Need a drill bit

[curlyoak]

I was thinking of a brad point 3/8". This is for 3/8" flat grain plugs. The work is large enough that there would be a measure of work for me to set up and do it alone. I want to do it with a portable drill. I do not have a lot of thickness but enough IF the drill does not get sucked in too deep. I know different bits will act differently. But which one will be best on the sucking part. I need a bit with a center point to use for drilling the screw clearance hole. Or should I do the set up with the drill press? But still the bit matters too.

[woodbutcher74]

You can get a stop collar pretty cheap at the big box stores. 

[..Kev]

Drill press with the depth stop and a brad point bit for the best consistent results.  Since it sounds like you may also need a pilot hole for a screw, you might consider a countersink/pilot set up which I believe most are 3/8" so, you'd just be running it deep to achieve what you need..

Unless I completely misunderstood your post?

[RichardA]

3/8 forstner bit will drill to the depth you need and give you a center point to start your screw. And for better and more consistant results. Set it up on the drill press.. There you have depth stop and the same distances each time. 

[curlyoak]

I forgot to add that the drill press is junk. My only depth control is raising and lowering the table. I am on the lookout for a replacement. I have a makita hand drill. I will see if Home Depot has a depth stop. I will look at the combo choice while at home depot. Fostner could work too. It is not a pilot hole it is a clearance hole. The pilot is where the screw still bites. In the next piece of wood.

[wtnhighlander]

Brad points tend to pull themselves in. Fostner is a cleaner hole, but can wander easily in a handheld drill.

Make a spacer block by drilling through a scrap with the 3/8 brad point in your drill press. Make sure the faces of the scrap are parallel. Adjust the thickness of the scrap block to reveal the drill depth you need when the bit is thru the block, and the block is against the chuck of your hand drill. Straight drilling guide and depth stop in one.

[RichardA]

Raise or lower the table to your need. Make a fence from scrap, and drill to your heart's content.  You can allway's take a 1/8th brad point to go through the center point of the forstner, to get the grip you need.

[curlyoak]

6 hours ago, RichardA said:

Raise or lower the table to your need. Make a fence from scrap, and drill to your heart's content.  You can allway's take a 1/8th brad point to go through the center point of the forstner, to get the grip you need.

That is the routine that drives me to replace the old drill press. And this becomes due to size, is 4 handed. I'm going to play with some scraps to see if I can execute with the hand drill. On smaller pieces I can manage with the drill press.

[curlyoak]

I bought a 3/8 fostner  and tried it on some scraps. No pull. A clean and controllable bore. It also has a center point which helps me locate the bore for the clearance hole. Home depot didn't have a depth stop handle to buy. Im confident I won't need one. Thanksfor the comments.

[RichardA]

2 hours ago, curlyoak said:

I bought a 3/8 fostner  and tried it on some scraps. No pull. A clean and controllable bore. It also has a center point which helps me locate the bore for the clearance hole. Home depot didn't have a depth stop handle to buy. Im confident I won't need one. Thanksfor the comments.

Do you have a small hose clamp?  you can put that around the bar and use it as a stop.

[woodbutcher74]

This is what I was talking about. 

[curlyoak]

3 hours ago, RichardA said:

Do you have a small hose clamp?  you can put that around the bar and use it as a stop.

I would consider that if I did not have confidence in the fostner bit.. The fostner bit was very easy to control. The exact depth is not critical. Too deep is no good. So I have a lot of fudge room and I know where the danger is. I saw the collars in the hardware store. That idea has merit. So I bought the fostner first to see if I liked it.

[RichardA]

If you plan to do this in a portable drill, the chances of errors multiply.  You need a way to keep the bit straight, and your depth controlled. I wish you luck.

[wtnhighlander]

The new forster should do ok in the hand drill. When it starts to dull at the rim is when it really tries to wander out of line.

[curlyoak]

4 hours ago, RichardA said:

If you plan to do this in a portable drill, the chances of errors multiply.  You need a way to keep the bit straight, and your depth controlled. I wish you luck.

Based on several test holes, it is easy. The way for me to multiply errors would be to use my junk drill press. No need for you to doubt me. Unless I did not try a few hole first. But I did. If you are a gambling man, bet on me. And the inside info is I only bet on me if I am dead sure!

[Mark J]

Just let us know when your ready to buy that new drill press.  We'll help you spend your money; we excel at it. 

[curlyoak]

Smooth and easy. Zero pull on the fostner. The flute is 5/16" high. So I had a reference point for depth. And the bit helped me in plumb. As the bit starts to score the wood it tells you where you are off on plumb. All holes are drilled and good. There was no luck involved here. A brad point would need a collar. The bit goes into a box of loose bits. This one has the cutting edges wrapped in blue tape. It will outlast me I expect.

[wtnhighlander]

If you aren't familiar with forstner bit operation, I recently discovered that deep holes must be cleared of chips very frequently. Otherwise, the chips pack in behind the flute head and jam the bit like a wedge. Bad enough to require digging it out...

[curlyoak]

On 10/17/2019 at 11:05 AM, wtnhighlander said:

If you aren't familiar with forstner bit operation, I recently discovered that deep holes must be cleared of chips very frequently. Otherwise, the chips pack in behind the flute head and jam the bit like a wedge. Bad enough to require digging it out...

Good to know. I do use forsners, mostly bigger ones, and I don't recall any deep holes in the past. Thanks for the tip.