Bosch Daredevil Bits

Anyone tried one of the Bosch Daredevil spade bits? I just did at my local industrial supply's open house. The Bosch rep introduced it as something that would change my life, and had me drill a couple test holes. The daredevil bit has a full screw thread on the end of it rather than threads cut on the sides of tip.

The bit also has a different cutting profile than standard spade bits, where different parts of the bit start cutting first. This makes it very easy to drill a hole through wood, and the resulting hole is fairly clean when finished.

The effort required to advance the drill is minimal. Once the bit has started, the only effort required is to keep the drill straight.

On the one of test holes I drilled, the hole quality seemed on par with the sharp spade bit. Both were good quality holes, it'll be interesting to see what happens as the tool inevitably starts wearing down.

One negative, however, is the bit needs the reverse capability of the drill to cut a partial hole.

I don't know about it changing my life (not the way the impact driver has anyway), but it's really neat.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper
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The main downside I saw is that because it's got the threaded lead screw you can't control the speed of advance. In hardwood this can result in it trying to advance too fast.

In construction lumber (which is what I suspect they're designed for) I'm sure they'd be great.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

About a year ago I tried a new Irwin spade bit (speedbore) that promises 4x better than typical spade and it blew my mind. It was so fricking agressive and lots of fun. No threaded tip. I was drilling for electrical wires with an extension and that thing cut studs like butter never once jamming or having any trouble.

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Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

Chris Friesen wrote in news:SfmdnU0Dscf2yiLWnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@posted.sasktel:

After playing with the 1/2" bit the Bosch representative gave me, I found several issues. One of which is like you said, you can't control the speed of advance. Even in pine, it produced rough cuts.

The other issue I ran in to is the bit wasn't allowed to slip or turn freely. This resulted in rougher cuts than traditional spade bits and the entry hole (which is usually fairly clean) was jagged.

In some pieces, you actually have to predrill for the drill bit! Why not put a drill bit ahead of the screw to allow it to predrill its own hole? (Wait a second... isn't that how a traditional screw-lead spade bit works?)

The test bit was a larger 3/4" bit, with different profile that cut better. I think the 1/2" bit needs a much finer thread on the screw so the bit will turn several times before advancing very far. I do like the chip removal, through. That part seems to work rather well.

It's very fast, too.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

Puckdropper wrote: ...

I think they're good for and intended for construction work like electrical cable holes in studs, etc., where speed is more important than finesse. I don't see them having much application for what I'd call woodworking.

$0.02, etc., etc., etc., ...

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Reply to
dpb

"SonomaProducts.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@i25g2000yqm.googlegroups.com:

finished with an old Stanley Powerbore bit (no longer made, darn it) that has a round head with a long triangular point and a single sharp knife edge to cut a clean entry. It's almost like a Forstner bit, with a single edge to cut the bulk of the wood.

I chewed out the middle with one of the newer Irwin Speedbore bits. Once it got going, it produced a lovely curled chip that spiraled up out of the hole instead of trapping heat. Once the point came through the far side, I flipped the wood over & finished up with the Powerbore. The result was a hole with a perfect entry & exit.

I just discovered that Lee Valley has started selling "Green Wood" bits that are based on the Powerbore design:

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enough, they claim they are "unsuitable" for dry hardwood.

Doug White

Reply to
Doug White

The only one I triedjammed something awfull just as it broke through - it WAS a 1 1/4" bit - but NASTY break-through without a backer.

Reply to
clare

but when the diameter and the depth start gettting close it CAN be a different story.

Reply to
clare

If you do construction work, I cannot recommend the Greenlee line of auger bits enough. Their EZ Bore line is perfect for large holes where you're working with a right angle drill and can't get much leverage to advance the bit. It's like a blend of spade bits, hole saw and with a great auger bit tip. They also make a line of tapered auger bit spades that work well.

FWIW, here's a little woodworking tip from an old timer. When you use a big EX Bore bit in a right angle drill, it takes a moment or two for the bit to stop turning when you pull it from the hole. I did just that one time, letting the drill swing downward. The auger tip hit just to the right of my knee cap and dug in. I had to reverse the drill to extract myself and then find a towel before going upstairs to show my wife how stupid I'd been.

Reply to
Nonny

I've got them and I don't really like them at all. I just use them for drilling holes in the backs and bottoms of cabinets for plumbing and wiring. They're pretty much awful - they screw themselves in quicker than they can bore, so you get ragged edged holes to start. Then the lead screw basically strips itself out so you've got a sloppy spur hole for when you want to flip the box over and bore from the other side so you don't completely blow out the bottom. Maybe they're ok for tubafores. Not at all recommeded woodworkers or cabinetmakers. I'll just get the normal pointy tip spur for the next ones for sure.

MEW

Reply to
Mark Whittingham

Better yet for that application - forstner.

Reply to
clare

On Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:33:09 -0600, the infamous Chris Friesen scrawled the following:

Um, Chris, why would -anyone- be using a spade bit to drill in _hardwood_, anyway? All the bigger holes get cut with hole saws or forstner bits, right?

Pucky, I still use the HF bits. I've only had to replace one which hit a hardened steel screw. Otherwise, they sharpen with a quick filing and diamond paddle.

-- Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. -- John Muir

Reply to
Larry Jaques

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