Examples - End Grain Boring Bits

[Eric Brown]

The 1897 Strelinger catalog says this about end grain boring: "Boring in end wood is rather mean work at best. For light work the Forstner is good. For all sorts of work the Ford bit is better than any other we know of. For machine work the Drill Head Machine Bit is all right." Testing different bits I tend to agree with their statement. The Forstner can do it, but it will dull the cutters quicker and they are hard enough to sharpen. The Ford bit (later Millers Falls) is a single twist bit with a screw point. Other similar single twist bits were made by Bailey (later Ohio Tool), C.E. Jennings, Lewis and a few others. While a strong bit, it suffers from the same issues as the Russell Jennings and Irwin solid center bits. The problem is that the cutting angle is not steep enough and you end up working harder. Better designs have a much sharper point to them. Below are a couple of Swan Cyclone bits. It has a gimlet type point with a sharp point. Next is a set of "Syracuse" type bits. The Syracuse set ranges in size from a #4 to a #16, by 32nds. (That's 1/8" to 1/2"). An extra larger bit 5/8" is also included at far left. Many times these bits can be found in a wooden cylindrical storage container. The close-up shows a metal cutting bit on the left for comparison. Notice it has a shallower point and an extra ridge of metal supporting the leading edge of the twist.

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[Lon Crosby]

No Spoon Bits? Came in a variety of styles depending upon application. In the day, used to bore wooden water pipes, a few of which are still in use today. Today, used by historic chair makers and lamp makers.

[Eric Brown]

I didn't even think about spoon bits. So I just went down to the shop and tried some. I have both old and newer ones and here is what I found. They do work but not as fast as the Syracuse type. They also have leave a center where it is pivoting. You either have to "wobble" the bit or bore completely through to remove that center. Unless you use an extension the newer ones also have a limited depth. Still, you can use almost an boring tool but some work better than others.

[Matt Hegedus]

I love these Examples threads. Learning a lot, thanks.

[Stew Denton]

Eric,

+1 on what Matt said. The posts on various types of bits, etc. have been quite interesting and I appreciate them. I believe I have a very long Syracuse bit, think it's 3/8ths and about 18" long, with a brace type fitting. I didn't know what type of bit it was until now.

Thanks and regards,

Stew

[Ryan Mooney]

Neat stuff indeed.

Do you notice any wedging action with the gimlet and other pointier bits in comparison? I've seen a bit in face grain but haven't ever tried them in end grain (and I'm not sure my little gimlets would stand up to that very well anyway :D).

[Normand Leblanc]

I have a set of bits and I don't know what they were used for. They have a round shank and a point instead of a screw. Maybe someone here will know!

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Maybe they are for some kind of press drill?

[Mike Holbrook]

I don't think there is another drill bit that will do this:

The action starts at about 1 minuet 10 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFyPcl12Oik

The bit was still cool enough to touch after drilling the hole too! Watch him grab it. I use mine in braces too. I have 3/8, 1/2, 5/8 and 3/4. The prices for these bits is even very reasonable. Love them!

[Pat Barry]

It is a bit counterintuitive to think that a drill bit with a more tapered point would perform better in end grain. I can see that it would start much better, but I keep thinking it might be more easily deflected by the grain and the hole would drift off the intended axis, especially for a deep hole.

[Normand Leblanc]

I just did a few quick test to compare end grain drilling using a regular Irwin bit, an Irwin with a point (as pictured above) and a Brad point wood bit.

Interestingly, looking at the quality of the hole, the worst one by far is the regular Irwin. The other two are very nicely cutting a crisp hole. This is using a brace.

Now, using an electric drill and testing the Irwin with a point and the Brad point. Both achieve very clean hole quickly but the Brad didn't heat anywhere as much as the Irwin.

[Mike Holbrook]

Pat it isn't the point\screw at the front of the Wood Owls that makes them work better. The bits are manufactured to tighter tolerances from a steel that performs better... Not heating up, maintaining their more perfect shape and superior design just means the bits cut much better\faster\without getting bogged down. If you have the opportunity to drill a 3/4" hole with one of the Wood Owl bits you will instantly feel the difference. The bit feels like it is pulling itself through the wood, never meeting resistance.

