Thread: Help Please

The only thing I can suggest is to remove some of the waste first with a smaller spade or auger bit. Maybe 3 or 4 holes around the perimeter then drill slowly with the sawtooth bit. I can lend you a couple more sawtooth bits if that helps.

Best Wishes
Steve

Wow, what a job. Only thing I can think of is get new clients that enjoy Western Red Cedar for their handrails

On a serious note, I can only think of drilling large amounts of 3/8 or 10mm holes around the circumference of the circle and beating the bits in between out with a chisel then take to the inside of the hole with a rasp.

If you're not into rasping, you could get a damn good hole saw - Blu-Mol make really nice ones - and then cut down to depth of hole saw cut, then chisel out waste, then repeat cut through piece. Alternatively, drill a pilot hole through the piece and make a cut from both sides of the post and with luck the hole saw cuts should meet in the middle.

Regardless - this will take a few good tools down with it. All the best mate!

Can you lay the posts down flat?
if yes use a router, template and an upcut spiral router bit

Hi HazzaB,
A hole saw usually last longer because it only removes the kerf wheras the poor forstner bit has to remove the entire solid cylinder of waste. I've used 2 kinds of hole saw. 1 has a row of typical saw teeth along the edge and the other has 2 or 3 carbide teeth with a gullet in front of each. I think the second would work better in jarrah.
fletty

Tungsten Carbide tipped Forstner should handle that amount of holes plus more.

Hey There,

Thanks fro the imput guys, the suppliers here can only get super duper forstner and carbide tipped jiggers up to 50mm (2") we need 54mm (2 and a Bit) The boys have it sussed at the moment I will probably be asked to fix the next problem sometime soon. I showed them how the bit should be sharpened but after the weekend the instructions will need to be re installed.

HazzaB

Get hold of a auger bit the right size that's what auger bits are designed for

If you can get an auger bit of the right size, that would be most direct. Otherwise, consider that Forstner bits work best for the rim cuts, because the bottom chisel undergoes a lot of torture - it's worst with end grain, but cross-grain in Jarrah would still be torture. Although it's somewhat tedious, progressive drilling with multiple sizes might work, without destroying the bits.

First, drill with the largest size, to establish the rim diameter and a divot for the next smaller size.
Using the previous divot, drill with the next smaller size, and establish its rim diameter.
Proceed downward through all sizes, until you have a through hole of the smallest size.
The final profile wil be a series of stepped cylinders, all concentric; minor eccentric deviations have little consequence, though.

Using the previously established rims for alignment, proceed upward through all sizes, to the final diameter. These will all be rim cuts, and more benign to the bits, as well as the driller.

"All sizes" need not be ALL the bits in your set, just increments of rim cut thicknesses.

The suggested procedure is bad enough for a single hole. For multiples, it would probably be simplest to drill all 30 holes for each drill size in succession, and switch bits for application to the next 30. If the posts are already in place, multiple mechanics would best be employed, moving from post to post.

Cheers,
Joe

Hey Joe,

Great idea, I will see how the boys have gotten on tomorrow and suggest that we do the job in say 3 goes, thanks for that.

Hey China, where do you reckon I would get a 54mm Auger bit from ??

HazzaB

This probably isn't very helpful for an immediate solution but thought it was worth a mention...

Word on the street is that these bits are absolute rippers - Colt MaxiCut Forstner Bits

Carbatec stock a 5 bit set but its biggest is only 35mm. A 2-1/8" bit does exist but as to getting one quickly, I wouldn't have the foggiest.

Originally Posted by RedShirtGuy

This probably isn't very helpful for an immediate solution but thought it was worth a mention...

Word on the street is that these bits are absolute rippers - Colt MaxiCut Forstner Bits

Carbatec stock a 5 bit set but its biggest is only 35mm. A 2-1/8" bit does exist but as to getting one quickly, I wouldn't have the foggiest.

Thanks for the reminder about Colt. More aggressive bottom chisel. My browser stumbled on the link, but accessible under "Woodboring & Drilling" in the left side menu.

Cheers,
Joe

HazzaB sorry I don't know where you would find a auger that size I have one but I've had it for years and I think I bought it from Colton Palmer & Preston , unfortunatly they are long gone