Plug Cutters

Jeff Greef Woodworking
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The best way to hide a screw head on an exposed surface is to cover it with a wooden plug of the same wood type. To do so you need to bore a countersink hole that is larger than the screw head, then make a plug to fit the countersink and glue it in. Here's how to proceed:

Drill the holes for your screws using tapered drill bits with countersinks. To see these click here, or see those shown below. Countersinks come in certain sizes, mostly 1/4" and 3/8", some 1/2". You will need a plug cutter that makes plugs of the same diameter as the countersink.

Next make wood plugs with a plug cutter set up in a drill press. You can make plugs without a drill press, using a hand drill, but this can be hard to do accurately. Use scrap wood of the same species and color as the wood in your project. Save the scraps you produce while making the project, because they will match color best.

Glue the plugs in place, and leave them proud of the surface. Clean the excess glue off the protruding plugs while it is wet with hot water and a stiff brush. Once the glue is dry, use a very sharp chisel to trim the plug flush to the wood surface. CLICK THE PHOTO TO ORDER THE TOOL

General Tools S31 3/8", 1/2", 5/8" Plug Cutter Set
Economical set, if you need all these sizes. Note that you may not use a 5/8" much in furniture applications.

General Tools 31A 3/8" Plug Cutter

Fuller Plug Cutters
Several sizes to choose from.

Fuller Tapered Bit and Plug Cutter Set
High quality set of five tapered bits with countersinks and two plug cutters.

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