Forstner bit brand/type

[John Miliunas]

I needed to use a couple of my forstner bits again today and decided that enough is enough! I've got two sets, one smaller sizes, one larger. The bad part is, they're some no-name brand, which I think may have come from HF. The good part is, I'm not out a lot of $$. The bad part is, they don't work worth a hoot! I'm careful about making sure my DP speed is way down there, especially with the larger sizes. Still, they don't hold an edge for nuthin'! I'm sure they're just carbon steel and some low-grade CS, at that!

Any recommendations? I've even tossed the idea around of getting the Freud carbide set, but that's still a pretty small and limited set. I've also seen tons of these "Titanium Coated" jobies, but the pricing on those kind of indicates that they may be just a slight tad better than what I now have. What do you guys use? Keep in mind, I'll probably be using them in hardwoods most of the time and always in a DP. Appreciate your input/feedback! :cool:

Oh yeah...And Happy New Year to all! :D

[Steve Powell]

John,

I'm a newbie but thought I might be able to provide a recommendation for your problem.

I have used Freud forstner bits for a few year now. They sound like just what you are looking for. Mine hold a good edge for quite a while through Oak, Walnut, Maple and Hickory. They have served me very well and leave a crisp edge and smooth sides. I couldn't tell you the last time I have had to sand a hole because of a poor inner wall finish.

I would recommend Freud without hesitation.

[John Miliunas]

Steve,

First off, thanks very much for your feedback on the Freud! I kind of expected as much, as they are a great OEM.

Secondly, but NOT least, welcome to the Creek!!! Super place to hang out, share and learn. I have many WW book and tons of magazines, but this is the single, BEST source of WW information I have found! Come often, stay long! And, Happy New Year! :cool:

[Lloyd Robins]

John, I have Freud and Hickory, and they do okay by me, but if you are flush and want a really good set, I have read that the Convalco are really great forstner bits. They are quite expensive.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

John, I have a set of Hickory Forstner's I bought several years back at the Wood Show. The price was just too good to pass up, so I picked them up. I have used these quite a bit, and I am impressed with the results of these bits. I have used them in mostly hard hardwoods......Ash, Oak, Cherry and Walnut for the most part. They seem to hold an edge very well, and they cut nice. I had planned to upgrade to something else sometime, but as good as these perform for me, I see no need to.......at least not yet. For the limited use that most Forstner's see, I think these are a good value for the buck. Just my 2 cents worth........but worth checking out nonetheless. ;)

[David Rose]

John, I bought a couple of different cheaper bits as I needed them. They were OK for a few holes. Next came an imported Chinese set from Jesada. The Jesadas had .020" runout on several so they went back. Another story in itself. I bought a Freud at HD (HSS) in another size and was/am really impressed with it. I finally decided to go with the Freud carbide set based on this limited experience and the words of a few others.

The first thing I noticed after having the cheap set was that the diameters were all undersize from .001 to .006". I thought maybe they would still cut a full size hole. Nope! Exactly what they measure is what they cut. But that is OK for some woodworking jobs... not all though. There was virtually no measurable runout, which is good. Maybe it is my use but these don't seem to have proper relief angles. They really screech after you get them into the wood about 3/4". And yes, I have raised and cleared chips at least twice by then. And once deep into wood with even a small cut after clearing chips they are very difficult to raise on the DP unless the work is very firmly clamped. And I mean more than just a C-clamp on one end of the work to the table.

I called Freud right after I discovered the problems and was told that "everything sounded within spec to them".

The HSS Freud is fine. My cheapy singles are better than the Freud carbides were new. Without trying another set or a better warranty than I had, I would skip the carbide Freuds for something else unless you know someone with a liberal return policy.

David

[Robert E Lee]

If you take your air hose and blow the chips out as you go it will cool the bit and it keeps the chips out of the hole and you shouldn't have that problem. Be sure to wear safety glasses .
Bob

[John Miliunas]

If you take your air hose and blow the chips out as you go it will cool the bit and it keeps the chips out of the hole and you shouldn't have that problem. Be sure to wear safety glasses .
Bob

Thanks for the feedback, gentlemen! I am leaning a bit toward the Freud set, albeit I've heard a lot of positive comments on the ones (HSS) sold at LV. Might just opt for the Freud's to take care of the smaller sizes and get the large size set of LV.

