I bought a small set of Porter Cable Forstner drill bits a few years ago, and always tried to use them with my drill press. I had to drill a 5/8″ hole in relatively thin polypropylene plastic today, and was reminded as to why I preferred to use them with a drill press.
Forstner drill bits need stability and pressure to create smooth-walled and flat-bottomed holes. They can be used in a cordless drill, but sometimes with mixed results.
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For a while, the bit just spun and spun, heating the plastic. I applied more pressure than I usually do with other drill bits, and eventually the bit started cutting and worked its way through the plastic
The result? A very clean-cut hole. I was a little surprised.
I ordered two more bits – one Freud bit, and a Freud Precision Shear bit, to see which I like better for use on wood and soft plastic. I can’t see a cutting edge profile of the regular bits, but the Precision Shear bits have a serrated edge – which aren’t quite teeth.
If either performs better than my Porter Cable bits, I’ll probably be upgrading soon. I’ve been coming across more and more projects where I need in-between sizes, forcing me to use something else I have on hand, such as spade bits or hole saws.
Okay, I know it’s a little weird to be talking about Forstner bits and plastic. So let’s get back to talking about Forstner bits and their woodworking applications.
Sometimes they’re used to create counterbores for below-the-surface lag bolts.
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Or to accommodate dowels or round tenons in furniture and home construction products.
They can be used to create straight holes, or can enter wood at an angle.
A lot of the time, Forstner drill bits are used to create flat-bottom holes that don’t go all the way through a wooden panel or board, but they can be used for through-holes too.
And when used to drill through-holes, better Forstner bits cut cleanly, with minimal or no tearout, even when you might not have a sacrificial backing board.
I’ve been using my Porter Cable bits for a while, and I know there are better Forstner drill bits out there, but I’ve got no regrets. I spent $20-30 on the 7pc bit set, which is a good value. In contrast, the 2 Freud bits I just bought cost me $22.
The larger of the 2 Freud bits I just bought is 1-1/4″ in size. The one shown at the top of the page is a lot wider, but I liked the way it showed off the Freud “Precision Shear” serrated edge profile.
For the briefest of moments, I considered buying a Festool Zobo set (via Amazon), but I just can’t justify the price – $233 for a 5-piece imperial size bit set. If I used Forstner drill bits daily, I probably still couldn’t justify it. $255 for a 5 bit set!!!
Freud’s sets are also a bit pricey, but I figure I’ll buy one or two sizes as needed and then upgrade when I can justify it.
Today was one of the rare times I’ve used a Forstner bit to drill straight through a workpiece. As an aside, I don’t recall ever using Forstner bits on plastic before – today was the first opportunity, as I couldn’t find a hole saw or jobbers bit of the right size.
But, I feel as if I’m seeing Forstner bits in a new light.
That brings me to my question: which are your favorite Forstner drill bits? Do you find yourself using Forstner bits for through-holes too?
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Has anyone used MLCS’s Forstner bits? They carry far more sizes than any other Forstner drill bit brand I looked at. I really need a 1-3/16″ size, but have to make do with 1-1/4″ because I wanted to go with Freud and need the bits pretty quickly (thank you Amazon Prime!).
In a lot of woodworking forums, you’ll see Famag and their Bormax bits touted a lot. What do you think of that brand?
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Jimmie
I can’t remember the last time I used a Forstner to drill a through-hole though I’m sure I’ve done it. If I were to do it, it would most likely be in acrylic or something where the risk of backside tearout from normal bits is pretty high.
I’ve never used MLCS’ Forstner bits but I’ve been reasonably happy with their router bits[1] so I wouldn’t hesitate to try one of their Forstner bits if it was the size that I needed.
[1] Happy enough that I often recommend that people with their first router buy a 30- of 45-bit collection from MLCS when they’re on sale. That gives them a serviceable set of bits that’ll cover most of their projects. As time goes on, they’ll get a feel for which bits they use most often and *those* are the ones that they should replace with expensive, premium-brand bits.
Patrick
I use one of the porter cable sets. I have been happy with the performance they provide. Quick and clean holes every time. I have never had much trouble using them cordless either. Just make sure you start it carefully and keep it lined up and everything works great.
I have mixed feelings about MLCS. As Jimmie mentioned I started out with them when I first started using a router and I that respect they are good to get a feel for what you use but at the same time it’s hard to imagine there isn’t a better route (pardon the pun) to go. They didn’t last long, I even had two burn up on the first use. I bought a couple of Freud Diablo bits and they have been flawless. Then again it’s a rare day I have been disappointed with a Freud product.
