Best drill bit for horizontl boring

[BOB OLINGER]

I've just started making pepper mills and getting along pretty good. One of the steps is horizontal boring (on lathe) the hole in the wood stock - 1 1/16" diameter. Some U-tube videos use a forstner bit, others a twist bit. I bought a very good twist bit at my local machine supply store ($81) and have been getting along pretty good except it heats up in the harder woods, like on oak. What do you experienced turners use and recommend? Thanks.

[Dave Fritz]

I use mostly forstner bits and for a one inch hole an auger bit. Jobber bits tend to drift more for me anyway. Slow down and clear bit often. Harder woods take longer. Get a stool and take your time. Depending on the type of kit you're using you can get a special bit for Crush Grind kits that cut both bottom holes at the same time. https://www.amazon.com/Woodturning-Mill-Drill-Production-CrushGrind-Mechanism/dp/B07KFPZVBQ Endless design options and they make great gifts.

[BOB OLINGER]

Dave,

Thanks, I was wondering about using an auger bit. Yes, I should likely slow down a bit. We gave numerous for Christmas and received a lot of nice comments. Looks like i need to clean my twist bit as the heat buildup has resulted in some buildup on the bit. Any good suggestions on cleaning agents?

[Cliff Hill]

Try Heavy duty oven cleaner.

[Dan Gaylin]

At the suggestion of folks here I got some carbide tipped Forstner bits. Freud and Famag make them. They are expensive but have done much better for me in this application than my cheaper HSS bits. Still need to go slow and clear chips often. For cleaning bits I have good results with CMT blade and bit cleaner. It is also pricey for what it is, but a little bit goes a long way and it is non toxic and very safe on those pricey bits.

[Reed Gray]

With a twist bit, you have to remove the chips frequently, some thing like the depth of the diameter of the bit, so 1 inch bit, back the bit out about every 1 inch of depth. Slower speeds too. Generally drill half way through from one end, then reverse and come through the other end. They always seem to drift a bit. Our club did have a demo from a guy who made the pipes on a bag pipe, and he had a specialized bit for drilling all the way through, and it stayed on course, but don't remember the shape of the head.

robo hippy

[BOB OLINGER]

Thanks, Cliff
\
Bob O

[BOB OLINGER]

At the suggestion of folks here I got some carbide tipped Forstner bits. Freud and Famag make them. They are expensive but have done much better for me in this application than my cheaper HSS bits. Still need to go slow and clear chips often. For cleaning bits I have good results with CMT blade and bit cleaner. It is also pricey for what it is, but a little bit goes a long way and it is non toxic and very safe on those pricey bits.


Thanks, Dan.

Bob O

[BOB OLINGER]

With a twist bit, you have to remove the chips frequently, some thing like the depth of the diameter of the bit, so 1 inch bit, back the bit out about every 1 inch of depth. Slower speeds too. Generally drill half way through from one end, then reverse and come through the other end. They always seem to drift a bit. Our club did have a demo from a guy who made the pipes on a bag pipe, and he had a specialized bit for drilling all the way through, and it stayed on course, but don't remember the shape of the head.

robo hippy

Thanks, Reed, yes, I've been clearing about every inch or so. Likely need to slow down a bit.

Bob O

[David Walser]

Bob -- I have used and can recommend both Boeshield's Blade and Bit Cleaner and Trend's Tool & Bit Cleaner. (Use one or the other, not both at the same time.) Other's have reported that Simple Green works, too. I haven't tried Simple Green, but I'm confident it would work. I've stuck with the specialty cleaners because they are specially formulated to remove the pitch and resin stuck to a blade or bit. Also, they are supposed to leave behind a coating that helps protect the tool from rust and corrosion. They also help prevent pitch and resin from sticking in the first place.

[John K Jordan]

I've just started making pepper mills and getting along pretty good. One of the steps is horizontal boring (on lathe) the hole in the wood stock - 1 1/16" diameter. Some U-tube videos use a forstner bit, others a twist bit. I bought a very good twist bit at my local machine supply store ($81) and have been getting along pretty good except it heats up in the harder woods, like on oak. What do you experienced turners use and recommend? Thanks.

Unlike Forstner bits, large auger and twist drills can be very aggressive. I always use Forstner when drilling large diameter holes.

I always use carbide Forstner bits when drilling holes that don't need a smooth surface. Although rougher, they can be much faster. I have several sets of carbide Forstners but for special sizes I buy relatively inexpensive individual bits from Amazon. The last one I bought like this was 2-1/16, not often found in the sets.

One helpful thing I always do when drilling anything but a shallow hole is constantly direct a stream of compressed air into the back of the hole. This helps clear the chips as they are made, prevents jamming, and keeps the bits much cooler. I experimented with this about 15 years ago and have been doing it since. (I keep an air line hanging near the headstock of the lathe.)