Robert, are you a long-time resident of Oregon or recently "transplanted"? Sorry, I just had to ask, as I used to work with a Robert Lee, who moved out of state not too long ago, but I'll be dipped if I can remember his destination! In either event, I see this is your #1 post, so "Welcome's" are in order:

Welcome to the Creek! Great place to hang out, share experiences, learn and, in general, just have a good time. Couple words of warning, though: It's the general consensus that Terry Hatfield's shop is some type of guise for purposes other than woodworking. That's obvious by the lack of sawdust in what appears to be some type of lab for NASA or Intell. And Gertsy is a "plant" from "Comedy Central". Me? I just ramble incessantly.... :rolleyes: Again, welcome, have phun, stop often and stay long. :cool:

[Jim DeLaney]

Take a look at the HSS ones from Lee Valley. I've got them in the 16ths sizes to fill in my set of (expensive) Fisch bits, and have found they work every bit as well. I've also got several of the bigger sizes in Lee Valley's carbon steel brand, and they work well too, but need sharpening way before the HSS ones.

[Mark Singer]

John,
Good question , I'll try to make my response not "boring"... I have the cheap Grizzly set for years and have used them a lot...they still work fine. Once in a while I take a slip stone to them...and I'm ready to go. I Think they were $29...
I have some reular drill bits w the gold coating and their good too
Mark

[Ken Salisbury]

I have a large (1/4" to 2" in 1/8" increments), relatively cheap set I purchased more than 10 years ago. They are just like any other cutting tools - ya gotta keep em sharp. I have drilled everything from hickory to Corian with mine. Also have a few individual Freud ones ( 2" to 3" ) also. Can't tell much difference in those and the cheaper ones I have.

[Jim Becker]

John, over time, I've augmented my cheap set from Woodworker's Warehouse (they were on sale one day years ago...) by purchasing replacements for the sizes I use the most, usually Fisch since my local woodworking store stocks them. I've been pleased with them to date.

[John Miliunas]

"Fisch"...Yeah, that's the "other" brand I'd heard of. Just looked some of them up. Hmmmm...."Holy George Washington, Batman! We're going to have to fill the *whole* trunk of the Batmobile with cash to get those!" Like as in, "OUCH"...Them things is Expensive, with a capital "E"! :rolleyes:

Mark, appreciate you not "boring" me with details! I hadn't thought of looking at Grizz.

Ken, "10 years ago"; I'm going out on a limb here, but I'll just about bet it was a higher grade steel. Yeah, you're absolutely right about keeping them sharp, but mine are so, so very crappy, I'd have to stop in the middle of a cut to do it! I mean, these things are truly JUNK!

Jim and Jim....We're back to Fisch. I love a high quality tool, but I don't use them *that* much! The HSS from LV are on my "short list".

I haven't checked out the "Convalco", but if they're anything close to $$ as the Fisch, well you know the rest of that story.....

Thanks again, guys. As usual, you've given me a number of great choices and suggestions! :cool:

[Lawrence See]

Hi, John

This place is interesting - Bits n Bores. Has a good selection and made in USA, if that helps. No affiliation.

Regards, Larry

[Bob Lasley]

John,

The best I have found are the Bormax bits. They are incredibly expensive, but worth every penny. No way could I afford to buy a set of them, so I buy them individually as I need a particular size. These things bore faster and cleaner than any I have tried. I have yet to dull one. Time will tell, but I believe these are going to be lifetime bits.

Bob

[John Miliunas]

Larry, I checked out the site and their "Special of the Month" is for May, 2003. :D I think their site needs a bit of updating. They do however, have a big selection of bits, though the Forstners are primarily Fisch, as in, big bucks! :(

Bob, I'd be tempted to say the Bormax bits are made of GOLD, though we know that gold would be too soft! Damn, I though the Fisch were expensive! I think you're right, though: They should last you a lifetime! Me thinks I'm going to have to settle for something just a tad bit more mundane! One at a time might be OK, but I usually end up "adjusting" sizes necessary kind of "on the fly", so a set is probably what I'll be looking at. I'm thinkin' that pretty much rules out the Bormax set(s)!

Actually, Mark's suggestion of checking out Grizzly may be the ones I end up with. They have the HSS w/TiN coating at a pretty reasonable price point. May just have to give those a "spin". :rolleyes: Thanks again, gentlemen! :cool:

[Lloyd Robins]

John, I just check at Convalco.com. Their 7 piece set (1/4 to 1") is around $170.00. :eek: It seems to be about the same or higher than Bormax. Lee Valley or Grizzly is looking better all the time. :) Let us know.
Happy New Year,
Lloyd

[David Klug]

Jim, how do you sharpen them?

Dave

[Jim Becker]

Jim, how do you sharpen them?

