Forstner bits

[venkatbo]

Hi folks,

'am looking to get a (1 3/8") Forstner Bit to drill the dog holes on my bench top.

• What brand would you recommend ?
• Would you recommend getting it as a part of a set ?I have other drill bits, but 'am wondering if there is a special benefit to getting forstner bits of the same diameter as part of the set.

Thanks,
/venkat

[onedash]

I have a small set that im not sure of the brand. They are decent. And a bigger Porter Cable set which I like much better. they have the 8 sided shank or whatever so they cant move in the chuck. The holes might be a little better with the PC too because they have the 'teeth' on the side instead of the flat sides on the cheaper ones.

[r1968]

MLCS forstner bits are good

Hi Venkat

I have a couple of MLCS forstner bits and I like them. However, forstner bits are not recommended for hand held drill use. They are designed to be used on DP. You could search for a thread posted by Rod on benchdog hole drilling and he had a jig for his triton drill.
Set is always a better deal. Just recently I saw a set on the Grizzly site that seemed like a very good deal.
--raj

[LCHIEN]

1. A 1-3/8" bit seems huge for dog holes. usually they are 3/4"
2. For single forstner purchases, I would go with MLCS they will sell you one bit at a reasoanble price and free shipping and 2-3 day delivery (they quote 7-10 but ship bits by first class mail so you get them in 2-3 days).
3. I would not use a hand held drill for forstners.

[Tom Miller]

The only forstners I have were bought in a 7 pc (IIRC) set from MLCS. They're carbide-edged, which I can't help but think is overkill, in hindsight. Also, since only the cutters are at full diameter, I think they'd be especially bad with a handheld drill.

Now that I've given a straight answer to your question, here comes the unsolicited advice: When I tried to drill dogholes with a forstner bit, the results were absolutely abominable. (You can get the full story in a thread I started a while back.) IMO, you'll get a much better result with a straight bit. But I don't think they'll come that large, which leads to my second point: Is there any reason you're going with such a large hole?

Regards,
Tom

[LCHIEN]

...But I don't think they'll come that large, which leads to my second point: Is there any reason you're going with such a large hole?

Regards,
Tom

A little bigger and they can hold a beer can.

[venkatbo]

1 3/8" was a mistake... I meant the standard, which appears to be 3/4".
Thanks,
/venkat

[JimD]

1 3/8 does seem big for dog holes (but the can of beer they would hole would be pretty small). I need to drill some 3/4 holes and may use a forstener bit. If I do, I will use my Portalign setup with a hand-held drill. It is a drill chuck guided by two steel poles at right angles to a base. You attach a drill to an arbor on the opposite side of the chuck, put your bit in the chuck, and drill at right angles to the base. I haven't tried this with a forstener bit but I think it will work fine.

An unguided hand-held drill will make a mess of a forstener bit hole. I have done it with smaller bits but they always wander for me before I get a hole going and they settle down. With a big bit, it seems like a safety hazzard to have them wandering over the work.

Jim

[Holbren]

A little bigger and they can hold a beer can.

Now there's an idea.

1-3/8" is standard for euro hinges but much too large for dog holes as pointed out. I have a bunch of carbide tipped ones I bought as promo giveaways for raised panel sets. If anyone wants one, email me at sales@holbren.com and one is yours for free, just pay shipping and for the box which will probably be $2.50 total by first class mail.

[RodKirby]

I used a 3/4" "regular" twist bit.

Yeah, I know it's HUGE, but at a slow speed on my plunge drill, it works just fine

Details: http://www.triton.com.au/product.php?id=30

[Tom Miller]

An unguided hand-held drill will make a mess of a forstener bit hole.

Heck, I made a mess with a forstner bit even with one of those porta-line things (or whatever you call it).

Regards,
Tom

[Ken Weaver]

I got a set from Grizzly - suggest you do the same rather than buy just one. Top of my bench is made from 3/4 ply and 1/4 hardboard, I used a paddle bit and it worked fine.

[vaking]

I have a decent size set from Costco (about 15 bits, titanium coated). I love it, use a lot for holes with flat bottoms. It is a workhorse.

[scorrpio]

Suggestion #1: a 3/4" auger bit.

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com...oducts_id/2744

At $19, pricey, but a lot more stable in a hole than either forstner or spade.

Suggestion #2: a guide block - to be used with either an auger or twist bit - one that has uniform thickness. Cut a piece of 2x4 about 6" long, make sure the cut is square, then cut a V notch into one end along the wide side. Easy way to do this is to put SMT to right of blade, set miter fence to square, blade set to 3/4" height and 45 degree tilt. run piece through, flip over, run through again. Set drill point on mark, move the guide up so bit sits snug in the V, and drill.

[jbalders]

If it absolutely has to be done with a hand drill, you might consider this. You can pick up drill guides like this from a number of places. Sears definitely sells them, and the BORG might as well.

I picked up the Hickory 16 piece set from the BORG on a 10% bucket sale off of the normal $39.96 price, and I've been very happy with it. I really haven't looked, so I can't comment on how the price compares to other sets from other vendors.

I have hand drilled (no guide) the latch holes in six doorframes, and they came out very nice. Then again, I was only drilling down about 1/2". The trick is to hold the drill perfectly still and perpendicular to the surface.

I think for dog holes, you'd have a hard time getting the holes perfectly perpendicular without either the aforementioned guide or a drill press, regardless of the type of drill bit.