The Brad point bits I have are junk. They're home center grade. They're not all ground straight and the Brad points are off center. Where can I get a pro quality set? Not too concerned about price.
[OP]
Contributor
The Brad point bits I have are junk. They're home center grade. They're not all ground straight and the Brad points are off center. Where can I get a pro quality set? Not too concerned about price.
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"Not too concerned about price?" sounds like a job for lee Valley. http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...80,42240,42247
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Yep. Thats what I went with, the box set of 28 and they have been awesome so far. After that set I replaced all my drill bits with Lee Valley ones for all types. Expensive, but so far they have performed better than anything cheaper Ive tried before.Originally Posted by Mike Nolan
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[OP]
Contributor
Good call. Didn't think of them.
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
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Why brad points? Why not use regular twist bits?
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Brad points are for wood, regular twist bits are for metal (in general terms).
I have used a lot of brad points over the years and the absolute best are from Forest City tool, it is a sister company to Whiteside in NC and built its business supplying the furniture industry in North Carolina as did Whiteside. Quality American made bits.
Colt and Famag also make great bits as does Lee Valley but they are all a step behind Forest City in quality. Fuller also makes a great bit BUT I haven't used them in years so I can't speak to the current quality.
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Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
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Brad points cut cleaner in wood.
Contributor
I too have the Full Set from Lee Valley.I really dig all the in between sizes, they have saved my butt on many projects.
But as Van mentions only for wood.And they do have a diiferant feel when using them in a cordless drill.
They sometimes will self feed.
Aj
That's what I run as well.
Forstner Index (4).JPG
Apples and oranges. Lipped brad points give you super clean entrance and exit holes. The center spur disallows wandering. If you are just boring a hole for a screw almost anything will do. Dowels or precision hardware can benefit from a little more precision. Like a lot of things, if you haven't missed them, you probably don't need them.
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Wl FUller.
Have lengths, diameters that are unprecedented in the industry.
(Number, wire, fractional, metric etc.)
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I'm very happy with my LV set.
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I have a set of Colt brad point bits that work well for me. Perhaps, not quite as good as the Fuller but a little Lee's in cost.
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It is important to note that Colt makes more than one quality level of brad point, as do many manufacturers. The most common to see are the Twin Land and 5 Star versions. The Twin Land are quite economical at roughly $20 for a 7 piece set where the 5 Star bits are about 4x the price. The Twin Land are actually a quite good bit for the price and it is hard to do better at the price and have gotten quite a bit of use out of the couple of sets I have had in the past, I still have several of my less used sizes and don't hesitate to use them.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Contributor
+1 I went with these, and I'm glad I did.
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