You can deal with them the same way that you touch up router bits...use a small diamond hone on the backside of the cutting edge. (The flat area) Evern the el cheapo forstner/sawtooth bits can be kept "servicable" that way if you do it consistantly, although better bits will last a lot longer.

[Byron Trantham]

John, I ran into the same thing over cost. Several years ago I bought one and my wife asked, "Why don't you buy all of them!?" I asked her to add up the cost... End of big purchase. Well unbeknown to me, she keep track of the bit I bought and the next payday she went out and bought the next size down. I was amazed. Then the next payday the same thing. I asked what she was doing and she told me she had "the list" in her PDA and was going to buy one bit each payday until she got'em all! Now that's cool!!!! Took months but she did it. Needless to say, she pretty much gets anything she wants.. :D

Buy them as you need them and the cost isn't so bad.

[John Miliunas]

I finally got tired of dealing with my POS bits! Enough is enough. Even after putting an edge on the stupid things, it was an excercise in futility, as they would get dull again just about as fast! Figuring I'd be using the sub-1" bits the most, I opted for the set of 13 (by 1/16ths) HSS bits from Lee Valley. I was out there ordering up the Leigh D4 anyway, so what the heck. I'll report back as to how they fare...Thanks to everyone for all the 1st-hand views and experiences. One of these years, it may be the Bormax, but for now, I think these should do well. :cool:

[Chris Padilla]

I finally got tired of dealing with my POS bits! Enough is enough. Even after putting an edge on the stupid things, it was an excercise in futility, as they would get dull again just about as fast! Figuring I'd be using the sub-1" bits the most, I opted for the set of 13 (by 1/16ths) HSS bits from Lee Valley. I was out there ordering up the Leigh D4 anyway, so what the heck. I'll report back as to how they fare...Thanks to everyone for all the 1st-hand views and experiences. One of these years, it may be the Bormax, but for now, I think these should do well. :cool:
I guess I'm late but I bought a full set of 'merican and metric CMT forstner bits from Sommerfeldtools. John Lucas over at woodshopdemos has me sold on CMT everything so that is primarily what I have for saw blades, router bits, and forstner bits.

The 'merican and metric bits came in handy when I was plowing out a nice holder/organizer for all my sockets in my tool chest. LOML picked me up a nice Craftsman tool chest/cart and a 4 or 500 piece mechanic's tool set for x-mas '02. Bits worked flawlessly for me.

However, I now need a 2 3/16" or 55 mm forstner bit to install some recessed cabinet lights! CMT doesn't make that one...Oh, No!!!:eek:

[David Klug]

Mark, what type of stone do you use to sharpen them and how do you do it? The problem that I have is with the small bits 1/4 and up.

DK

[Steven Wilson]

I had a set from Grizzly and they just didn't last. I purchased a set from CMT a couple of years ago and have been very satisfied. You get what you pay for. On a side subject, I had a set of Fisch brad point bits that I wasn't very happy with and switched to using the nice brad points that Lee Valley has; a bit pricey but very good quality.

[John Miliunas]

I had a set from Grizzly and they just didn't last. I purchased a set from CMT a couple of years ago and have been very satisfied. You get what you pay for. On a side subject, I had a set of Fisch brad point bits that I wasn't very happy with and switched to using the nice brad points that Lee Valley has; a bit pricey but very good quality.

I have yet to be dis-satisfied with anything from LV and I'm pretty confident that their reputation will carry on with this most recent purchase, as well. :cool:

[Jim DeLaney]

I have yet to be dis-satisfied with anything from LV and I'm pretty confident that their reputation will carry on with this most recent purchase, as well. :cool:


To add what John said... I've had about fifteen or so of the LV forstners for several years. A few months ago, one of the HS ones (1½", as I recall) had the head come loose from the shaft. Still attached, but the shaft just spun within the head.

I sent Rob Lee an email, just inquiring how this could happen - more out of curiosity about the bit's construction than anything else. I told him the bit was about two years old, and had bee used for many drillings - probably a hundred or more...

Guess what? Several days later, a brand new bit and a "sorry 'bout that" letter appeared in my mailbox. Supreme customer service! Way more than I'd ever expected. Yeah, I'm an LV loyalist! Was even before that, but certainly confirmed now!

[John Cole]

I don't post a lot here, but thought I'd give you my input.

I bought a 16 piece set made by Hickory from Home Depot a few years ago because they were so cheap. They have done everything I have asked of them and they have maintained a great edge. My neighbor bought a set and has been happy also.

I don't see the need to spend a lot when these bits are so good.