Replies

1. 
   roc | Jul 19, 2012 01:35am | #1

   Fellow Knot and Metal Rat At Your Service

      1.   spade bits.  . . . are they a poor choice for woodworking in general ?

   If really sharp they work.  I think mostly best for rough work in softer wood.  They splinter going in and coming out.  It is kind of hard to start from the back side once the point comes through so you can drill the back side clean and the very long spur means a thick back up board if going all the way through from one side.

   Also they are difficult or impossible to drill in at an angle unless you feed really slow and even then they are less accurate than the forstners etc.

   When you get into nicer work you will want and buy the Forstners or similar but different names so then you really don't need the spade bits.  The spades are cheep for doing rough work but woodworking in general is not an inexpensive hobby so bite the burrito and spend the money to get good tools and you will have saved money (that you would have wasted on the cheep bits) when all is said and done.

   2. It seems like the drill doctor is okay for twist bits, but can do nothing for brad point, forstner etc.  However, there is a new model out for spade bits (DDSB).   I was looking at this model over others on the premise that spade bits are a real part of the woodworker's tool kit.  However, if spade bits are still out of favor, then I would look at other Drill Doctor models.  Can someone show me the light on this one?

   That is right, for the older Drill Doctor which I have and recommend for twist bits.  Way better than hand sharpening on a grinder, which I understand and can do in a pinch.  Forget the pivoting clampy tool to use with a bench grinder.

   It takes some mind bending study and visualization to under stand what needs to happen when hand sharpening a twist drill.  The DD is like sharpening a pencil and you can get back to work.  Takes a few attempts in the beginning but from then on it is fun. quick an painless.

   The spades and even the forsners are super easy to hand sharpen.  Just get some files for the spade bits (or better yet don't get the spade bits at all ) and some diamond hand files for the others I use these all the time

   http://www.amazon.com/EZE-LAP-PAK5-Color-Coded-Diamond/dp/B002RL83DQ/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1342674467&sr=8-29&keywords=diamond+file

   There are lots of other diamond files that may work better for the smaller bits; just search around.

   Here is another conversation.  Sorry, the links there seem to be out of date.

   http://forums.finewoodworking.com/node/102541

   PS: you may want to look into auger bits.  Used with a hand crank called a "Brace"  Here is a file for those

   http://www.amazon.com/MAGBIT-303DLX-FILE-MAG303-Auger-File/dp/B005M273E2/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342675856&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=spade+bit+file

2. 
   Westchester | Jul 19, 2012 06:04am | #2

   Drill Bits

   The drill doctor is something you can do without.  You can sharpen twist bits yourself on a grinder.

   The spade bits are good when you only have a 1/4 inch chuck drill with you and need a large hole. Ten of them take up no room in your tool box. In the shop I use them when I need to start a hole exactly at a center point - a drill bit can wander some. It is also easy to grind the sides of a spade bit if your working with dowels that weren't milled exactly as their fractional size lists them at.

   SA

1. 
   roc | Jul 20, 2012 12:04am | #3

   Easy to customize.

   grind the sides of a spade bit if your working with dowels that weren't milled exactly as their fractional size lists them at.

   I was going to mention that but couldn't think of a case in woodworking where I used it.

   The one time I did grind the sides of a paddle bit was I made a tool to hand ream bicycle rims from the skinny European Presta valve hole size to the larger American Schrader valve size hole.  Twist bits just screw them selves into the hole and Uni-Bits are not long enough.

   The tool I made was left larger at the top and ground so it deburs and chamfers the edge of the hole.  I was always proud of that bit of the bit.  I made it very sharp so I can carve the aluminum just like if it were wood.

   I use it monthly at least.

   Personally I prefer the skinny valves but that is getting off the topic.

1. 
   Westchester | Jul 20, 2012 06:57am | #4

   Dowel Size

    The dowels I buy locally don't always run exactly 3/8th of an inch. They can be smaller - you can grind the spade bit.  Here's another use (pictured) - ever had to extend a stretcher in repair work without making a new spindle.  The guy who came up with the idea did make matching bits and sold them on line.  I guess sales were not good since most folks just grind their own bits.

   SA

   
3. 
   swenson | Jul 20, 2012 08:25am | #5

   Spade bits

   So what do you do with unused spade bits when you switch over to forstners? Weed your garden. No joke. If you search Neater Weeder you can see it in action. It's nothing but a long 11/4 inch spade bit. I made one with an extension and an old bit and it worked but was a little short. So I bought one and by gosh it is great. You use a cordless drill and just drill weeds. Sometimes they are left on the dirt with their roots and stems chopped up, but mostly they wind around the shaft till you have a ball of weeds six inches in diameter. Vines like wild strawberries come out like a charm. You can see them snaking thru the garden from all points of the compass and winding on the drill. What a crazy idea for whoever thought of this in the first place.  Sounds like a commercial but I have no financial interest in this thing.  That probably means I’ll get stopped as spam.

   Swenson

1. 
   Westchester | Jul 20, 2012 04:14pm | #6

   Spade Bits

   Mr. Swen - I'd like to place an order for one - 30 in. long Garden Spade Bit Weed Remover - the 1-1/4 in. size paddle is fine.. Please enamel it in a pink gloss for my Mrs. - who'll be the one using it - I'm too busy on the computer to help in the garden-

   SA