Do you know the specific size bit you will need? You may be better off buying a better quality bit for the same money as a cheap set. Here’s why I say that - I wonder about the glue/bonding agent used to make OSB, and how abrasive it may be on a fine cutting edge.
I wonder if any OGs have this kind of experience with OSB?
I’m probably just high…
I’ve installed heaps of OSB and have never noticed it to take the edge off of cutting tools any more so than plywood.
I would hesitate to use it around water, because it swell so bad and looses its strength when wet.
If I was you I would get a set of hole saw bits.
They make nice through holes, whereas forstner bits really shine where you drilling into something, but not through it, because it leaves a nice flat bottom.
If you want the outer flange of the drain to sit flush you could use a router with a plunge bit and freehand the cut or use a round template
on a 3/8" piece of osb you can trace it and cut it out with a razor knife in about ten minutes and assure yourself of not messing up the hole.
I have been trying to move this way too after just getting cheap sets for years, they’re great to have for coverage but I realized that everyone kind of has a few sizes they use the most depending on what they do. I want to start getting more high speed steel (HSS) industrial bits and less carbide-toothed ones, I have burned out a bunch of bits running too fast and hot in dry hardwood before, which is also a user problem but you can’t do that to HSS.
@Nitt you can get really high quality single bits of every type (this one is custom-made to their specs) or sets of various price levels but assured quality from Lee Valley Tools, that’s a really good and reputable source for woodworking and other hand tools that I like. They chose to offer saw tooth bits more like the hole saws @Dope_Heffalump was talking about.
These are true saw tooth bits, not forstner bits with rim notches. The teeth have a skewed shear-cut design to prevent fiber pull and to give clean holes. They have slightly sloped chipping bevels so that bits ride a shallow cone of wood to keep them boring straight. Center brads can then be shorter, increasing bit versatility in thin material. As a last touch, bits have been finished with extra-fine grinding wheels to reduce friction.
Overall length is 5" for bits from 1 1/16" to 2", and 6 1/2" for bits over 2". All have 1/2" hex shanks.*
https://www. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/drilling/drill-bits/forstner-and-saw-tooth-bits.com/en-us/shop/tools/drilling/drill-bits/forstner-and-saw-tooth-bits
When it comes to Forstner sets, it seems like the base level one everyone on tool forums is satisfied with is the Porter-Cable, then bump up to Bosch and beyond:
https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-PC1014-Forstner-Bit-14-Piece/dp/B004TSZEB4
I’m not worried about that.
I’m not worried about this either. But I understand what you’re saying.
Thanks.
Yes, I know. That’s precisely the point of my post and why I brought up a forstner bit. I’m not trying to drill a hole clean through with the forstner bit. I have plenty of holesaws, spade/paddle bits, and step drill bits.
Great idea. That’s a much bigger purchase though (a router). I have a dremel tool and a couple “router bits” and the attachment. I might try that, but I think it’d take a long time - because of how small it is…? Hmm. Good suggestion though. Thanks.
Yea, thought if this. Probably not a great idea in practice though. You’d have to kinda chisel the material out or something. Too risky (when you can’t just go pick up more wood easily if you fuck up).
Don’t know if you mean before or after drilling the hole, either. Either way, I duno about that.
Thanks.
Familiar with Lee Valley. Good stuff there. Went to their store when I was in Alberta.
I also heard in a random video that the woodworker guy liked the wavy/saw tooth style.
A square shank would be useless to me though - I think. This is for a power drill with a standard 1/2" chuck.
Might look at my dremel kit later.
Thanks everyone.
Edit: I also broke my 1/8" drill bit that I used for pilot holes. I have a couple of the milwaukee kits (shockwave) but they are so fuckin’ short, the 1/8" is not even long enough to get through the 1.5" of a 2x4. Now that I just looked up the packaging to remember the name, I realize that maybe they’re so short because they’re metal bits? But still - I need to get a set that are longer immediately somewhere. The most common thing I do is drill pilot holes for screws in 2x4s.
First one I tried with the milwaukee had the screw break in half once it got about 3/4" into the 2x4 behind. Had to rip the wood piece off and back it out with pliars.
I thought I had a few tabs open that were going to explain short bits, and long bits (types), but they were all stupid, and did not.
Are there categories I should be looking for here? Are wood bits generally longer or something?
The mastercraft 1/8" bit I had was about 2.5" to 2.75" long maybe…
Hex shank is what I want. I use them in an impact often as well.
-Sorry this is a bit off topic for the thread.
In terms of bit lengths, you may find this link informative, Drill bit sizes - Wikipedia
You want to look for “jobber” drill bits:
Or maybe even “aircraft” bits depending on how long you need
I’m currently reading it, haha! Thanks dude.
