How to make keyhole slots with a drill

When making coat racks, doors or other interior items for your home, it can help to make keyholes with a drill bit. It can be difficult to make the keyholes straight, but it can be done with a router and a steady hand.

Mark the keyhole in the centre of the piece of wood you are using. Draw layout lines to indicate the ends of the router.

Clamp wood to the layout lines to keep the wood steady as you drill with the router.

Put a square bit into the router. Attach a fence to the router to control how long the slot you drill will be.

Put the router against the wood, and turn it on. It will slide until it hits the fence, drilling a slot as it goes. Turn the router off, and wait for it to completely stop before removing it from the wood.

Repeat the procedure for each keyhole you need to drill.