Spoon bits

[Jack Frederick]

Anyone with any pearls of wisdom concerning their use. I've had a set in the drawer for a long time and have a couple things on the board that I want to use them for. Much obliged for any direction.

[Jim Koepke]

For accurate hole placement it helps to start with a gimlet. A spoon bit can wander when starting.

Before using them for doweling you may want to try a few test borings to check the fit with the dowels.

jtk

[Stephen Rosenthal]

A common use is probably drilling the angled holes for chair spindles. I don’t build chairs but Curtis Buchanan does and I’ve seen him use them in some of his YouTube videos. Perhaps some chair makers will chip in.

[Jerome Andrieux]

Anyone with any pearls of wisdom concerning their use. I've had a set in the drawer for a long time and have a couple things on the board that I want to use them for. Much obliged for any direction.

In my experience, their main benefit is to produce a round bottom pocket hole (no pointy bit that goes through the other side). Which is good for chairs, wheels, smoking pipes ...

On the other hand, i find them quite difficult to sharpen, to work with dry wood and to start a hole with. I think of them more as a carving tool than a drilling bit.