As far as the forstner bits, I give my vote to porter cable.
Jacob
I recently bought a set of Porter Cable forstner bits. I prefer them over paddle bits, and they come in handy more and more now that I have them. I initially bought them for drilling holes for some 1″ insert panel hanging hardware that I was using from starhanger.com . They require a tight 1″ hole for a compression fitting, and I was able to accomplish this quickly and accurately, for mounting my sink cabinet false front with a concealed fastener. A paddle bit would have walked too much, and the tip would have come out the front of the panel.
fred
I was introduced to Forstner bits about 50 years ago. The bits were from a company called “Connecticut Valley Tool” – had a tang for a brace bit – and guess where they were made (back then Connecticut was a center of tool making)
Since then I’ve bought many of this style bit – early on some Craftsman – some no-name Austrian-made, some Black & Decker and some Wolfcraft . Later on I bought some house-brand ones from Lee Valley, MLCS, Peachtree, Rockler and Woodworker’s supply to fill-in sizes I needed.
For the business we tried some of the Zobo bits from Festool, and European-made ones from CMT, Colt, Famag, Fisch, and Freud .
We did not like the Zobo bits so much better than other European brands to justify Festool pricing. Between the other European brands – I think we give the Famag the edge (pun intended) – but Freud bits are probably the easiest to find.
fred
I’m not sure who is now selling Famag Bormax sets (Amazon no longer stocks them) – but Colt sets (our second favorite) are available :
http://www.infinitytools.com/COLT-MaxiCut-10-Pc-Forstner-Bit-Set/productinfo/101-163/
AndrewC
I bought some from harbor freight and they were completely worthless- Forstner bits require sharp edges and I couldn’t cut myself with them if I tried- edges looked like they were finished with an angle grinder. If I put my body weight on drill press I could get them to slowly burn a hole through wood, but thats it.
I then got a small Woodriver set from Woodcraft. These work, no problems.
In my experience, you get killed buying forstner bits individually, but when you need one, you need one. I’d buy a set that goes up to 1in, and then buy individual larger bits when you need them.
Harley
Just used a Freud Diablo 3/4″ Forstner to drill through two pieces of 3/4″ plywood that were glued together. Chucked it up in my small bench mount drill press and fed it slowly to perfect results. Could have done the job using a hand held drill but the drill press helped keep it accurate. Take your time and pay attention and you should have good results.
Derek
I have the set from Rockler that goes on a good sale periodically for ~$60. It works well enough for the price, but I wouldn’t say that it is particularly sharp. I have used it in pine lumber and polycarbonate to do ~1.5″ holes and only with a hand drill. I will say that it cut much better with a good high torque corded drill than a Craftsman 19.2v NiCD. I’m sure a drill press would be much better with the added torque. I found that wobbling the drill to lighten the cut worked better for an underpowered hand drill. It got me through the few cuts that I needed to make.
Patrick
Try a lithium ion battery, it makes it like a new tool.
Rick Owen
Agreed. Huge difference when I swapped my 19.2 v NiCads to lithium ion. Not only longer life between charges but more power. I was almost to the point of leaving the Craftsman C3 platform when I swapped battery types.
Michael
That is not exaggerating
Patrick
I started with their entry level lithium ion batteries but recently bought their XCP lithium ion battery. They market their XCP batteries as increasing torque up to 20% more torque. The difference is even more pronounced. I was doing some heavy drilling with a slim battery and the drill binded up on me, I swapped in the high end battery and it powered right out of the jam. I’m glad I got off the nicads because I was at a point of similar frustration as you were.
Bruce Cohen
I find it extremely curious that in not one post was speed mentioned. Forester’s need low speeds to function correctly and to assure a long life for the bit.
I’m willing to wager that if one took one of the most expensive bits and ran it (drill press or hand held) at a high speed, you’ll be disappointed by both the quality of cut and the life of the bit.
Quality does matter, but for my dollar, speed is more important.
Farid
Very good point. This is especially important when drilling abrasive hardwoods, such as Oak. Less speed means less heating and the edge will last longer.
However, upon examining several brands on the market, they are not all equal. The cheaper ones are usually made of cheaper metal that does not hold an edge as long (especially when heated). The edges are often rough and nicked (examples HF and Ryobi; even some Porter Cables). The bit shank finish is important as well and nicer bits have a smoother finish that reduces friction.
