Fostner Bit Recommendation

[Mark Jundanian]

A bit of follow up—my Famag Bormax bits work great!

Alan, I believe the Bormax can be had as a carbide bit or HSS. Which did you get?

 

[Alan Weinberg]

Didn’t get carbide. Saw that option only post purchase.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

I was under the impression that the point is only for initial location? It’s the sharp rim of the bit that stops it wandering.

Yep, that is correct.

 

[John K Jordan]

Didn’t get carbide. Saw that option only post purchase.

I find it useful to have sets in both carbide and HSS, both imperial and metric.

The carbide cuts fast but not as cleanly. Fine for partial hollowing and cutting recesses that will be cut away (or cleaned up and left for show)
The HSS bits can cut a far cleaner hole.

Also, I think I've commented on this before: many Forstner bits have hex shafts to be gripped firmly in a Jacob's chuck. However, for precision drilling on the lathe I prefer bits with a smooth, round 3/8" shank which lock nicely into 2MT end mill collets. This eliminates any potential misalignment from a Jacob's chuck.



JKJ

 

[Roger Wiegand]

Where is a good place to buy crush-grind mechanisms these days, the long ones?
Haven't made any lately, now have a need.

I know woodturners seem to love the crush grind mechanisms, but I'll tell you as a cook I'm underwhelmed. The pepper grinder I made with their mechanism wore out in less than a year of use. The widely available so called "deluxe" made in USA steel burr grinders at least hold up, though they are pretty slow to use. They are the best I've found here. Neither hold a candle to the Peugeot mechanisms-- my main grinder had probably done 30-40 pounds of pepper over the last 30 some years and is still going strong. Will grind 3-4 times faster over a broader range of particle sizes than any mechanism I've been able to find for installation in a turned mill. It's a shame they won't sell naked mechanisms any more. There's a guy in Switzerland who makes a spectacular looking, finely machined mechanism that I'd love to be able to get, but he won't export them. I don't know how well they work, but they are works of machinist art. At some point I'll have a friend there buy some and ship them to me even though that will entail a significant VAT addition over the ~$30-40 price of the mechanisms. Clearly these aren't intended for decorative pepper mills that get very light use.

Yes, I'm obsessed with grinding pepper.

 

[Brian Gustin]

I know woodturners seem to love the crush grind mechanisms, but I'll tell you as a cook I'm underwhelmed. The pepper grinder I made with their mechanism wore out in less than a year of use. The widely available so called "deluxe" made in USA steel burr grinders at least hold up, though they are pretty slow to use. They are the best I've found here. Neither hold a candle to the Peugeot mechanisms-- my main grinder had probably done 30-40 pounds of pepper over the last 30 some years and is still going strong. Will grind 3-4 times faster over a broader range of particle sizes than any mechanism I've been able to find for installation in a turned mill. It's a shame they won't sell naked mechanisms any more. There's a guy in Switzerland who makes a spectacular looking, finely machined mechanism that I'd love to be able to get, but he won't export them. I don't know how well they work, but they are works of machinist art. At some point I'll have a friend there buy some and ship them to me even though that will entail a significant VAT addition over the ~$30-40 price of the mechanisms. Clearly these aren't intended for decorative pepper mills that get very light use.

Yes, I'm obsessed with grinding pepper.

That right there is pretty much all I need to know to convince me to not waste money on any new kits (I made a couple from someone's old leftover kits I got in a box lot, and wasn't impressed) I gotta put pepper on pretty much everything (that I eat) and though I'm no chef, the few pepper (and salt) grinders I have every used myself (even commercially bought) just made me wonder why I'd ever want to NOT buy plain ol' ground black pepper instead.... (Though if I had to, I'd just toss peppercorns in a coffee grinder!)

 

[Jon Rista]

I need a 1 1/16" fostner bit for drilling salt/pepper grinder blanks. Do the carbide bits stay sharp for longer than the steel bits? What are you using that you find to be sharp, durable, and long lasting? Thanks.

I haven't used a ton of forstners. I used a small variety in my first year, all with the kind of sharp saw-toothed teeth, from a few different brands. I always had heat problems, smoke, burning, etc. And I was never impressed with the quality of the holes drilled. The sawtooth edge seems to actually cause problems for the bit moving through the wood, you have to move a lot slower, so there is more friction overall and a lot of heat builds up.

