I Can't Stand It Any Longer!

[Christopher K. Hartley]

I just have to ask this question. I wonder every time I hear it and I almost bought a set just because everyone talks about them. I then thought to myself "That's Dumb! You don't even know why they do it. Save your money for something important." I am not trying to be smart or anything, I just don't understand.:confused: Why are some of you using forstner bits to drill out boxes when you could just as easily turn them out?

Is there an advantage I am not aware of or is this just another sucking trick of the Vortex?:eek: :D

[Brodie Brickey]

I don't use them for boxes, I use them for my mugs & baby rattles. The diameter of the forstner bit is about a 1/16" smaller than the stainless steel insert, so I have an accurate starting point, and I got rid of a lot of wood easily. Knowing myself, I'd probably widen things out too much higher up on the mug as I was working my way down to the bottom.

When I do a staved mug, drilling it out also gives me a smooth line to turn from. No inside roughing out needed. I then just have to widen for the taper.

The forstner can give you a flat bottom in a box, but I don't do very much box turning. I have used forstners for lidded vases and the was mostly to "set my depth" and have somewhere to work up from.

[Mark Cothren]

I only use them on hollow forms, to drill out the center and make the hollowing process easier. It was a technique shared with me by others when I first started hollowing out chunks of wood.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Brodie, thanks for the info. It makes more sense now for those other items. Appreciate the response.:)

Thanks Mark!

[TYLER WOOD]

I have used them on cups, boxes, and a couple of bowls. Simply makes the hollowing process quicker, and for someone who does not hollow out well, easier. I would recommend you try it. It saves time and wrist!

[Gary Herrmann]

I've used forstners on a couple pencil pots. I don't have any hollowing tools yet.

[Jim Becker]

Early on I tended to drill out for hollow forms, but no longer do so...just as easy with the boring bar, especially without the setup time for the drill bit in the tailstock. I would still use a Forstner bit if I needed a very precise mortise or was turning something like a pepper mill, but for general turning, including boxes...I don't find it necessary. That said, everyone should work with the tools and methods they prefer as long as they are considerate of safety.

[Mark Pruitt]

Chris, I use forstners because I now have a lathe that will run slowly enough to avoid burning them.:p Seriously, I don't use them much, but I did turn a small vase a few weeks ago that was pretty straight forward, and I chose to bore out the inside with forstners, moving from large to small as the outside surface taper called for. Then I took a Termite and eliminated the ridges from the changes in bit diameter as well as the hole from the forstner's pilot point. I now have a new tool on order that will possibly render that method undesirable.:D :cool:

[George Tokarev]

Reiterate what I said in the other thread. Brad point bits are easier boring along the grain because they carry the waste better. Forstners heat a lot. Be careful if you're using either of them to establish depth. I know a fool who forgot the spurs on the brad point and the edges on the forstner go in a bit past the "bottom." Can ruin your day if you're thinning and tapering the outside.

There is a forstner-style bottom with a shaving-ejecting spiral out there too, think it was Lee Valley where I saw them. Should you get them, see if they are better thean either at each task and let us know.

[Adam Howard]

Yeah, I use them.

In my mind, which is a scary place, it's just easier and makes sense. I would use a drill of some sort to set the proper depth anyhow, and this way I can get some of the hollowing done in the process.

I usually set the gauge on the tailstock to read zero, move the tailstock so the very tip of the bit is in the same plane as the top of the box. Advance the required depth. By the time you clean out the dimple left by the bit, you know your at the correct depth. Using that method, I have yet to go through the bottom of a box. The sides are a different story;) .

I guess the answer is... "I just like doing it that way".

To a turner that is a purist, using a bit probably just feels wrong.

[Mark Cothren]

...just as easy with the boring bar, especially without the setup time for the drill bit in the tailstock.

Understanding that YMMV... it takes me about 10 seconds to pop out the live center and stick in the drill chuck into the tail stock and start drilling. I have one dedicated to a Forstner bit, so there is no setup time. It saves me quite a bit of time in hollowing to have a 7/8" - 1" hole drilled out of the center.

[Paul Zerjay]

I agree a hole drilled is a better way to start a hollowform, but a forstner is not the bit I would use. It takes too long having to back out the bit and clean the chips out after only 3 cranks on the handwheel. I use a 12" long, 1/2" machine bit with a handle glued to it. I can bore 10" in less than a minute, and the hollowing tip can find that 1/2" hole at the very bottom of the vessel easily.

[Shane Sura]

Chris,
I recently asked a question about Forstner Bits so you may be referring to my post along with many others. I can very easily explain why I wanted to use Forstner Bits. I took the 5 week intro to turning class at Woodcraft and one of the boxes he taught us to make was drilled with a forstner bit. The trick to the box was making the lid and the bottom design. The point the instructor was trying to make was to concentrate on making the lid fit and the overall design and be less worried about the inside. As he called it was the "easiest" box you would ever make. From my standpoint as a brand new turner I would like some easy stuff from time to time. I find the hobby is challenging enough that to be able to make something that is really nice and you can concentrate on the smaller details keeps me interested in the hobby. This way I can see a finished product without blowing out and sides and completly ruining it. I make bowls and other items but I liked the technique they showed us in class. But like most things in life there is different techniques for different people. I myself like the functional aspect of turning so turning a simple box that I can use means a lot to me. Many others are in it for the artisitc peice and this technique is outside of that. Hope it helps.

Shane

[Pete Jordan]

Chris,

This is the set I bought. It came with expandable drum chucks to work with them. I have had no luck so far making jam chucks so I found this as a solution.

[Curt Fuller]

Like Mark said, it's a fast and easy way to get started hollowing. But like most other turning techniques, there are a lot of different ways to skin a cat.

[Cliff Rogers]

I have a large one the size of my bowl jaws.
I can drill a hole in the top of a bowl blank & then stick the blank over the bowl jaws & expand them into it.
Start the lathe up, rough out the bottom & cut the foot & then reverse the blank onto the bowl jaws for hollowing & finishing.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Appreciate the help and info everyone.:)