Who makes good Forstner bits?

[Mike Henderson]

Who makes good Forstner bits? I have a Freud set which is great but I want to add the 16's in between (such as 5/16", 7/16", 9/16", 11/16", 13/16", etc.). I bought those bits from Lee Valley a while back but they're not close to the Freud - they clog and don't cut easily (and yes, I did sharpen them). I'd like to buy more Freud bits but I can't find them in 16ths.

Who do you recommend that makes Forstner bits in 16ths? (and not carbide, just HSS or even regular steel - I don't use them that much)

Mike

[glenn bradley]

Famag won the FWW tests (http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011197048.pdf) with Grizzly rated best value. Rockler has a couple sets on sale right now. Don't know their quality over time but I have some of theirs that have done OK. They're not like my Freuds but at 22 pieces for $60, they're OK.

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks, Glenn. I went and looked up the Famag but they don't seem to make the Forstner's in 16ths, only in 8th's.

All I want is the 16ths between the bits in my Freud set.

Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20431)has some no-name Forstner bits in 16ths. Anyone use them?

Mike

[Dewey Torres]

Thanks, Glenn. I went and looked up the Famag but they don't seem to make the Forstner's in 16ths, only in 8th's.

All I want is the 16ths between the bits in my Freud set.

Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20431)has some no-name Forstner bits in 16ths. Anyone use them?

Mike


Not sure but Bormax makes some darn good bits... not a total solution you you but:
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1917

I own one 13/16 and it is better (by a small margin) than the Freud which say a lot!

Down side... price:eek:

[Curt Harms]

Set #9159. They're no gems but work okay for occasional use.

[Jerome Hanby]

I bought a set that Woodcraft had on Sale a few years back. I'm no expert but they seem to cut okay. Of course they are the only Forstners in my shop, so no way to compare...


Thanks, Glenn. I went and looked up the Famag but they don't seem to make the Forstner's in 16ths, only in 8th's.

All I want is the 16ths between the bits in my Freud set.

Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20431)has some no-name Forstner bits in 16ths. Anyone use them?

Mike

[Larry Edgerton]

I have some I have had for close to thirty years that are German I believe, and they say "Schlagring" or something close on them. Several of the set have hit nails and are beyond sharpening so I have had it in mind to search myself. I too have Freuds, but they are not as concise as the Schlagring steel bits.

I will look and let you know if I find them, and will watch this thread.....

[Paul Steiner]

+1 Freud bits

[Mark Koury]

Mike,

Try this for FAMAG in the 16th sizes:

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/default.php/cPath/269_270_296

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/forset1.htm

All sizes and the best part: "high quality steel"

Which, I suspect, is just whatever tool steel the factory has in house the day they are made.

[Mike Cutler]

Mike

WL Fuller in Warwick RI. They only make cutting bits and tools.
Small company, family owned, and the person that answers the phone knows drill bits.

http://www.wlfuller.com/

[Bill Huber]

I am not sure which to tell you to get but I do know that I can say DON'T get the Rockler.

I got a set and they are junk IMO. I have replace 3 of them just because the center was so far off when I put them in the drill press they would make a circle in the wood trying to find center. Plus they don't cut that great.

There was a thread awhile back about Forstner bits but I can't remember who came out as the best.

[Mike Henderson]

Mike,

Try this for FAMAG in the 16th sizes:

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/default.php/cPath/269_270_296
Thanks everyone for your information and suggestions. I'm going to order the Famag 16ths from traditional woodworker. I'd prefer to buy once and get a good set. Those should last me for my lifetime.

Mike

[Ellen Benkin]

If you got a defective set of Rockler drill bits, why didn't you return them? I've had a set of Rocklers for years. I don't know if they are close to the best bits on the market, but for my uses they work fine.

[Charles McCracken]

Mike,

Freud now offers the Precision Shear Forstner bits in increments of 1/16" from 5/16" up to 15/16". Item numbers are:

PB-0015 - 5/16"
PB-0025 - 7/16"
PB-0035 - 9/16"
PB-0045 - 11/16"
PB-0055 - 13/16"
PB-0065 - 15/16"

[Louis Rucci]

What process did you use to sharpen them?

I have a set I bought 30 years ago and need to sharpen some of them.

Thanks

[Bill Huber]

If you got a defective set of Rockler drill bits, why didn't you return them? I've had a set of Rocklers for years. I don't know if they are close to the best bits on the market, but for my uses they work fine.

I guess the way I look at it if there were 3 (so far) that were bad then what would the replacements be like. I just don't like sending stuff back and forth to get it right. If you can't get it right the first time then I will just go some place else.

[Clifford Mescher]

Thanks everyone for your information and suggestions. I'm going to order the Famag 16ths from traditional woodworker. I'd prefer to buy once and get a good set. Those should last me for my lifetime.

Mike
Please let us know how they perform, as I have them on my short list. Clifford.

[Mike Henderson]

Mike,

Freud now offers the Precision Shear Forstner bits in increments of 1/16" from 5/16" up to 15/16". Item numbers are:

PB-0015 - 5/16"
PB-0025 - 7/16"
PB-0035 - 9/16"
PB-0045 - 11/16"
PB-0055 - 13/16"
PB-0065 - 15/16"
This may seem like a dumb question, but where do I order those from? I went to the Freud web site and can't find those part numbers. But I can't order directly from Freud in any case, can't I?

Mike

[Charles McCracken]

This may seem like a dumb question, but where do I order those from? I went to the Freud web site and can't find those part numbers. But I can't order directly from Freud in any case, can't I?

Mike

Mike,

These are new items that have not made the website yet. Unfortunately, you can't order them direct from Freud but you can call our Customer Service at (800) 334-4107 and they can find you a source.

[Mike Henderson]

What process did you use to sharpen them?

I have a set I bought 30 years ago and need to sharpen some of them.

Thanks
I have some diamond hones. The process is described in Leonard Lee's book on sharpening.

But basically, you hone the back side of the edges so the location of the cutting edge does not change.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

Mike,

These are new items that have not made the website yet. Unfortunately, you can't order them direct from Freud but you can call our Customer Service at (800) 334-4107 and they can find you a source.
Finally got through to Freud. Appears there's not many retailers carrying those bits, but maybe I could have a retailer order them for me. I'll have to find out the price.

No Internet sources that the Freud rep could find.

Mike

[Clifford Mescher]

Mike,

These are new items that have not made the website yet. Unfortunately, you can't order them direct from Freud but you can call our Customer Service at (800) 334-4107 and they can find you a source.
Are these new bits in response to the ratings that Freud received in the magazine reviews? Clifford.

[Kevin Davis]

Hi Mike,

It sounds like you may have your mind set. I will through in a +1 on the bormax. They are pricey. I bought the 3/4" bit for my 2" thick maple work bench. I drilled a lot of holes for my bench dogs. It cut like butter every time with out clogging. Night and day b/w it and the Woodcraft brand. I would love to hear a comparison b/w them and Freud. I am not sure why FWW didn't include them in their bake off.

[Mike Henderson]

Those Bormax bits look good, but they're expensive and I can't find any 16ths below 11/16". But I don't want to spend that much money - looks like they'd average about $30 each.

Mike

[guy knight]

colt bits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1zOGmuMM1I
http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1488

[Mike Henderson]

colt bits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1zOGmuMM1I
http://www.infinitytools.com/products.asp?dept=1488
Guy - Thank you for the pointer. I went to the Infinity site and looked at the colt page but did not see any 16th" bits, only 8ths.

Mike

[glenn bradley]

Thanks, Glenn. I went and looked up the Famag but they don't seem to make the Forstner's in 16ths, only in 8th's.

All I want is the 16ths between the bits in my Freud set.

Woodcraft (http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20431)has some no-name Forstner bits in 16ths. Anyone use them?

Mike

Sorry about that Mike. I should have looked closer. Thank goodness for Mark's post. I have the set of 6 in 16ths that I got from Woodcraft several years ago. I notice it is not currently shown online (sorry again, man am I worthless, or what?) I just had to touch one up the other day. The sizing on them was quite good and they have exceeded my expectations for $12 or so.

[Charles McCracken]

Are these new bits in response to the ratings that Freud received in the magazine reviews? Clifford.

Clifford,

Actually the 1/16" increment bits have been in stock for well over a year now but the market for them is really small so there's not been a lot of hype to push them.

[Ellen Benkin]

Any manufacturing process will get you a few bad pieces. If you choose to complain about them to the public, but not to the company, then the company can't fix whatever is wrong with quality control. In the ideal world the customer would not have to inform the manufacturer about problems, but that is not the world we live in. I've gotten a couple of "lemons" from Rockler and they always made good on everything without any arguments. I think that's the best I can hope for, and it is one of the reasons I like to do business with them.

[Rich Tesoroni]

Didn't see anybody mention Convalco. Are their forstner bits still available? I've got several of theirs as well as the Freud set in the box as well as one or two of their carbide ones.

Rich

[Mike Henderson]

To post a positive, here's (http://www.amazon.com/Freud-FB-100-16-Piece-Diablo-Forstner/dp/B0000225ZN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1240416037&sr=8-1)the Freud set I have and have been very satisfied with. I've had it for almost ten years and have used the bits in normal hobby use. They cut well and don't clog excessively.

Overall, I've been very satisfied with them.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

Didn't see anybody mention Convalco. Are their forstner bits still available? I've got several of theirs as well as the Freud set in the box as well as one or two of their carbide ones.

Rich
I did a search on Convalco. They're still available but expensive. Small bits, such as 5/16", are close to $30 and they go up as they get bigger.

Mike

[Larry Edgerton]

Any manufacturing process will get you a few bad pieces. If you choose to complain about them to the public, but not to the company, then the company can't fix whatever is wrong with quality control. In the ideal world the customer would not have to inform the manufacturer about problems, but that is not the world we live in. I've gotten a couple of "lemons" from Rockler and they always made good on everything without any arguments. I think that's the best I can hope for, and it is one of the reasons I like to do business with them.

I agree with Bill. Am I supposed to be indebted to them because they send me a catalog with overpriced hardware? Maybe its the difference in outlook from having to make a profit, but I expect companys I deal with to supply as good a product as I supply my customers, and if they don't, I move on. Policeing the quality, or lack of, the imports they bring in from China is not part of my job description, nor do I have time for tools that are junk. A few bad pieces? Not in my world.

[Jim Crockett]

I realize that this thread is 2 years old, but thought I'd add this for anyone searching for bits.

7 Corners Hardware (http://www.7corners.com) offers the 9/16" (PB-00356), 7/16" (PB-0025), and 5/16" (PB-0015) Freud bits for what appears to be very reasonable prices.

This is the only place that I have seen them!

Jim

[Jim Crockett]

Another source for the 1/16" Freud bits is Timberline (http://timberlinetools.com). They have all of the 1/16" Freud bits for very reasonable prices!

Jim