I picked up a Fisch Wave Cutter Forstner bit one day, it was the only one on the rack at Woodcraft that day. That thing cut better than any forstner I'd ever used before, barely any heat, cuts pretty much any wood like it was butter, and it remained sharp for a very long time. I ended up picking up a whole set of Fisch wave cutters, and some have been used extensively over the last few years (starting 2020) and are still cutting strong. I've sharpened the actual cutting edge (the two strait edges from edge to center) a couple of times on a couple, but the outer wavy cutting edge, I have never had to worry about.

I don't know specifically what kind of metal they are. I know that they have a "forged" version, I'm not specifically aware of what the normal versions are in terms of metal. In any case, the wave cutter edge never has any problems moving through the wood or keeping the bit strait. I also have never had any real problems with heat. I used to always see smoke with the sawtooth bits, but never (or very very rarely) do with the wave cutters.

 

[John K Jordan]

I know woodturners seem to love the crush grind mechanisms, but I'll tell you as a cook I'm underwhelmed. The pepper grinder I made with their mechanism wore out in less than a year of use.

I was asked to fix this one by replacing the crush-grind mechanism. The person had been happy with it, using it for maybe 20 years when one part cracked. If I can't find a mechanism that fits I'll just start over and make a new one from scratch.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

picked up a Fisch Wave Cutter Forstner bit one day.

. That thing cut better than any forstner I'd ever used before

The Fisch Wave Cutter has had some other good reviews, too. I was doing a little research recently and it appears that the Wave Cutter model has been replaced with the Black Shark. It still has the "waves", and the two models appear very similar.

 

[Bill Alston]

It makes sense to spend a lot of money on a drill bit if it produces an accurate size hole with a very good finish.
The problem is though is that you still need to clean up the bottom some how. I did try using large bull nose router bits but it didn’t work very well. It might have been good for a finishing cut, but I didn’t think of it at the time. I’ll have to revisit the idea of drilling boxes though as it could speed things up considerably, if it can be done without a poor finish.

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

a Fisch Wave Cutter Forstner bit one day, it was the only one on the rack at Woodcraft that day. That thing cut better than any forstner I'd ever used before,

Original Forstner bits had a unique function other bits could not perform. Making comparisons of other bits to true Forstner bits makes you sense.

Advertisers have expanded the definition of Forstner bits to something they were never intended to be.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

It makes sense to spend a lot of money on a drill bit if it produces an accurate size hole with a very good finish.
The problem is though is that you still need to clean up the bottom some how. I did try using large bull nose router bits but it didn’t work very well. It might have been good for a finishing cut, but I didn’t think of it at the time. I’ll have to revisit the idea of drilling boxes though as it could speed things up considerably, if it can be done without a poor finish.

For a curved bottom in a tight spot, you might consider a bottom feeder gouge. It has two bevels, the cutting bevel being something like 60 degrees. This is one from Robert Sorbey, but I ground my own.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Advertisers have expanded the definition of Forstner bits to something they were never intended to be.

Could you explain that? Forstner bits have one common feature in my limited experience: they can cut any section of a circle (full circle, half circle, whatever) without wandering. That's what I thought they were made for.

 

[Bill Alston]

The patent is interesting:


“Be it known that I, BENJAMIN FORSTNER, of the city of Salem, in the county of Marion, in the State of Oregon, hzwe invented a new and useful Improvement on an Auger for Boring Holes in Wood; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, which are made a part of these specifications.
This invention consists in providing the cuttin g part of an anger or bit with a circular cutting band or flange,in connection with a suitable cutting-lip, the band and lip being located nearly in the same horizontal plane, as will be fully described hereinafter.
In the drawings, Figures 1 and 4 represent views of side elevations of my invention; Figs. 2 and 6, sectional elevations, and Figs. 3 and 5 plan views.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe fully its construction and manner of operation.
4 represents a circular band or flange, provided with a cutting-edge, as shown; and a, a cutting-lip of any suitable construction, the
[ cutting-edges of each being located on nearly the same horizontal plane as shown. The advantages of this peculiar construction are very marked. The circular band serves to guide the bit accurately in its movement, and also give the hole that is bored a smooth and perfect finish.
By its employment the gimlet-point may be dispensed with, and as the cutting-lips do not project beyond its horizontal plane, it follows that the wood is not out beyond the line operated upon by the circular cutting-edge of the band.
By means of this peculiar construction, also, there is no tendency to split the wood or to follow the grain.
Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is
The auger having the circular cutting-band and cutting-lip located in nearly the same horizontal plane, as and. for the purpose described.


It doesn’t have a centre point like modern bits?