Need a REALLY Small Forstner Bit - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Message Board

Scrolling Days · 08-03-2009, 01:20 AM

I'm looking to find a really small bit, in the 1/16" to 1/8" range. Most kits, etc, don't seem to have them under 1/4".

Has anyone ever seen a smaller sized bit, and if so, do you know where they could be found?

Thanks!

Gill · 08-03-2009, 01:23 AM

Why do you need one? Why won't a conventional lip and spur woodworker's drill bit suffice?

Scrolling Days · 08-03-2009, 01:41 AM

I'm trying to drill shallow, flat bottomed holes into a puzzle without any surrounding kickout of the wood and the paper material. Want to inset something into the wood, similar to John B's "Google Eyes" technique. A 1/8" bit would be perfect, I think.

Gill · 08-03-2009, 01:54 AM

A lip and spur drill bit should meet your needs. It will not create a perfectly flat bottom because of the spur, but the projection will probably be so slight as to be insignificant. If you insist on having a perfectly flat base, you will probably have to resort to a router cutter mounted in a router.

Scrolling Days · 08-03-2009, 02:00 AM

Thanks, Gill. I had a Brad bit in a 1/8" size, so I gave it a shot. You're right; it worked as well as I would have suspected the Forstner would. The problem I have now is that the center spur is going too deep and out the back of my 1/4" plywood when I'm at the depth that I need for my base. That will be a problem with the Forstner as well.

Hmmm. I'll have to fudge around with it some more. Thanks for the idea.

Maybe I can find a bit with a smaller spur. This one seems kind of big.

Wood Dog · 08-03-2009, 03:38 AM

How about grinding the spur to fit your needs?

JohnB · 08-03-2009, 05:10 AM

G'day Shawn,
WD beat me to it. Hit it on the grinder

woodgeek · 08-03-2009, 05:50 AM

How about a straight router bit. Flat on the bottom. I have never tried one in a drill press but maybe...

sawdustus · 08-03-2009, 11:47 AM

As long as you chuck the router bit in very tightly it should work in a drill press. Medium speed (1100 rpm or so) is probably best. Just make sure it is a very sharp bit or it will tear out the entry edge.

Or, as others have said...grind the tip off the spur bit.

When I insert pegs into my tray puzzles, I just use a regular wood bit. The little concavity at the bottom of the hole doesn't seem to matter and the wood will break before the glue joint does. With epoxy, it really doesn't matter at all.

george

Scrolling Days · 08-03-2009, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawdustus

When I insert pegs into my tray puzzles, I just use a regular wood bit. The little concavity at the bottom of the hole doesn't seem to matter and the wood will break before the glue joint does. With epoxy, it really doesn't matter at all.

george

Thanks for the ideas, guys.

George, while I'm aiming to get a flat base, it's not absolutely critical. What I'm aiming for most is to make a hole without surrounding tear-out. I tried a regular bit first on scrap material, and the paper around the hole is lifting up to form a tiny mushroom. Do you get the same thing when making your peg holes?

08-03-2009, 01:20 AM	#1
Scrolling Days Jigsaw Puzzle Maker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Along the Lower Niagara River Posts: 1,214 Blog Entries: 5	Need a REALLY Small Forstner Bit I'm looking to find a really small bit, in the 1/16" to 1/8" range. Most kits, etc, don't seem to have them under 1/4". Has anyone ever seen a smaller sized bit, and if so, do you know where they could be found? Thanks! __________________ Shawn Ferguson Come visit at The Ferguson Puzzle Company !

08-03-2009, 01:23 AM	#2
Gill Fallen Angel Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,625	Why do you need one? Why won't a conventional lip and spur woodworker's drill bit suffice? __________________ There is no opinion, however absurd, which men will not readily embrace as soon as they can be brought to the conviction that it is readily adopted. (Schopenhauer, Die Kunst Recht zu Behalten)

08-03-2009, 01:41 AM	#3
Scrolling Days Jigsaw Puzzle Maker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Along the Lower Niagara River Posts: 1,214 Blog Entries: 5	I'm trying to drill shallow, flat bottomed holes into a puzzle without any surrounding kickout of the wood and the paper material. Want to inset something into the wood, similar to John B's "Google Eyes" technique. A 1/8" bit would be perfect, I think. __________________ Shawn Ferguson Come visit at The Ferguson Puzzle Company !

08-03-2009, 01:54 AM	#4
Gill Fallen Angel Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,625	A lip and spur drill bit should meet your needs. It will not create a perfectly flat bottom because of the spur, but the projection will probably be so slight as to be insignificant. If you insist on having a perfectly flat base, you will probably have to resort to a router cutter mounted in a router. __________________ There is no opinion, however absurd, which men will not readily embrace as soon as they can be brought to the conviction that it is readily adopted. (Schopenhauer, Die Kunst Recht zu Behalten)

08-03-2009, 02:00 AM	#5
Scrolling Days Jigsaw Puzzle Maker Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Along the Lower Niagara River Posts: 1,214 Blog Entries: 5	Thanks, Gill. I had a Brad bit in a 1/8" size, so I gave it a shot. You're right; it worked as well as I would have suspected the Forstner would. The problem I have now is that the center spur is going too deep and out the back of my 1/4" plywood when I'm at the depth that I need for my base. That will be a problem with the Forstner as well. Hmmm. I'll have to fudge around with it some more. Thanks for the idea. Maybe I can find a bit with a smaller spur. This one seems kind of big. __________________ Shawn Ferguson Come visit at The Ferguson Puzzle Company !

08-03-2009, 03:38 AM	#6
Wood Dog Senior member--Absolutely Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: MA USA Posts: 3,451	How about grinding the spur to fit your needs? __________________ WD

08-03-2009, 05:10 AM	#7
JohnB 1 Tin Soldier Rides Away Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Kalgoorlie, Western Australia Posts: 4,859	G'day Shawn, WD beat me to it. Hit it on the grinder __________________ Regards John "The Golden Mile" I got holes in both of my shoes Well I'm a walking case of the blues Saw a dollar yesterday But the wind blew it away Some of my Stuff Retired Medically Unfit WA Police Officers

08-03-2009, 05:50 AM	#8
woodgeek Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Oregon Posts: 123	How about a straight router bit. Flat on the bottom. I have never tried one in a drill press but maybe... __________________ Rod in Molalla Oregon happily cutting with a DW 788

08-03-2009, 11:47 AM	#9
sawdustus Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,975	As long as you chuck the router bit in very tightly it should work in a drill press. Medium speed (1100 rpm or so) is probably best. Just make sure it is a very sharp bit or it will tear out the entry edge. Or, as others have said...grind the tip off the spur bit. When I insert pegs into my tray puzzles, I just use a regular wood bit. The little concavity at the bottom of the hole doesn't seem to matter and the wood will break before the glue joint does. With epoxy, it really doesn't matter at all. george __________________ A day without sawdust is a day without sunshine. George delta 650, hawk G426

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