probably need a file and some sandpaper for "final adjustments." You then fasten the template with a couple of clamps on the door (double-sided tape also works) where the handle will sit. You then mill out the recess for the handle by letting the router bit's ball bearing follow the hole in the template. Once you've routed along the template's edge, you can sweep the router back and forth a bit to tidy up "in the middle." Remember to use a piece of scrap large enough for the template so that the router's base plate rests steadily on it, and the clamps fit.
If you opt to use a template guide, you'll need to make a larger hole in the template. (A template guide is essentially a "tube" that is mounted on the base plate and surrounds the router bit itself. The guide provides the same function as the bearing on the flush trim bit. If, for example, you use a 20 mm guide and an 8 mm router bit, then the hole in the template needs to be (20-8)/2=6 mm larger than the hole for the handle). Since you're starting from scratch, I would choose to go with a flush trim bit - it's the simplest option.
But... since there are so few handles involved, I would personally probably choose to drill and finish the last bit with a chisel. But sure, if you want to learn a bit about routing, it's a good exercise...
Is the tip of the drill you bought really long enough to go through a 19 mm board when you drill an 8 mm deep hole? My brad-point bits have considerably shorter tips than that. Or is it a spade bit you bought? Regardless, the hole will be fairly small and should easily be filled before you paint them.
If you're going to start milling, you can easily make a template from a scrap piece of MDF. In this, you make a hole the same size as the recess you intend to mill out in the door (i.e., the 40x50 ellipse). Suitable tools for this are a drill and a jigsaw. Then you'll probably need a file and some sandpaper for "final adjustments." You then fasten the template with a couple of clamps on the door (double-sided tape also works) where the handle will sit. You then mill out the recess for the handle by letting the router bit's ball bearing follow the hole in the template. Once you've routed along the template's edge, you can sweep the router back and forth a bit to tidy up "in the middle." Remember to use a piece of scrap large enough for the template so that the router's base plate rests steadily on it, and the clamps fit.
If you opt to use a template guide, you'll need to make a larger hole in the template. (A template guide is essentially a "tube" that is mounted on the base plate and surrounds the router bit itself. The guide provides the same function as the bearing on the flush trim bit. If, for example, you use a 20 mm guide and an 8 mm router bit, then the hole in the template needs to be (20-8)/2=6 mm larger than the hole for the handle). Since you're starting from scratch, I would choose to go with a flush trim bit - it's the simplest option.
But... since there are so few handles involved, I would personally probably choose to drill and finish the last bit with a chisel. But sure, if you want to learn a bit about routing, it's a good exercise...
Yes, it was a flat drill - I think there should be other drills - what you call a kvistborr is exactly what I'm looking for in terms of drills - I will ask if they have such at the hardware store
(the handle's hole is 40mm in diameter, a bit hard to see in the picture I linked earlier - so it's enough to get a circular hole)
If I find a kvistborr, I'll go with that - thanks for the help!
(the handle's hole is 40mm in diameter, a bit hard to see in the picture I linked earlier - so it's enough to get a circular hole)
If I find a kvistborr, I'll go with that - thanks for the help!
Hi, I saw that I didn't answer your question about the weight.Tiger79 said:
19mm MDF weighs about 800kg per cubic meter, which is about 15kg per sqm 19mm thick.
Your interior door should then weigh around 60kg, which is heavy. Is it a custom door in terms of dimensions, etc.?
I bought an interior door Stable at Beijer for 900SEK and it is a bit more solid than the cheapest doors.
There is an alternative to buy veneered MDF via a local carpentry shop - maybe that is an option.