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Plug Cutters

Scroll to bottom for general advice on plug cutters.

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3-Pc. Self-Centering Plug Cutter Set
Unique spring-loaded self-centering tip guides cutter and prevents walking to cut a smooth, tapered plug. Set Includes 5/16", 3/8" and 1/2" cutters. 3-Pc. Self-Centering Plug Cutter Set

Hex Shank Tapered Plug Cutters
Precision-ground edges and flute design cut precise edges that don’t require sanding. Suitable for both soft and hardwoods. Individual cutters in sizes 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2". Hex Shank Tapered Plug Cutters

5 Piece Plug & Tenon Cutter Set
This 5-piece plug and tenon cutter set includes 3/8", 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", and 1" cutters packed in a wooden storage box. High quality carbon steel cutters feature 4 or 5 (depending on size) cutting spurs to quickly remove stock. Make tenons or plugs up to 3" long. Use for joinery, chair spindles, toy making - anywhere you need to create a quick, accurate plug or tenon.

8 Piece Deluxe Plug Cutting Kit
This kit will satisfy most of your needs for wooden plugs. Includes a straight and a tapered plug cutter in 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", and 5/8" diameters. These quality carbon steel cutters feature fast cutting edges to make smooth sided plugs with rounded shoulders. The straight cutters are self ejecting. All 8 pieces are fitted and labeled in a handy wood storage case.

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 above. 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.

Note that a tenon cutter and plug cutter essentially do the same thing, the difference being only that a tenon cut is made on the end grain, whereas a plug is made usually on the face. Thus some cutters are made to double for either plugs or tenons. For a tenon cut, the tool needs a greater depth of cut to give a tenon of usable length.

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