Cool. Thanks Wizard.
I’ll be getting something asap.
2 3/4” jobber length bits to never run out of those again:
I don’t think I’ve run into the problem of the an 1/8 bit being so short as to not make it through a 2x material.
There are times that I will only insert the bit a short distance into the chuck for that extra distance, but that’s usually after breaking the bit and reinserting it.
I’ve used some very long bits for drilling into timbers, but nothing smaller than a 1/4 inch diameter
I usually only predrill the holes for screw if it’s towards the end of the board to keep it from splitting.
With all the awesome predrilling screw available and the use ofimpact drivers, life is much simpler than back in the day.
Sounds like you have a grounding in construction, possibly residential?
Are you familiar with stereotomy? It’s an absolutely mind bending method of construction that requires the builder to see the world in a different way. Sounds weird, I know, but it is really stunning. For me, perhaps the most amazing thing about this medieval construction method (it’s how all of Europe’s cathedrals, palaces, and every other kind of large building) is there is no math involved at any point. Numbers may be used for measuring lengths, but that’s it. And yes, it’s how Notre Dame was built and it’s how it’s being rebuilt - no math!
Here are a few models built by students in the past.
And a detail of one project. Honestly, as an experienced woodworker, I wouldn’t have the vaguest inkling of a clue where one would begin to build this. Not a clue.
And finally while it no longer exists, this was an actual balcony on a mansion (palace?) in Paris. It’s hard to wrap my mind around designing and building that. WTF! I think that guy was doing drugs!
Gotta get ready for Pilates.
Im a commercial carpenter - mostly big heavy stuff or metal framing, but I have also worked residential framing, when I was younger.
I am a wannabe timber framer for myself, but I have very little experience.
stereotomy - I have heard the name and I follow a stereotomy guild on Facebook, but I have never dived into the subject.
licensed carpenter here 2 things i use a Walmart kids metal detector to look for things thousands of feet of wood thru only twice missed something both times i think they were a mini ball from a musket maybe lead anyways and i use second hand store box fans and tape furnace filters on to the face works well for knocking down demo dust like plaster
if the hole is already there then center point on the bit will do no good. weather you use a forstner bit or a hole saw you will need to drill thru a peice of wood to act as a stay put or the bit will take off on you take some mad skills to drill thru an existing hole as there is no material to hold the pilot
Yes, I know. And no, there is no hole there already.
I guess I have mad skill, as I’ve done it a couple times. I cheated though. It’s pretty easy.
Pretty much every hex shank one listed (on amazon) are that short. And I think I’ve learned that it’s less common to find hex shank with “jobber” length bits from what I’m seeing. Just the mastercraft brand I had and broke, and a makita gold set (on amazon), which has people in the reviews making comments pertaining to exactly this “issue”. (It’s probably not an issue, if looking for round shank bits. I’m seeing over 95% of the results for jobber length bits are round shank).
Not an option for hex shank.
I hear you. It’s ok for some applications, and not for others, I suppose.
Talking about brands/models of actual screws themselves? I’m just using home depot gold colored “high performance construction screws”. They have a nicer/sharper thread (with almost like a tooth/gap type thread). They seem “better” in ways than the basic silver wood screws that are also available there. But, I’m not gonna get any specialty screws or anything.
I don’t remember breaking any of the silver ones back years ago when I bought those. But I’ve broken several of these golds ones. I’m super cheap with them though, and when I take apart some “contraption” I’ve built from dimensional lumber, I put/sort those screws back into my assortment of used ones, separate from the new ones, which might account for the breaking of some of them - because they’ve possibly been driven or impacted into stuff before. I assume they “stretch” a little, maybe? Or the shaft twists? Like some bolts are made to do? Maybe the gold ones are a bit “harder” too (HRC)?
Thanks man. Appreciate it.
My wife bought got me a decent metal detector birthday present a couple of years back that came with a pinpointed metal detector which I use to find nails, it’s so sensitive it even picks up rust.
mine is a phisher price kids one present for one of the kids that got regifted to myself one day they work
To me those are definitely “enthusiast” or “pro-grade” fasteners, those sound like the HD house brand version of these Hillman Power Pro wood screws I started getting last year, I’m totally sold on the slight extra cost over basic box fasteners. Like you said they’re much sharper and better designed threads, and the other improvements all seem worthwhile too. Robertson square drive was ok but I love love love Torx and the related multi-lobe standards. I get these at my local True Value hardware so they must be available everywhere:
They have a crazy toothed thread to start themselves I still like to predrill when I’m taking my time but it seems to really work:
