Mortising machine--what am I doing wrong??!

If the drill bit can be filed, throw it away and get a good one.

We're not talking about a normal twist bit here. This is a mortising bit, and it's often part of a chisel and bit set. Replacements can run $20 - $40 each. And they can be sharpened with a small file, there is a file made specifically for this purpose. After fine filing a little work with slips stones and it's good as new, and perhaps sharper. Takes maybe 5 minutes. So 5 minutes of your time vs minimum of $20 for replacing comes to $240 an hour. Seems like a pretty good equivalent hourly rate to me.

charlie b

Ever bought a chisel that was really sharp and honed to a perfect cutting edge? How about a hand plane's iron?

I'd hardly call a Two Cherries bench chisel crap. Nor would I call the iron in a Lee Nielsen plane crap. Both will work as purchased - sort of. But they will work a lot better with a few minutes of my time - and they will lose their edge in use. Sharpening is just part of maintenance of edged tools.

A crappy tool is one you can't make work well with a just a little "tuning" and the knowledge of what needs "tuning".

This goes with "expectations vs reality". Some try and buy knowledge and skills, or at least think they can - in no small part because of marketing departments. Those folks are often disappointed - and sometimes get hurt.

Oh - if you have any dull forstner bits you're going to throw away - send them to me. Assuming YOU didn't try drilling through something other than wood or haven't burned them too bad - I could probably use them. My e-mail address is good. Drop me a line and I'll e-mail the address to which to send them. (never know when an english teacher is out searching for dangling perpositions - word to the wise)

charlile b

There is a lot of difference between a chisel and a drill bit. Any drill bit designed for power driving should be HSS. If it is not, it is junk. HSS is harder than a file.