Forstner bits...

Hello Ted,

Probably the Lowes set is imported and of questionable quality at that price. High speed steel will be quite adequate for your purposes. I personally don't like carbide tools for woodworking. They may hold their edge forever, but they are never very sharp.

You can touch up a Forstner bit with a diamond hole, it use the little paddle type for this.

Fred Holder

Ted, I buy the mid-range: $40-$60 sets and replace them when they quit cutting well.  I also have a large, 3 1/2" forstener type bit that I got from Woodcraft for <$25.  This one has been resharpened once which cost less than a new bit. After you have used the bits for a while you will soon decide if there is one particular size that you use the most.  In that case, I suggest you replace the cheapy with a better quality bit but don't think carbide bits will serve any advantage in wood. Jim Ted wrote: I have seen Forstner bits sell for a wide variety of prices: Lowes set sells for about $30. Woodcraft has sets for about $50 up to $400. I have also seen carbide tip sets for about $130. What should I look for?  Is carbide better or is high speed steel OK? Is it hard to sharpen the non carbide bits? I will be using the bits in a chuck in the tailstock of my lathe cutting into various kinds of wood. Thanks for any info, Ted

The best Forstner-type bits I've ever used are the HSS ones that Lee Valley sells. Highly reccomended.

rr

Jim Pugh wrote:

Like all things, you get what you pay for, and more expensive stuff is usually better.

Having said that, I have the $30 set from Lowe's, and I have used most of the bits extensively. They make nice holes, and I'm glad to have them.

The only one I've replaced so far is one I ruined by boring through several sheets of 60 grit sandpaper. I tried to sharpen it, and never got anywhere good.

I replaced that one with a Freud bit, also from Lowe's. The one bit cost almost as much as the entire set. I must say that there is a *huge* difference in performance. It cuts about four times more easily, and is less likely to clog up.

Whether you'd get even more performance by stepping up from Freud, I don't know. It probably really depends on how much cutting you plan to do with the things, in what kind of woods. I've bored probably into the hundreds of holes with my cheap $30 set, and I haven't felt the need to replace them, even after seeing the performance difference with a better quality bit. I will eventually replace them, but it's not urgent. The cheap bits work, and make nice holes, they just take much longer to cut.

I go this way too. I got some of those oversize brad point bits from Woodcraft, I believe - Chinese manufacture. They're not class steel, but when boring deep holes they will clear for an inch or so at a time, and it's easy to resharpen the annealed metal. My attempts with forstners on the lathe have been more a case of clearing shavings every 1/4 inch or so.

Neat thing is that the brad point drops naturally into the indentation from the live center.

I think the choice depends on the purpose of the hole.

If the hole will be visible, I have had good luck with Freud carbide bits and then sanding the hole on the late with 80/120/150 grits to minimize end grain tearout visibility.

If the hole is more structural, you may be ok with the cheaper bits where tearout is not much of an issue.

George

Hi Fred What is the "correct" method for sharpening Forstners particularly the saw tooth ones. I've been around wood turning for 10 years but have yet to see a decent article on the subject. My method is to drive down to the local turning supply shop and buy a new one which can become expensive.

Regards graeme

Be sure to keep the speed low enough so the bits do not burn. Forstner bits heat up more rapidly than most other bits. Once overheated, the bit never holds an edge for very long.

Barry