[Eric Brown]

Pat, think about chopping a tree. You don't go at it straight on but at an angle. It comes down to compression. If you chop straight at it the wood has to compress on both sides of the axe until the wood can't compress any more. Now when you chop at an angle the outside portion has a place to go. Same thing happens with a low angle plane vs a regular plane when going across end grain. Now look at the pointy type of drill again and you can see that it is cutting very oblique to the grain and the fast spiral lifts the chips out. Regular augers have a steeper cutting angle and is more like a regular plane. Make sense?

[Eric Brown]

Mike, the Wood Owls are certainly nice bits. One thing about them is that they have three cutters. Now lets look at this detail by itself and compare it to other types. The spoon bit has one cutting edge. Because it bore at a rate determined by the pressure put on it, it typically bore a slow but smooth hole. Next is the center bit. It also has one cutter but also a scoring spur. The spur severs the fibers and then the cutter lifts them up. Like the spoon it's speed is pressure based. Next we have the single twist bits. The spiral helps move the chips out of the hole and the screwpoint regulates the speed. If you have to push hard on a screw pointed auger it is simply not sharp enough. Next is the double twist auger. It has two cutters and two spurs. That means for each revolution the spurs make two cuts. It also means that the cutters are doing half the work of a auger with a single cutter. That means they stay sharp longer. But wait, there are single twist augers with two cutters. They cut as nice as the double twist bits but have better chip removal. Forstners could be looked at as having long cutting spurs and two cutters. Note that the above are for typical bits and there are many exceptions. Now back to the triple cutters of the Wood Owl. The three spurs ensure a smooth hole. That's good. They use a triple twist for chip removal. That's pretty good too. Now lets look at maintenance. In order for the bit to function properly all three cutters MUST be at the same level. Can these bits be maintained by the typical woodworker? If I recall they are also induction hardened. Not a bad thing until you need to sharpen it.

I would also like to point out that not all single twist augers are the same. Modern ones are designed for powered drill with fast speeds. The earliest ones, by Ezra L'Hommedieu had a single cutter with a downturn type spur. Some had screw points and barefoot ones did not. The barefoot ones the cutter angle determines the speed and the lack of a screw point eliminates the bit following the grain. It will bore the straightest holes. They are harder to start though. Next are the Ford and Bailey styles that have a very convoluted spiral. They keep the chip to the inside surface so when boring a deep hole the effort is the same at the beginning and end of the hole. These are some of my favorites.

[Eric Brown]

I tried several gimlets in different sizes and they can bore in end grain but tend to clog up quickly requiring frequent withdrawal. The smaller ones also were straining as end grain boring is harder than cross grain.

[Mike Holbrook]

Eric I think the success of the Wood Owls is more based on better materials, worked to tighter standards, using better designs. There are actually several different Wood Owl bits. There is one for taking on wood with nails in it, ones designed for use by electricians, who are all about speed...

They get away with three smaller cutters in the Ultra Smooth model because the materials are harder and much more heat resistant. I think heat resistance is the major issue with many bits.

I took a Wood Owl 5/8" to a chair class I took at Country Workshops. Drew Langsner has been around quite a while and tried most types of bits over many years. Drilling all the holes for legs and spindles in chairs is demanding work. Drew personally sharpened the bits for the class members continuously, trying to keep everyones bit working. Still the bits were heating up and even burning the wood at times and it was taking FOREVER to drill all those holes.

We took my one Wood Owl, put it in a drill and drilled all the remaining holes for 4-5 chairs, saving hours of work. We never had to sharpen the bit. I still use that bit and can not tell any difference in how it cuts. Everyone who used the other bits and then the Wood Owl were amazed at the difference. Drew and the rest of the class all said they planed to buy Wood Owls after that practical demonstration of their ability.

[Pat Barry]

Pat, think about chopping a tree. You don't go at it straight on but at an angle. It comes down to compression. If you chop straight at it the wood has to compress on both sides of the axe until the wood can't compress any more. Now when you chop at an angle the outside portion has a place to go. Same thing happens with a low angle plane vs a regular plane when going across end grain. Now look at the pointy type of drill again and you can see that it is cutting very oblique to the grain and the fast spiral lifts the chips out. Regular augers have a steeper cutting angle and is more like a regular plane. Make sense?
Yes, I suppose that does make sense. I have never actually seen one of those. Thanks for the info.