new production spoon bits

[jim goddard]

I was surprised to see Lee Valley offers spoon bits of their own make. That makes at least 2 mfgs, Clico being the other. Are there any others? Are there any reviews of the various brands?

[Tony Wilkins]

Not sure who makes them but TFWW sells some.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Given TFWW says "made in England", I'd hazard a guess they're the ones made by Clifton.

[Joel Moskowitz]

Clico (Clifton)

[jim goddard]

Right, those made in the UK I think are all by Clico.

Anyone seen reviews of those and/or the LV product??

[jim goddard]

:) no spoon bit fan boys here? :) I thought there would be given the passion expressed in other threads/subjects...

[Kevin Adams]

IMHO, the best new spoon bits are/were made by Fred Emhoff. I don't know if he is still making them. They work flawlessly and are perfectly made. I believe the LV bits are made off-shore and they are really a good value. I have not used the Clico bits, but I have heard that they require a bit of work to get them ready for use.

Kevin

[Tony Shea]

So what is the advantage of a spoon bit over any other more modern bits available?

[Jonas Baker]

So what is the advantage of a spoon bit over any other more modern bits available?

I am not an expert on spoon bits, but I do sometimes use them for certain handtool construction. Spoon bits drill at an angle very well, they drill endgrain well, and the angle they are boring at can be changed while they are in use, which comes in handy when you are trying to get a proper angle when boring holes for chair legs, or chair rungs, etc.

I have some Lee valley bits; they work well and come sharp out of the box and ready to use. Maybe it was just the ones I had but they did seem to become dull somewhat quickly, but maybe that is just how they use, so this shouldn't be a knock against Lee Valley's versions. I also have some old spoon bits found at flea markets, etc. The old ones are often dinged up, dull, and hard to get sharpened properly. I see more shell bits, and quill bits, then spoon bits at flea markets for some reason, so I guess they're not as easy to find.

Here is a post in the Full Chisel Blog about spoon bits, shell bits, etc.

http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=103

[Jim Paulson]

[QUOTE=Kevin Adams;2134942]IMHO, the best new spoon bits are/were made by Fred Emhoff. I don't know if he is still making them. They work flawlessly and are perfectly made. I believe the LV bits are made off-shore and they are really a good value. I have not used the Clico bits, but I have heard that they require a bit of work to get them ready for use.

Kevin[/QUOTE

Hi Kevin,
+1 on the Emhof spoon bits being top notch. I purchased a set of four bits back in 2007 and they are sweet. Likewise, I don't know if he still makes them. I have enjoyed using them for Windsor chair making.

I am hoping that Fred Emhof still makes them. One of my future projects is to make a handmade wooden brace with pads for the spoon bits. Adam Cherubini made a nice a while back that was featured in Popular Woodworking Magazine. I'm investigating who I can get to make spoon bits that I can mount in pads. I may opt to purchase the Clico ones and modify the ends. If I was more of a metal worker I'd try making my own. I have an antique wooden brace that I use for demonstration purposes and it has a 5/8 inch spoon bit.

[jim goddard]

From my diggings it appears Fred doesnt make them anymore. If Im wrong Id like to know. Ive used the Clico brand in the past and found them reasonably good. Also used a couple 'antiques' which ran about as well as the Clicos. I think it was in FFW mag, there was an article on tuning the Clico bit to perform better. I forget the details.

[Jim Paulson]

From my diggings it appears Fred doesnt make them anymore. If Im wrong Id like to know.

Hi,
You are correct. I just spoke with Fred Emhof and he no longer makes spoon bits.
Take care,
Jim