Posts: 232
Threads: 0
Joined: Apr 2006
Not that I use them a lot, but I have found a fair amount of difference in quality and performance with forstner bits I have bought and used in the past. I am going to make a few pepper mills so I need some sizable forstner bits (1 5/8"; 1 1/16") and an extension. I am looking for bits that are sharp and clear a lot of material. I am a hobbyist woodworker for years, but I am new to wood turning. I thought this forum may be a good source for suggestions on forstner bits. I am ok to spend a little more for better quality. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may offer.
Posts: 1,615
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2010
Location: Coast of Maine
Lee Valley tools are good quality at reasonable prices
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/too...tooth-bits
Gary
I've only had one...in dog beers.
"You can see the stars and still not see the light"
The Eagles: Already Gone
Posts: 22
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2019
fptahoe,
End grain is tough to drill, you want the best bits you can afford.
By most accounts/reviews the Fisch Wave Cutter forstner bits are great. I don't own any but they are absolutely on my "to buy" list when I need a great bit. The reviews that I have read claim the bits stay sharp for a long time. The only complaint I have seen is "they look hard/impossible to sharpen".
Woodcraft caries them, but your favorite search engine will lead you to other sources.
Oh, and find a chart with drill speeds by size of hole to drill. Any bit will last longer if you use the proper speed for the hole size.
Good luck.
TonyC
Posts: 3,657
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2005
Check out carbide forstner bits, they will IMO do better than steel in most every situation I've used them in. They can be pricey in some of the larger sizes but quality costs money.
Posts: 5,413
Threads: 0
Joined: Jun 2001
Location: Troy IL
I bought a 16 pc carbide hex shank set from Grizzly. I really like them, stay sharp. great for drill press and on the lathe. Not for hand held drills.
Life is what you make of it, change your thinking, change your life!
Don's woodshop
Posts: 1,120
Threads: 0
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Burlington, VT
I should probably just go buy all of their remaining inventory instead of posting it here, but the Colt Maxicut are the best end grain forstners I have ever used. They aren't made any more but Tay tools bought out the remaining stock and still has a a few odd sizes left. A steal at these prices if you don't need a particular size they don't have. Even their econoline is very good.
https://taytools.com/collections/colt
''How can we ever hope to understand atoms?'' Heisenberg had lamented that day.
''I think we may yet be able to do so,'' Bohr replied. ''But in the process we may have to learn what the word 'understanding' really means.''
Posts: 2,378
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Irving, Tx
Colt Maxicut RotoStop is what I bought when I did several pepper mills. Ease of bit change is amazing!
I did not realize they had closed up shop.
"I tried being reasonable..........I didn't like it." Clint Eastwood
Posts: 232
Threads: 0
Joined: Apr 2006
Thanks to all that responded. I chased down all of the suggestions, and the only supplier that has inventory ready to ship now is Woodcraft. Honestly, I rarely buy from them as they their deliveries take so much longer to get here than almost anyone other supplier I use. Again, very much appreciate the suggestions.
Posts: 14,805
Threads: 10
Joined: Jan 2010
Location: southeastern VA
(05-01-2022, 01:52 PM)Bill Holt Wrote: Colt Maxicut RotoStop is what I bought when I did several pepper mills. Ease of bit change is amazing!
I did not realize they had closed up shop.
Very sorry to hear about Colt closing up shop. I had stocked up on them when Woodcraft phased them out. The kit with the Forstner bit and extension in a wooden box was an especially nice set that ran true on the lathe.
"the most important safety feature on any tool is the one between your ears." - Ken Vick
A wish for you all: May you keep buying green bananas.
Posts: 111
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2008
(05-01-2022, 07:27 AM)imapseudonym Wrote: I should probably just go buy all of their remaining inventory instead of posting it here, but the Colt Maxicut are the best end grain forstners I have ever used. They aren't made any more but Tay tools bought out the remaining stock and still has a a few odd sizes left. A steal at these prices if you don't need a particular size they don't have. Even their econoline is very good.
https://taytools.com/collections/colt
I saw these bits demonstrated at International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta some years ago. In the demo the bit effortless drilled through the end grain of logs. While carbide stays "sharp" longer it is not necessarily sharp to begin with. I would want to see comparative performance before I bought carbide for end grain, which demands sharp.
Bill Tindall