Out of center drill bits

[Herb Stoops]

Once upon a time, I bought some drill bit sets that were priced where I couldn't resist,No Not HF,and when I used them on the first use I found they didn't chuck up centered to the chuck. The points did not run centered. I noticed that the shanks were ground but the tangs were rough forged as you can see in the picture. After pondering this I came to the conclusion that since they ground the rims of the bits they had to grab the tang to hold it to grind it. The hex sided tangs must therefore have a "sweet" spot where they chucked them up.
So I chucked up a bit ,it was running off, I shut it off and rotated it one flat on the tang, tried again and again, until I found the "sweet spot where it ran true. Then I marked on the chuck and the shank of the bit with a sharpie so that I could index them next time I used them. It took a little time to do all of them, but saves me time in the long run to just gab a bit and start drilling.
HErb

[CharleyL]

I bought a twist drill index from Northern on a "close-out deal", and didn't try to use them for about a month. When I did, I found that every bit had a bow in the center and the tip wobbled no matter how I inserted it in the chuck. It was too late to return them, so they got trashed. I now "Test" every tool that I buy way before the return policy ends, especially those from Northern.

Charley

[Stick486]

they were made in china.. eh...

[CharleyL]

they were made in china.. eh...

Almost everything is these days. They have almost no USA competitors, even at higher prices now.

Charley

[Stick486]

They have almost no USA competitors, even at higher prices now.

don't believe that myth for a heart beat...

USA made drill bit suppliers....

[Stick486]

have another...
.

American Made Drill Bits....

[Cherryville Chuck]

The best brad point bits by far are from Lee Valley. Dimar bits are the next best from my experience and will cut a clean hole even without the scoring spurs that are on the LVs. LV's Forstner bits are also at least among the best if not the best. I don't know who actually makes them for LV. I know LV's router bits are made in Taiwan which is not the same as China. You can expect any cutting tool from Dimar to work well and be very sharp. I have a few Dimar router bits and they cut wood like butter. Their saw blades are also among the best you can buy. Planer and jointer blades as well. I went years with a set of their 18% tungsten blades on my jointer before I felt they needed sharpening.

I did buy a set of Chinese metric sized drill bits with quick change ends on them and not unexpectedly they don't all run true. In a drill press they are unacceptable but they do better with hand held drills. I wanted them to offer more choices for clearance and pilot holes mainly for driving screws and they do succeed in that capacity while giving the ease and speed offered by the quick change feature.

[Herb Stoops]

Where do you send Forstner bits and brad point bits to sharpen?
Herb

[Stick486]

Where do you send Forstner bits and brad point bits to sharpen?
Herb

DYI....

Sharpening Forstner Bits.pdf

[Herb Stoops]

I asked about SHARPENING< not F..cking them up.
Herb

[Stick486]

I asked about SHARPENING< not F..cking them up.
Herb

oh....

[Herb Stoops]

The the top cutter can be filed, but the rims are the problem, some have teeth,some have a circular cutter around the rim. Touch up is one thing, but a precision sharpening where all the teeth are the same it takes a grinding machine. Probably just throw them away and buy new ones for what they would charge. Now a big company like Boeing has their own sharpening shop where they sharpen little tiny bits to huge carbide cutters. When you have dull ones, you just take them back to the tool room and trade them for sharp ones.
They just have these huge bins at their surplus center full of bits, all sharpened they sell by the pound. $.50/ lbs.
But there has to be shops around that do that.
Herb

[Cherryville Chuck]

Forstners- diamond paddles or diamond hones for the faces. Usually a small triangular file for the bevels. For solid rims a round or conical point in a dremel or just run a small fine grained round file, like a chainsaw file, around the rim. They don't usually need much sharpening. For saw tooth types a diamond coated wheel in a dremel. You really need good lighting for that job. BTW, the diamond wheel on a dremel will also sharpen old table saw blades if you just need to rough cut stuff with it. I've gotten them cutting pretty good again.

I've never tried sharpening a brad point yet but the regular kind should be easy. The LV ones with spurs don't survive hitting anything and that's usually what happens to mine. I've done in a couple of 3/16" ones drilling clearance holes and misjudging where the brads or screws were located. I would imagine that an auger file should sharpen them if they just get dull. One or more of the detail files in that 12 pack assortment the HF sells might work too. Those files come without sticker shock. I just bought a good auger file from LV for 25 bucks so it does come with sticker shock. I would try touching up the top and face like I do with brace bits.

[Cherryville Chuck]

I don't know if anyone else has had this issue but I got some Euro style cup hinges that were so deep that the point of my really good quality Dimar 35mm forstner was going through the other side of the 5/8 melamine I was installing them into. A 1 3/8 is the same as 35mm so I took the one out of my cheap set and ground the point off it. Once a hole is started you don't need the point anymore. I had to drill all the holes half way and then switch bits to finish them. If you buy one of those cheap sets that go from 1/4 to 2 1/8 you'll get a lot of practice at sharpening forstners because they usually cut like sh*t until you do.

[DaninVan]

Couldn't you just put a sacrificial board under it?...

[Cherryville Chuck]

Couldn't you just put a sacrificial board under it?...

If you don't mind seeing the hole on the outside of the cabinet that would work.

[DaninVan]

Couldn't you just put a sacrificial board under it?...

If you don't mind seeing the hole on the outside of the cabinet that would work.

I was joking!

[Stick486]

I was joking!

.
no you weren't....

[Cherryville Chuck]

Couldn't you just put a sacrificial board under it?...

If you don't mind seeing the hole on the outside of the cabinet that would work.

I was joking!

Ask a smart ass question, expect a smart ass answer.

[DaninVan]

....I guess

( )

[Biagio]

CHARLES, I had the same problem, also ground off the spur on a cheaper bit - was using a jig to align the hole anyway. However, I must say that since buying the Kreg jig and bit for Euro hinges, I have not had the problem. Haven’t checked the bit, but I suspect it has a shallower spur, as the jig itself holds and positions the bit, as well a providing a depth-stop function. Come to think of it, I added a fibre washer under the depth-stop collar - can’t remember why, I might have been drilling out-of-spec melamine board.

[Cherryville Chuck]

Trying to start a forstner without a DP or jig can be tricky. They have a tendency to skate around. Once you get a hole started there's no issues and a jig just needs to consist of something you drilled a hole through. I've even moved a hole over 1/2" that way when the hole through the side of my basement vanity for the drain pipe turned out to be slightly off once it was put in place.

I've never checked the spur on my Dimar either come to think of it. It does a beautiful job of going in cleanly without tearout and chipping. Something the cheap bit doesn't do well.