General Tools 31A Plug Cutter

by General Tools

Product Description

Amazon.com

Whether you're building cabinets, toys, decks, furniture or railings, wooden plugs are a neat way to cover up the screw heads. This General Tools cutter will cut a 3/8-inch plug from any stock, from pine to oak, and eject it, whether it's chucked in a press or hand-held drill. It's made from hardened alloy steel, so it's not top-of-the-line. If it's the occasional plug or small project you're working on, this is a great economical bit, perfect for homeowners.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste

Product Description

Made of hardened alloy steel with 3 8" shank. Plugs permit matching wood colors and assure perfect fit in countersunk screw holes. Cutters automatically eject plugs from stock 3 4" or less. No. 31A: 3 8" diameter No. 31B: 1 2" diameter No. 31C: 5 8" diame

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 0.8 x 6 inches ; 3.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B00004T7OL
• Item model number: 31A
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,885 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You Get What You Pay For!, May 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: General Tools 31A Plug Cutter (Misc.)

I purchased these plug cutters recently to plug top screw holes on my floor installation. A plug cutter is a plug cutter right? Well not exactly.

The hardwood floor I was installing included a White Oak border that was top screwed and plugged. I had a heck of a time making high quality plugs. The plug either broke off in the plug cutter (too short) or they burned leaving a visable ring on the floor.

With my drill press set at a very low RPM I was finally able to make plugs that didn't burn but only when I used very tight gained plain sawn stock. By the time I figured out exactly which speed and which stock was best, the cutter was dull and produced burned plugs again. Argh!

I ended up going to a local Woodcraft store and buying another brand of plug cutter. With its 4 cutting surfaces this cutter worked like a champ. Had I only spent the extra money on a high quality plug cutter I would have saved myself hours of aggravation. What's your time worth?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I've used both these and the four prong cutters..., August 1, 2006

By 

W. B. Halper (Saratoga, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: General Tools 31A Plug Cutter (Misc.)

For use in a hand held drill, the four prong cutters work much better. These cutters tend to walk all over the board before grabbing hold. On the other hand, properly controlled in a drill press, the waste is much less with these as the cutting edge is much thinner.

As mentioned in a previous review, the General plug cutter burns the wood much easier than the four prong vesion...the bottom is essentially a flat rotating knife edge with only one cutting slot. Feeding it too fast, or at too high rate of speed builds up a lot of heat very quickly. The multi-prong cutter chews through the wood much faster and cuts a wider groove. The chips clear easily and this pretty much avoids the heat problem. If you go with the General Tools cutter, run it at a slow speed and back it out of the hole often to allow the chips to clear and the cutter to cool.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, July 30, 2006

By 

M. Ehrmann - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: General Tools 31A Plug Cutter (Misc.)

I purchased a set of 3 which included the 3/8" advertised here. After setting my drill press to the recommended 1000 rpm, I attempted to cut plugs in a variety of soft & hard woods. All of them came out with burn rings. I changed speeds on my drill press and also varied the amount of pressure. All attempts came to the same result. I ended up purchasing a 4 pronged set from Rockler and am very happy with the results. General Tools messed up on this one.