You can tell the quality of the edge by examine the wood chips produced. The Freuds and colts produced silky smooth ribbons while the Porter cable produced random sized and rough chips
It just depends what you want to use the bit for and what your expectations on finish and bit life.
KokoTheTalkingApe
Yes. My set from Rockler is carbon steel. It works well enough for the few times I need a Forstner bit, but if I let them get too hot, they will lose their temper. Not so with the more expensive, high-speed steel sets.
Allen
When I taught school one of the required projects involved each student to drill a 2 and 1/8 hole in the center of a dozen pieces of 13 ply Baltic birch. I brought my Freud bit but it was obvious we would need another.
I bought one of the cheap Chinese sets and we had disappointing results with that one, the kids always wanted to use the drill press that had the “good” bit. Some of the smaller students couldn’t put enough muscle to get it to cut by the end of the semester.
When a new semester started I took both bits along with some saw blades to the local sharp shop. We went through that group of 20 students and no one ever commented on which bit they preferred. I couldn’t tell which bit cut any one hole.
Maybe the final sharpening step is what the cheap sets leave out.
Some are not as well suited to cutting holes off the edge of a board, if that is a concern.
Farid
What timing. I just bought some Freud forstner bits a 3 weeks ago. I used 3 sizes (1-3/8″ , 1-1/2″ and 1-5/8″) on pine and poplar and plywood . I was really impressed with the quality of the hole produced – so smooth no sanding was needed. Compared to my Bosch set, these are definitely much better. The Bosch are better than my Porter Cable ones. My Porter Cable bits struggled and left burn marks cutting through 3/4″ plywood and 1″ chipboard desk. Not the Freuds.
I needed some fractional sizes that were between the standard 1/8″ increment and my local Woodcraft had some Colts on clearance, so I snatched a couple. Did a very quick test with them and found they drill really fast and produce really nice holes. I’d say they are a step above the Freuds in quality and finish (every surface on the bit is machined!). I imagine these will last me a lifetime if taken care of.
Now if I had money to spare, the Famags, or perhaps Fisch? Nah, I don’t do high enough quality projects to justify these.
FYI: for plastics, I found that straight flute and stepped drill bits work best. They produce perfectly round holes and in materials like PVC, Kydex, ABS, polycarb, ..etc, with no chattering or grabbing. A high quality stepped bit can cover a ranges of holes sizes and if used with light touch, the next step acts as a chamfering tool to cleanup the edges. Best part: you can use a hand drill and still produce accurate holes – no need for a drill press and no need to exert a lot of pressure like you would with a fosrstner. Definitely a lot less heating of the plastic. Less drill steps allows you to drill thicker materials.
Stuart
I agree about step bits being great in plastic, but… my larger ones are probably in hiding with my hole saws these days. I have a lot of things packed up for moving and reorganization, and I didn’t think I would need either bit styles in the near future. I only kept my Irwin 1/8″ to 1/2″ Unibit in my accessories drawer.
I figured that, rather than spend $45 on a large step bit, I’d take the opportunity to try new styles of Forstner bits.
fred
There are other drill bits ground to drill Plexiglas:
http://wlfuller.com/html/plexi-point.html
Another brand (Vortex ) is available at Carbide Processors
Stuart
Yes, but 1-1/4″? Polypropylene was easy to work with, certainly much better than acrylic.
I don’t think plastic drilling bits would be necessary for PP, even if available in large diameter sizes. But I do have some sizes for drilling screw holes in acrylic.
fred
Small hole drilling is what “plexi-point style” drill bits do best. As far as I know they only come in sizes up to 1 inch. Even they sometimes can catch and do not always prevent crazing or chip out. We did a clinic once – that had us installing hundreds of custom-made and rather expensive (for what they were) Plexiglas shelves and partitions. It was a bit of a challenge. For some larger hole cutting we resorted to drilling pilot holes then using a template and a router with solid carbide bits made for plastics.
Farid
Thanks, Fred. Plexiglass is more brittle and these bits are great for drilling small mounting holes. I have a few in small sizes around 1/8″ and 3/16″ sizes.
One of our engineers bought a 7/8: Vortex for drilling holes for a cable gland in one of our CPVC products: It was a disaster! It would grab and tear the work and the holes where never round (the plastic was about 0.1″ thick). We switched to uni-bit and never looked back.