JKJ

[Alex Zeller]

I use forstner bits and find that as soon as the chips stop falling out of the hole I need to pull the bit back out to eject the bits. I don't have compressed air in my shop so I can't do like John does. I also use a fair bit of force when drilling. IMO if the cutting edge is not cutting it's in the early stages of burning the wood. Between this and the cups binding up in the hole are causing the wood and the bit to heat up.

[BOB OLINGER]

Bob -- I have used and can recommend both Boeshield's Blade and Bit Cleaner and Trend's Tool & Bit Cleaner. (Use one or the other, not both at the same time.) Other's have reported that Simple Green works, too. I haven't tried Simple Green, but I'm confident it would work. I've stuck with the specialty cleaners because they are specially formulated to remove the pitch and resin stuck to a blade or bit. Also, they are supposed to leave behind a coating that helps protect the tool from rust and corrosion. They also help prevent pitch and resin from sticking in the first place.


Thanks, David.

Bob O

[BOB OLINGER]

Unlike Forstner bits, large auger and twist drills can be very aggressive. I always use Forstner when drilling large diameter holes.

I always use carbide Forstner bits when drilling holes that don't need a smooth surface. Although rougher, they can be much faster. I have several sets of carbide Forstners but for special sizes I buy relatively inexpensive individual bits from Amazon. The last one I bought like this was 2-1/16, not often found in the sets.

One helpful thing I always do when drilling anything but a shallow hole is constantly direct a stream of compressed air into the back of the hole. This helps clear the chips as they are made, prevents jamming, and keeps the bits much cooler. I experimented with this about 15 years ago and have been doing it since. (I keep an air line hanging near the headstock of the lathe.)

JKJ


Thanks, John.

Bob O

[BOB OLINGER]

I use forstner bits and find that as soon as the chips stop falling out of the hole I need to pull the bit back out to eject the bits. I don't have compressed air in my shop so I can't do like John does. I also use a fair bit of force when drilling. IMO if the cutting edge is not cutting it's in the early stages of burning the wood. Between this and the cups binding up in the hole are causing the wood and the bit to heat up.


Thanks, Alex.

Bob O.

[BOB OLINGER]

Unlike Forstner bits, large auger and twist drills can be very aggressive. I always use Forstner when drilling large diameter holes.

I always use carbide Forstner bits when drilling holes that don't need a smooth surface. Although rougher, they can be much faster. I have several sets of carbide Forstners but for special sizes I buy relatively inexpensive individual bits from Amazon. The last one I bought like this was 2-1/16, not often found in the sets.

One helpful thing I always do when drilling anything but a shallow hole is constantly direct a stream of compressed air into the back of the hole. This helps clear the chips as they are made, prevents jamming, and keeps the bits much cooler. I experimented with this about 15 years ago and have been doing it since. (I keep an air line hanging near the headstock of the lathe.)

JKJ


John,

Do you use a bit extension, or have you found Forstner bits with long shanks?

[John K Jordan]

John,

Do you use a bit extension, or have you found Forstner bits with long shanks?

I use a bit extension. I haven't found any with long shanks but I have plenty of bits so I probably wouldn't get them anyway!

JKJ

[roger wiegand]

I've become a complete convert to the Colt MaxiCut forstner drills, like them even better than the Fisch bits I'd been buying. The "rotastop" shank is a nice invention-- no slipping set screws, I have both the #2 MT holder for them and a longer extension so I can drill in a foot or so for hollow forms. Not having to mess with a Jacob's chuck makes life much better. I did about three dozen pepper mills recently and it just breezed through them-- straight holes for a change!

[David Walser]

Roger -- Do you have a good source for the Colt MaxiCut Forstner bits? CSUSA sells them, but they do not have a large selection. Nor do they offer a true 'set' that covers a range of sizes in stepped increments. Their only set includes 5 bits: 15/16", 1-1/16", 1-1/2", 1-9/16" and 1-3/4". At $54, the set appears to be a good(?) value. If bought separately, the 1-3/4" bit costs $43.95.

[roger wiegand]

I've gotten them from both Packard Woodworks and Infinity. I wonder if they are in short supply-- Infinity now lists the holders but no drills, and Packard is not listing all the sizes. Lots of supply chains are disrupted these days. I bought the set and then the rest of the sizes I needed individually. No, they are not cheap, but not a whole lot more than Fisch, I think.

[Timothy Thorpe Allen]

The COLT MaxiCut bits are going to very hard to come by -- it is unclear whether they even are still in production :-( (

Lee Valley used to carry them, but no longer does.

Infinity Tools had a close out sale and no longer has any of the bits in inventory (just some of the Morse taper adapters).

Craft Supplies shows only one size of the bit in stock (1") -- other sizes are listed as "temporarily out of stock" with expected re-stock dates shown, but they never do seem to re-stock (I've tried signing up for the e-mail when re-stocked, but never got one).

Packard shows several sizes available on their website, and that would be your best bet, but note that their website is not always up-to-date as to their inventory.

And the supply has been limited for several months (I'm still trying to fill out my set...)

The COLT Tools website doesn't seem up to date (the downloadable catalog dates from 2016, and the latest press clipping from 2013)

Sad, I hope they come back!