Best countersinks, what say you?

[Eugenio Soto]

OK, I am at a point in my life where I want to make sure that the tools I have are dependable, and this weekend was pretty frustrating.

This weekend I was working on a project and I had to make some countersinks for some screws...digging through my stash of bits I had a mish-mash of 14 different countersinks and every single one of them was unable to complete the job satisfactorily...all of them I bought over the last 20 years from either the BORG or discount online offers and all of them were useless...all I was trying to do was bore some 3/8" x 1/4" countersinks in some oak and although I was able to make them the results were either burnt, chipped, off center, etc.

SO, I want to buy one GOOD set of countersink bits (just the countersinks not the one with the drill bits) that has the most common sizes for drilling wood, which do you recommend?
Thanks, Eugene

[glenn bradley]

Someone here recommended these (http://www.leevalley.com/US/images/item/woodworking/drilling/06j5003s2.jpg)about 5 years ago and I have never looked back: http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?p=32308&cat=3,41306,41328

[Don Wacker]

I like the Insty line up. Go to the dowle-it web site they carry the full line.

Don

[Steve Kohn]

I like the Insty line up. Go to the dowle-it web site they carry the full line.

Don

+1 on the Insty countersinks. I also have bought extra drill bits from McMaster to replace the drills when the break.

[Eric DeSilva]

+1. They look strange, but cut nice. Whenever I used the fluted ones, I seem to get countersinks that don't quite seem circular.

[Gene Howe]

I bought the Fuller set like this one Fuller (http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=2800&familyName=Fuller+Countersink++Set+%238).
The store that had the set was going out of business and I got the set for about $30.00.
They are great.

[pat warner]

W.L. Fuller's array is very comprehensive in hss or CS, some solid carbide.
Whence on smooth arbors (just above reamer (http://patwarner.com/images/drilling_tools.jpg)), they hardly clog.

[ian maybury]

I've had good results with this carbide drill and countersink set by Colt - it for example has done many clean holes in moderate quality ply. You can use it with a plain shank too to get accurately centred: http://www.brimarc.com/products/Colt-Drill-and-Countersink-Set-847326.htm Not a cheap set. Chances are it's available in the US too.

These guys (I've had a couple of the 100T type for years) are not made for wood, and because they are not centred can wander a little if not held perfectly square, or there's a hard patch in the wood. Pushed too hard they can feed faster than expected, but it's easily avoided. They cut cleanly, and last extremely well though:
http://www.granlund.com/main.php?menuId=722

ian

[Bill Trouard]

plus 1 for W.L. Fuller.

I have this set (http://www.amazon.com/W-L-Fuller-10393011C-5-Piece/dp/B002LVUWJK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320694008&sr=8-1) Never an issue.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51z6GXGQz2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[David Hostetler]

I can tell you one thing. You want to avoid the Mibro ones from Amazon... They work, but the Ti coating burns off rather quickly...

[Dale Cruea]

One thing I learned as a die maker was how to run a countersink and how to sharpen them.
I have found most countersinks are OK for wood if you run them fast enough. I run mine at drill speed or a speed faster.
To sharpen them make sure the cutting edge is like a small angle knife edge. Some are too close to 90 degrees or even more.
I sharpen mine on a diamond stone.
I also use the single flute type for wood.
Sometimes they do not center all that well. I think that may be because of the grain.

[ryan carlino]

For those with the Lee Valley bits (http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?p=32308&cat=3,41306,41328), is there any way to sharpen these? It looks like the circular opening would be hard to sharpen without a special tool.

Also, do you find that most of your screw heads fit these 2 sizes? I find when countersinking (due to using whatever bit is sharp and handy) I end up going in a little bit, checking with the screw head, drilling a little more, checking until the screw head fits the hole just right. I never took the time to see if the head size on the number 8 or 10 screws I use is the same.

[ray hampton]

You man be able to buy screws with a big head but if different sizes screws did have heads that measure out the same as other sizes , the screw installed will pick the wrong screw too -often

[keith micinski]

My wife bought me this set and just this evening I was thinking man this is nice. I used to be in the same boat of 20 different crappy counter sink bits with various drill bits in them that didn't work. These are pretty cheap and I can't see how anything more expensive could work any better.

[george wilson]

The holes in the countersinks could be sharpened with a round grinding point in a Dremel,or drill press.

I like countersinks that have 1 cutting edge. I make mine with a flat side. The hole through type are also a species of single edge ones,too. The flat sided ones will countersink all the way from their tips to the top end of their angles,though.

[Joe Angrisani]

My wife bought me this set and just this evening I was thinking man this is nice. I used to be in the same boat of 20 different crappy counter sink bits with various drill bits in them that didn't work. These are pretty cheap and I can't see how anything more expensive could work any better.

Which set?

[Lloyd Kerry]

I second the Lee Valley recommendation.

[Bill White]

I've got several styles, but the Lee Valley single flute model works best for me when just countersinking in wood.
Bill

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I've been real impressed with the design of the Jack Rabbits (countersinks). http://www.jackrabbittool.com/

[Robert Chapman]

You cannot beat the Lee Valley single flute countersink.

[keith micinski]

Sorry I guess I forgot the link. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10609

[johnny means]

I like these. They had me at "carbide".

http://www.amanatool.com/boring/ps_100.html

[Ken Shoemaker]

I got some crappy Dewalts for Lowes about 9 years ago. I primarily use oak and have drilled miles of counter sunk holes with them and they are still ticking. Never sharpened them because they havent needed it. I have changed the drill bits a couple times. They worked well for me.

[Paul Johnstone]

for a basic #8 screw, what angle should the counter sink have?

[pat warner]

82 degrees.

[Paul Johnstone]

Thanks pat.