Countersink Recommendations

[james bell]

woodworker supply is advertising a 'countersink' set which they claim has recommendations from fine woodworking.

has anybody used this and is it as good as fuller?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Fine Woodworking Ain't what it used to be.
Or maybe it's just me. 'Cause when I look at it it's like stepping back a couple or more decades in terms of the level of the craft. I suppose it's all marketing (the most evil scourge of the planet) telling the editor staff what to print because the demographic of newbies is greater in munbers than the seasoned guys. ERGO: logic dictates that most of the publication be targeted at people who are still trying to figure out which saw cuts which direction.

I find this to be generally true for most hobby publications across the board. They don't grow and evolve with the readership preferring to pursue the newcomer's enthusiastically spent dollars which marketing has shown to be easier to pry out of the hands of insecure newbies eager for a leg up.

So as to any recommendations by FWW: They are to be taken with that big bag of salt one reserves for any publication that depends entirely on advertising dollars.

[glenn bradley]

A link to the product in question would help. After trying many different types, for everything except rough work I use this format. Very clan cuts even in things like red oak. Easily sharpened if required. Available from a few places but, Woodcraft's version is my preferred tool.

[Van Huskey]

First, to the OP, I have not used that set but have used Fuller and Snappy, quite frankly the Snappy version was 99% as good as the Fuller.




So as to any recommendations by FWW: They are to be taken with that big bag of salt one reserves for any publication that depends entirely on advertising dollars.


I take issue with this statement. First, for years I heard the complaints that ad dollars lead to BMW and Honda winning darn near every car mag comparo they had a car/truck in so one day I decided to do some non-scientific research. Both of them (particularly) BMW placed far fewer and smaller ads in the magazines over the two year time period I sampled from 7 different general market and trade mags. Bottom line in both instances they just made better drivers cars and there was nothing concrete to suggest ad space had anything to do with it, if that had been the case the Big 3 would have walked away with nearly every trophy. I find FWW mirrors pretty much every long discussion on here about a particular type of tool. Although, I have not purchased every tool FWW has reviewed I can not think of a single time they have steered me to a tool that wasn't satisfactory.

[Cliff Holmes]

+1 on the single-flute countersinks. By far the best quality cuts. The only thing to watch out for is that once the shoulder drops below the surface, they like to "take off" and bore in very quickly. I like to use my drill press with the depth stop to keep it under control.

The ones I have are from WoodCraft

[Wes Grass]

I also like the 'zero' flute c'sinks. They're also available with pilots, which I find helps a lot to keep them from wandering a bit off center by following the grain. McMaster-Carr carries them from 1/4" up.

[Cliff Holmes]

Hey, Wes, that's interesting. What you (and apparently others) call a zero-flute I've always seen called single-flute. Woodcraft even calls them that.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Catalog/ProductPage.aspx?prodid=6635&ss=ea1b191c-8fb6-44e8-9bbe-dcfb4bd94941

Cliff

[james bell]

i picked up a cheap set a few years back which were like the fuller, but could not get the set screw to stay in place (no, i did not get what i paid for, i got less!). the single flute/zero flute is definitely much less than the fuller and also the one by woodworker supply.

[Wes Grass]

'Zero flute' is kind of new to me too, but it's a better descriptor than 'Weldon'. True single flutes are the MA Ford style. Much better in steel, IMO, than the zero flute as the cutting edge isn't as acute and has more meat behind it so it deals with the heat better. I think a zero flute would all but vanish before your eyes on stainless steel.

I have no idea what the multi flute styles are for. Never seen one that didn't chatter horribly no matter what you were cutting.

[Phil Thien]

I prefer piloted countersinks. Somewhat limited in terms of the pilot sizes, but I have one for 1/4" and another for 5/16" flat-head machine screws that are wonderful. For smaller screws, I use my snappy bits to countersink (using the drill bit as my pilot).

Without a pilot, BTW, you increase the chance of an off-center countersink. Which can suck.

[Dennis Hook]

These are my favorite. Carbide tipped for the cleanest cut imaginable.

http://www.toolstoday.com/p-5368-carbide-tipped-countersinks-for-wood-screws.aspx?variantids=7017,0

[Chris Parks]

For standard size screws I use the Festool CS bit. I like it because the depth can be set and it stays sharp. I had to drill and CS 3,000 screws and this thing did it to the same depth for every one.

[Lee Schierer]

A key factor in using countersinks on a drill press is the amount of back lash in the gear and quill. To test, move the quill down about 1" and hold the raise/lower handle in place. Grab the chuck and move it up and down if you feel play in the up/down direction you will likely get chatter when using a countersink. Chatter will yield a poor countersink.

[Will Overton]

They don't grow and evolve with the readership preferring to pursue the newcomer's

That's their market, it's up to you to move on. Just like when you learned what you had to in first grade, you moved on to second grade. You didn't stay if first grade (hopefully) and tell the first grade teacher to teach calculus.

Also, do you expect a magazine to move on based on when you started reading it, the guy/gal who subscribed a year ahead of you, or should they wait for the folks who subscribed two years after you. Using your model, there would be no more magazines for beginners.

As for reviews, none can be taken as fact, because aside from specs, they are all based on opinion. Something a reviewer may honestly find annoying, someone else may consider a great feature. Just ask here at The Creek, what is the best router, and why? There is no consensus ... and that's good.

[Michael MacDonald]

..do you expect a magazine to move on based on when you started reading it, the guy/gal who subscribed a year ahead of you, or should they wait for the folks who subscribed two years after you. Using your model, there would be no more magazines for beginners....

this is rational... I found the same thing with golf magazines a few years ago... after two years, I couldn't read them anymore because they were rehashing the same tired stuff... only one or two nuggets in each volume. I didn't think there was a golf mag for advanced players, and I don't suppose there is a wood mag for experienced woodworkers... that's fine for me for now... maybe in a couple of years I will complain.

what was this thread about again? counter/sinks? we have granite and stainless steel in my house.

[Dave Gaul]

I have had great results with the piloted ones in my snappy set.

I also had good results with one I got from ACE Hardware, until I used it on metal without lube...:eek: