Low priced Forstner bits

As old PT said, "there is a sucker born every minute".

Lew

Do they come in a wood box? I bought a low end set in a box. My plan was to use them and replace them as needed but I still have the nice wood case to keep them in. Of the seven piece set, I've replaced the 3/4" and 3/8" as they are the ones I've used the most. The other sizes have only seen few holes and they work well enough for that. It is a low cost way to have a selection of bits on hand "just in case"

I don't know if they come in a wood box.

Very likely these wood bits are made >

Icepick:

I use these quite a bit. I bought a set about 5 years ago simply for the size. They are good for having the exact size you need on occasion, and they are easy to sharpen with the Dremel because the steel is pretty soft. I really only use these for hobby stuff.

But for door hinges, etc., (Blum style Euros) I did buy the exact bit I needed. It did not escape me that the American made Forstner bit for cab hardware cost as much as my "box 'o bits".

RL

I got hooked on the Freud carbide forstner bits. They are so good that I don't buy anything else. I just finished drilling twenty-seven 3/4" dog holes in a rock maple bench top that is 40 years old. Talk about tough! But the freud bit sliced through it like a surgeon's scalpel throwing off fine curly shavings the whole way. When I finished it looked like the holes had been machined.

Bob

This is what I did too. The bits are cheap and there is noticable runout when spinning in the drill press. But, for making holes that don't have to be exact they're fine. If, you're going to use them for joinery like making mortises I'd buy a good (read: expensive) forstner bit.

Layne

BillyBob wrote: snip> "When I finished it looked like the holes

As they have been! Sorry. Tom

They're rubbish, but if you don't have them already, it's worth getting them.

You'l also need something like a small diamond hone, because they're blunt as anything when they arrive. When sharpened, they become usable, if not good.

One thing that these cheap Forstner's have a problem with is cutting without the center guide point. (i.e. enlarging an existing hole, cutting a slice near the edge, etc.) You need a drill press for that, and they really vibrate like crazy when you try it.

I bought the large set from harbor Freight last year.. 16 TIN bits from 1/4" to

So far, they all still do a great job and if I need more I'll buy the same or a similar set... I was thinking of buying a good quality 2 1/8" for chuck turning, but that would be over twice the cost of another set of cheap ones.. YMMV

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I don't think that anyone paying a buck a piece (US) is expecting great quality.. *g*

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

No offense, but just FYI: They aren't titanium coated bits. They are titanium nitride coated, which is a micron thin coating applied to the cutting surfaces of the bits. You are right about them being brittle, but this has to do with the cheap steel the bits themselves are made out of, and not the TiN coating. I managed to get my hands on some professional TiN bits intended for machine shop use and they worked great in my drill press. BTW, drill bits aren't the only tool with a TiN coating. High performance end mills for machining are also coated.

Thanks for the information.

Like most tools "you get what you pays for"

woodworker88 wrote:

I managed to get my hands on some professional TiN bits

the TiN coating is only a lubricant. it is put on the tools to help the ejection of metal chips. it is not meant to make the tool keep an edge longer. it does not really work with wood either. so they are a waste of money. the right drill bit will drill materials faster then the wrong one. for woodworking drill bits with deep flutes will eject wood chips better. but the shape and design of the bit will make the performance difference not the coating.

I bought a 7-piece set of Forsners for $20 about 8 or 9 months ago, and they work just fine for me. They're probably not going to last for 20 years, but they're certainly functional, and they leave a nice clean flat-bottomed hole like you'd expect. The brand name was "Columbian"

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

I bought a set of 16 'forstner' bits from Grizzly for about $30. They came in a nice double-hinged box. They turned out to be mostly saw-toothed bits. Only the three smallest were actually forstner. It doesn't matter to me, they cut great. I don't know what the 'quality' bits cut like but I think the imported Grizzly set is a heck of a deal...

I was not sure about the edge part so I kept quiet (G)