My general observation for drilling plastics, these twist drill bits work best if the material thickness is equal to or greater than the diameter of the bit, otherwise, I use a uni-bit or straight flute.
Brian
I also got the PC set, 14pc for 40 bucks. A nice all around set, whatever Im doing, I probably have a size that I can make work.
The only exception was a 30mm bit that is the defacto size for concealed hinge cups.
Im sure frued would cut better, but Im cheap, and I havent worn any of the PC bits out yet.
Ive drilled holes with a hand drill, its not alot of fun. these bits clearly work like a hand plane, and they cut best when they can get a nice ribbon of wood going. I cannot maintain steady pressure or angle enough to satisfy them. They will also bite and take your work piece for a spin if its not braced WELL. So I really try to only use them in the press.
Ken
I went to the Woodcraft site on 2/29/16 and the bits were listed for $51.00. It seems they are no longer on sale.
Ken
Ops I read it wrong.The sale was in 2014.Senior moment.
Stuart
No worries.
You might want to check back every now and then. I have found that, if Woodcraft discounts a drill bit set once, they’ll probably do it again another time.
Hilton
I originally bought some no-name-brand Chinese made bits from my local importer (before I knew any different) and they’ve been just ok. Carbon steel of course and not that well finished but they drill a hole.
I’ve since bought a bunch from Lee Valley and they are infinitely better. They also sell Colt Max-Cut bits but as with Famag I’ll have to wait until a project justifies the cost.
Robbie
I have a 31 piece grizzly set, which I love and it routinely goes on sale.
Noah
Forstner bits are great and I didn’t appreciate them until I started working in a shop that had them. They are cleaner than a paddle bit, faster than hole saw, and run truer than a Silver & Deming bit. Unless I’m metal working, a Forstner bit is almost always my first choice for a hole above 1/2″ diameter.
The main kit that lives by our drill press is, I believe, a MLCS set. They’re just ok. The hex shank is their best feature, but they dull quick and load up easy, but I cut a lot of MDF which isn’t kind on any edge. They do make decent chips and the ones I’ve sent for sharpening perform well upon return. The bits larger than 1″ are actually a variation on the Forstner design, with a saw tooth or spur outer rim. I don’t notice any appreciable cutting difference, and the spur teeth seem to dull quickly.
Our shop does have a few Famag bits in random sizes, as I believe that is the brand McMaster sends when you buy a Forstner bit from them. They are true performers and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy more of them. Just today I tried a head to head comparison of a 7/8″ MLCS and Famag. It was almost night and day.
For my own home use I have CMT and Freud bits. I like the scalloped cutting edge on the Freud, and the CMT has a nice finish and has been decently serviceable.
As for using them in a hand drill, I have found that if decent pressure is kept on the butt of the drill, and the cut is started slowly, its not hard too hard to drill decent holes.
Noah
I should note the Famag bits I’ve used and their “super” bits and not the more expensive “Bormax”
Hilton
Noah, I’m considering getting a Jumbo 8 piece box set of the MCLS bits (2-1/4 – 3-1/8). I know the Famag and Colt bits are infinitely better but I can’t afford them (as a box set). Unfortunately I need to ship to South Africa so I can’t just buy one at a time when I need it so I was thinking of spending the $89 to get the MLCS set and depending on which size I use the most, I will then replace as needed with the better brand. Would you still recommend MCLS given my situation?
fred
The price almost seems too good to be true – but MLCS usually sells decent (maybe just not the highest quality) tools. Comparing to other USA sources :
http://woodworker.com/eight-piece-set-mssu-523-052.asp?search=forstner set&searchmode=2
the price is very good.
If you were looking for a set in smaller sizes – another less expensive brand to consider is Amana/Timberline – their 16 piece set sells for about $64 (or $58 with a 10% discount) at ToolsToday.com
Hilton
Thanks Fred. I have a set of the > 1″ bits which I bought from Lee Valley. These are HSS and I use them a lot for plug holes etc.
Vaheh
Freud makes two lines, diablo is always the cheapest and lowest quality. Though for most diyers which this site consists of probably fine.
Altan
FAMAG tool accessories are amazing, even though I had an issue with them, I still like most of their products, You don’t have FAMAG in Brands category and there are a lot from FAMAG to write about, They have the best brad point drill bits I would say, at least ten posts you can have for their products.