Bullet Tip bits

[Burt Alcantara]

In "Turning Pens and Pencils," the authors state that the bullet tip drill bits are the best for drilling any blank. I've searched a number of forums as well as all of the major suppliers and cannot find one.

Because of the lack of hits I'm assuming that very few people use them. In that case what is the recommended bit?

I should be getting a lathe this week. Turning wise, I only have the HF turning set. As I'm an ex-musician from long ago I believe in the principle of practicing scales to gain perfection. Guess for turning that means turning up the scales.

Any recommendations for specific beginner pen kits are welcomed.

Thanks,
Burt

[Jason Hallowell]

Everything I have seen reccomends using brad point bits for drilling pen blanks. The different pen kit suppliers sell both brad point and regular point drill bits, but I don't know of any that sell "bullet point". Did the author have a specific reason for using bullet point bits? I find that any sharp drill bit with decent ejection works fine, and the brad point are a little easier to get lined up. If you are going to do closed end pens, I would not use the brad point, as the point may stick through the end that should be closed.

[Roger Fitzsimonds]

Hi Burt,

Woodcraft has bullettip bits and they have classes on pen making. I started with the slimline pen, but for easy of assembly the sierra pens are a good one to start with. Your drill press needs to be able to drill a 3.5 inch hole for them. Arizona silouettes (sp) has a very high qualith drill bit and they are a pleasue to work with. Good Luck pens area lot of fun and ther is a lot of info on the web about them.

Roger

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Burt,

I use the bit that Brea Hardwood sells. They are a major reseller of pen kits. Many of the kits you get elsewhere started there. I'll look for there info for you. They are very nice to deal with.

[Mark Pruitt]

Black and Decker was marketing a line of "Bullet" bits back in the late 80s and 90s. I have no idea as to whether that's what the author was referring to or even if they're still made. This (http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/CategoryOverview.aspx?cPath=2516.2551) is all I found on B&D's website.

[Dick Strauss]

Burt,
I use what they now call Dewalt "pilot" bits for drilling my blanks. The old B&D version was called bullet point but they are the same product. I originally bought the B&D version. I liked them so much that I bought the Dewalt version for myself and gave the other set away. The pilot bits have a small point in the center of the bit that starts the "pre-drilling". You can see this center "pre-drill area" in the pics below pretty well. This point keeps the bits from wandering when you first start the hole. They work great but so do the brad point bits. These bits are kind of expensive for what they are. I've also had good luck with my std HF set (item #32925) as well.

FYI-I've seen the brad point bits with carbide tips that might be worth investigating if you are drilling lots of pen blanks or...

(I hope this pic is not against T&Cs---no I don't work for Dewalt or B&D)

http://www.mytoolstore.com/dewalt/dw1956.jpg http://www.woodcraft.com/images/Family/web7588.jpg

I hope this helps,
Dick

[Gary DeWitt]

I just bought that set of Dewalts for general use, am satisfied with them. For fine wwing, I like brad point bits, or forstner for bigger holes.

[Jason Christenson]

Black & Decker and Dewalt are the same company.

[Blake McCully]

Just my $0.02. Every bit I use, excet the 10mm and the bigger ones for the gent's pen and the el grande's, is a parabolic that I got from Berea. They really eject the chips. Fastest bit I've ever used.

[Burt Alcantara]

You guys are TERRIFIC! Now you've put me into another dillema - which set to buy. No, I can't buy all of 'em as much as I'd like to. As it is, I've ended up with about 5 sets of twist bits that I have no idea where they came from.

What would be a nice set to have in terms of bit sizes?

Thanks much to all!
Burt

[David Walser]

Burt,

Give Bill a call at Arizona Silhouette. He's a turner and can tell you from experiance which bit sizes would be best for you based on the types of pens you'd like to turn. I overheard him discussing the pros and cons of various drill bit sizes with a pen turner at last February's Desert Woodturning Roundup. I was amazed at the vast knowledge he has -- that it's even possible to have -- in the area.

Here's a link to the web site: http://www.arizonasilhouette.com/index.htm

[Charles McKinley]

Yep Blake beat me to it.

The parabolic bit from Brea Hard Woods.

www.penkits.com or www.breahardwoods.com or 877-736-5487.

They tell you the size bit needed with the information with each kit. I paid $6 fo my O sized bit. This is for their Flat Top American and Round Top European pens and others.

[Dario Octaviano]

If you will be making different type kits...it is best to buy a set in 1/64" increments. Buying it by piece can get very expensive. I use the 29 piece Dewalt set pictured above and very ahppy with it. The case also helps keep the bits organized.

I also bought a 129 (?) piece set from HarborFreight for all the other odd sized bits.

That said...you still have to buy any size greater than 1/2" individually. IF you really want to buy piece meal, get the Norseman bits from ArizonaSilhouette...you won't regret it.

On kits...slimline offers flexibility and can be easily modified if you are into those things. Kits are very cheap too.

Next is Cigar. Gives you more meat to show more wood especially when you are using exotic and figured blanks.

Euro is nice but some don't want or having problem making the tenon for the center band.

Sierra is a single piece so it is very easy.

My favorites are; Jr Gent II (CSUSA), Jr Gent Twist (CSUSA), Baron (Berea), Sierrra (Berea), Perfect Fit (Berea), Round Top Euro (Berea), Cigar (CSUSA/Berea). I also make Emperor and Imperial which are some of CSUSA's most expensive kits.

I buy my CSUSA kits direct from CSUSA and my Berea kits from ArizonaSilhouette.

When buying...I encourage you to avoid the 24K or 10K gold. I only use Chrome, Gold TN, Black TN, Rhodium/Platinum now.

I believe that your efforts deserve a long lasting plating...if you are still practicing then go ahead and buy the cheapest kit you can find.

BTW, Harbor Freights transfer punch set is heaven sent if and when you need to disassemble a pen. Price is a give away too.

Next advise...get yourself a descent caliper and use it.

You will soon learn that turning is the easiest part...finishing is where you will spend a lot of time on.

Good luck!!!