Hi all,
I have recently started making some little timber clocks and I’m using a 3” forstner bit in a drill press to cut the back out for the movement piece.
I am not overly familiar with a press..
my problem is it keeps stopping when I start putting any pressure on the wood at all. The first few times I used the bit it worked fine. Stopping occasionally but only if I put too much pressure. Now I’m lucky to get a mm Deep. I’ve tried sharpening the bit. And I believe the press is at its lowest speed.
I’ve made sure the wood is clamped down both sides so it doesn’t wobble. Im just stuck with what else could be causing it. Im not sure how old the press is. It was part of the station when we bought it.
Replies
I could not swing such a large bit in my old Ryobi drill press - even on the lowest speed there is simply not enough torque.
It is worth checking that the belts in the top of the drill are tight and not slipping - many small presses also have the ability to adjust tension. A new belt might help too.
If that does not work then probably your only option is a new drill press.
Drill a pattern of smaller holes inside the 3" ring with a regular drill. The forstner will remove the remaining material much more easily. The more you remove the easier it will get. Make sure you leave the certerpoint for the spur to grab.
I often had this problem when using large Forstner bits on my old 1980s era drill press (a version sold by Menards). As mentioned above, sharpening the bit helps as does ensuring you have the right belt tension and use low speeds.
However, I felt the most important technique was using just the right amount of pressure… Not too much, otherwise it will bind and not too little, because it will burn and not cut. It literally required just the right “feel.” It was kinda like using a handplane… Which literally requires a feel between you and the tool. Which kind of makes sense because Forstner bit is essentially a hand plane going in a circle. Give it a try.
You said it was doing better, then got worse. I'd check to see if the belt or belts are slipping. I've also seen the quills slip, badly, on cheap small drill presses.
Is the motor still spinning when it bogs down? Or does the motor stop when the bit stops?
Motor stops. It is an old press so maybe it’s just a cheapy haven’t even looked for a brand on it to be honest. So will try a few of these comments and see how we go.
The drill press simply doesn't have enough power to use a forstner bit of that size. Check to see if the belt has different pulley positions available. If it does, make sure the belt is on the largest pulley on the drill press quill and on the smallest pully attached to the motor shaft. This will give you the slowest speed on the forstner bit but the highest torque. If that doesn't work, you will likely need to find a larger machine or different method. Have you tried using a hole saw rather than the forstner bit?
Agree with JohnC^. If that's all good, you don't have enough power, or you're using an inferior bit.
Make sure the spindle is 90° to the table in both axes!
Different approach, assuming you have a router setup. Use a regular drill bit and drill press to drill out the entire circumference just inside the line. Then knock out the waste. Then use the 3" fostner bit to make a template in 1/2" MDF. Use this template to then smoothly rout out the 3" circular hole with a flush trim bit.
Thanks for all the comments, I’ll check the belts are tight. And make sure my wood is flat as I think there is a slight bow in it. Maybe that’s pulling it up.
If that’s no good I’ll drill some of the 3” template out before using the forstner bit and hope that works.
Thankyou!
If you're drilling all the way through try a hole saw.
Mikaol
You said that you tried sharpening the bit. Since you don't have much woodworking experience, I suspect that you may not understand how the cutter works and may have rounded the cutting lip over. If so, the bit won't cut no matter how powerful the drill press, nor how hard you push down on it. How did you sharpen it? When you push down lightly, does the bit spin on the wood and burnish it, or does the bit stop turning? If it spins, it's had the cutting lip rounded over.
Drill a 1/8” pilot hole to depth. This will reduce the effort required in downforce and enable the centre point to enter the wood more easily.
Regards from Perth
Derek
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