I need to buy a 1" forstner bit. It seems much cheaper to buy a set. One of my woodworking friends says he uses them infrequently. I see a carbon steel set on Rockler for $20 and a Freud carbide set on Amazon for $85.
So here is my question. For those of you who use these bits, do you use them often enough to justify the huge increase in price to get carbide?
Dick Snyder
Ive had my Northern Tool set for the past few years now - (like 30 bux for a
20 peice set) I got it when I needed a 1" one as well - and HD sold a 1" one for around $25.I keep them cleaned up and they still work well. I use them more frequently now and think Ill be upgrading soon.
The $20 sets will get the job done if you don't use them very often. They dull very quickly and they don't cut all that well when they're new.
I have one of those $25 sets from Lowe's, and I accidentally destroyed the
3/4" bit when I had the brilliant idea to use sandpaper as a shim for the top I grafted onto my workbench. Bore, bore, bore... Wow, this is taking forever. What the hell is that in the hole anyway? Black? Rough. Aw, crap.So I bought a Freud I think. I don't think it's even carbide, but the difference between this lone silver bit (which cost about $12 by itself) and all the others in the set is really astonishing. So I'd say quality really does matter a great deal with these things, and you get what you pay for.
Got mine for $15 from Woodcraft. The set of 7 bits came in a nice little box. Of the 7, I've only ever used four and two have been replaced with better quality bits. Would I do it again? Yes, I still have a nice box to keep them in and I have a couple of other sizes on hand if the need arises. I use the 3/8 and 3/4 often so when they wore I replaced them. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net
I think some of it depends on what you will use them for. I have a cheap HSS set, and I use them on soft woods only. The thing about these is they are not easy to sharpen, so: cheaper, duller, faster. I would say if you have a use for a particular size that you will use a lot, get a good one in that size, and then just keep the cheaper set for the "once in a while I need one of the other sizes" needs.
the only one that has been clearly worth it to me to get is the size for cup hinges....
I've never used a cheap set, but I've used both high speed steel and carbide Freud Forstner bits. The carbide Freuds are incredible. I've decided to stick with them and buy one at a time as I need them. The carbide bits will probably last me to my grave.
Bob
snipped-for-privacy@thanks.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Amen to that! And the hole cuts more cleanly as well. (Mine is the blue carbide one from Rockler - works very well.)
The cheapie has been discarded, so as not to confuse the unwary.
Patriarch, who buys the individual Freud Diablo bits 'as needed'
No - but I'd echo Bridger's caveat. If I end up doing a lot of euro hinges, then I'll probably invest in a good, carbide 35mm bit. The rest of mine are HSS. Harbor Freight set to start with and I'm replacing them 1 by 1 with Freud HSS
Dick Snyder woke up and had the following to say....:
I have a set of 7 carbide bits ranging form 1/2" to 1 1/2" I use the
1/2" (for screw pockets) and the 1 3/8" (for door hinges) the most, though I have used the others also. Are they worth it ? Yes ! I found these on sale for about 1/2 price years ago, can't remember where though.JAW
Dick: You are right. Like most "bits" you will do better buying a set. If you don't plan to use them often don't break your bank. I bought an 6 piece Delta set a couple of years ago that covers 3/8 through 1" in 1/8" increments. I believe it was in the $18-20 range. Since then I have seen larger sets that aren't a whole lot higher.
I bought the cheap set at HF for $7.99... Took the wood box apart and put it back together... the education in box building was worth a lot more than the bits, but the bits will work until I replace them... The ones that will probably get replaced first are the 1" and the
3/8"..... I use a lot of 3/8" t-bolts with the brad holes and this combo lets them indent nice and flat..Sold 2 pairs of rv chocks last weekend, so I guess I can justify a few better bits now.. *g*
How far are the rims below the inside cutters? Sharpening books say to keep that distance about 0.05", but my cheapos are almost 1/8". I'd add a caveat to earlier advice: OK, get an inexpensive set, but don't go to the bottom of the line $8 sets. Only good thing about the chiwanese stuff is you can practise sharpening Forstners and not fret about wrecking the bits in the process.
I doubt that these are worth sharpening.... but I knew that from the price when I ordered them..
They brought me from zero to 5 forstner bits... and let me learn on something that I don't have to worry about hurting...
They also allowed me to take a step up in the appearance of the chocks I make for a few extra bucks and to meet other campers... like the ads say.. "priceless"
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