forstner bit

[Alexis]

Hello,

I am trying to order 2" ship auger bit from Irwin but am having a hard time...

Does anybody tried to bore mortise with forstner bit? I know that steve chappell says they're not good, but in the benson book, it says that they work...

Any real life experience?

Thanks

Alexis

[Jim_Rogers]

Alexis:
We sell bits....

Here is a link to the thread with the prices:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=3531.0

Jim Rogers

[ohsoloco]

I tried it once after the lead screw snapped on an auger bit I was using with my right angle drill.  Problem is, it doesn't cut very well since it doesn't have any type of lead screw to pull the bit into the wood.  Also (at least the ones that I have) only allow you to bore a hole (guessing) 2-3" deep, which isn't enough for timber framing. 

[lazy-river]

I tried once with a brand new 2" forstner bit.  in old white oak.  i burned up the bit and the $35+ i spent on it.    the white oak were the floor joists in an old log house, i reused them for the sill plates on a small barn.  i guess that is the cost of my education.

good luck.

[Greg]

My experience is the forstner and ship auger bits with threads at the head will take too big a bit out and quickly bog down the drill to cut out beam mortises.

What about using a simple cheap paddle pit, Irwin or otherwise? I seem to recall they only go up to 1.5", but that works for me. I've used this poor man's, low tech approach, with a good strong dewalt 1/2" drill w/right angle handle on some very hard, and antique stuff.

The bits don't dig in too quickly, and the operator can adjust the bite with a little bit of pressure. They don't last long but are cheap.

Greg

[LeeB]

Spade bits are easily resharpened.

[Rizzo]

if you're dead set on a ship auger bit, try a place in Seattle named Hardwick's (206-632-1203, www.ehardwicks.com). When I was there in December, they had literally bins and bins of ship augers, barefoot augers, etc. I asked whether they would be willing to pick and ship for someone calling from out of town and received and immediate "Sure!" as an answer. If you're ever in Seattle, you absolutely MUST get over there....it's a pretty amazing man cave. They have so much cool stuff  that it'd be a good idea to leave your wallet in the car though!  ;)

Rizzo

[mudburn]

I used two DeWalt self-feed bits: a 2" and a 1.5". I ended up using a low speed, high torque, right angle drill (Harbor Freight) after overheating my Hitachi 9 amp drill. These worked well for drilling out mortises up to 4" deep to be cleaned out with chisels. The worked well in fresh, green oak and acceptably in 2 year old oak. I bought them off of Ebay, BTW.

Darryl

[krusty]

I use a screw feed bit from milwaukee and would suggest you try it. I have only used it in pine so far so cannot comment in hardwood.

[ohsoloco]

Krusty, I replaced the auger bit with the snapped lead screw with one of those milwaukee self feeding bits with an extention on it for deep holes.  The only thing about using that bit (at least for me) was that I had to back it out of the hole quite a bit for the first hole on a mortice.  That bit will really chew through the wood, but if you're not boring all the way through a timber the chips get so packed on top of the cutter, that it's DanG near impossible to get the bit back out.  Once you're drilling overlapping holes it's not a problem since the chips have somewhere to go.  That bit does just fine in green white oak  ;)