Drill guides and forsteners

[milkman]

Not having a pillar drill I bunged a forstener in a highish torque drill and used a wolfcraft guide to drill.

Blimey was that hard work!?

Question is why? I used the drill set to slow, slow, slow so the bit wouldn't choke on the waste but even so it took all my weight to drill the holes.

Help appreciated. I won't be getting a pillar drill anytime soon but would like to be able to use these kind of bits on things.

 

[jasonB]

Was it a cheap imported bit or a decent make, what does it cut like hand? and what diameter and what wood were you trying to drill

Jason

 

[OllyK]

I tried the same and I gave up on the idea and bought a £30 pillar drill from B&Q. You can also get drill presses that will hold an ordinary drill, worth keeping an eye open in the Lidl / Aldi / Nettos of this world.

 

[TheTiddles]

I do know what you mean. I have the set of bits from Axminster, which in a drill press are fairly potent. In a cheapy drill guide it's much harder.

The thing is you may not realise is just how much leverage and hence force you get on a drill press, the torque of a slower running motor and the fact that you will get very little friction on the sides of the bit that keeping it straight affords.

Aidan

 

[paulm]

I guess you were drilling into normal grain rather than into end grain ? In end grain you make more progress with sawtooth bits rather than plain forstner bits......

Cheers, Paul.