Sunday, August 7, 2016

How Not To Treat A Tool


I found this Freud FB-011, 1 1/2" Forstner bit in a neighbour's garage.




Oh my God. What a freaking mess. The bit must have been left out in the rain in its unsealed package, then put away unattended to.

I'll clean it up on the wire wheel machine as best I can, and try it out.

Here it is after a wire wheel treatment of the shank and the cutting head's periphery.


The inside of the cutting head just isn't accessible for rust removal. Using the drill should clean up that area somewhat.

Here it is having seen some action.


The rust has probably dulled the drill a little, but it drills to perfectly true nominal size.

Here's the Freud drill again next to a Busy Bee 1 1/2" Forstner bit.


The Busy Bee item drills slightly oversize, but it does have the virtue of being much more affordable. Freud's Forstner bits are not cheap.

Freud appears to have obsoleted the 'FB' series of Forstner bits, and replaced it with the 'FC' series. The 'FC' series is carbide tipped.

By the way, Benjamin Forstner was quite an accomplished gentleman. His invention of the drill bit that bears his name made him a wealthy man.

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