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If you recall, a few years ago I wrote about the method I use to teach my students how to drill wide holes—around 1-3/8 inches or even wider—at the base of a stool seat to anchor the legs. Since the augers we rely on have a hexagonal shank, I needed a simple, effective tool to enable hand-powered drilling.
My solution involves a pairing of two off-the-shelf tools: a tap handle and a keyless chuck, combined with a specialized Drill Chuck Adapter. This adapter is particularly robust, featuring a square tang at the end—a much more substantial connection than the standard SDS Plus shank. After screwing the adapter into the back of the keyless chuck, I secure it tightly using a small, provided retaining screw (threaded from the interior of the chuck to prevent the adapter from unscrewing), ensuring zero slip. The tap handle then grips this square end, giving students a wide radius to apply the necessary force for controlled drilling. In essence, I created a versatile auger handle with a chuck that can be opened or closed over various drilling tools.
The keyless chuck kit arrived with four adapters. I installed the most massive square one into the chunk.
A New Application: Tenon Cutting
Recently, I discovered another powerful use for this hybrid keyless chuck and tap handle duo: using the setup to cut tenons with a Tenon Cutter.
Tenon cutters are innovative tools that allow you to quickly form a round tenon at the end of natural branches or rough stock, popularized by companies like Veritas (which call their version – Veritas Power Tapered Tenon Cutters).
The combination of the tap handle and chuck with the Tenon Cutter allows you to apply a huge amount of torque and precise control to form the tenon. Crucially, this hybrid tool opens up the possibility of using Tenon Cutters without the need for an electric drill.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently wrong with using a big, massive, high-torque cordless drill to cut tenons—in fact, it’s often more efficient. But if you teach children, or if you simply prefer a quiet, controlled, and precise process, the electric drill is not always your friendly helper.
A cordless drill and a torquer mitigating handle are a must when drilling wide holes or forming tenons.
The Quiet Advantage
We have successfully tested this Tenon Cutter setup on softwood and were able to easily turn the handle and the cutter to perform accurate tenons.
If you are building rustic or bushcraft furniture and want to avoid investing in a high-torque drill, this inexpensive set is your best friend. You can use it not only to create the tenon but also, as mentioned before, to drill wide holes with perfect control. It’s a fantastic low-tech solution that prioritizes learning and focus over brute force.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
