Keep us updated Barry, I need some new forstner bits.ordered this yesterday, arrived today, used it this afternoon, works great so far, cuts like butta in the chunk of dry olive I used it on. we will see how it holds up over time. the price was a fraction of the next priced similar item. The actual item I got had a different name on it, but appears to be the same product.View attachment 203999
Yea I remember you posting about that Matt, that's when I put one in my cart, I think the one you got was Roman Carbide, which was $36 for the size I got, this one was $14, the Roman Carbide do look beefier though. I got the cheap one thinking what the heck, not too much to loose if it turns out to be junk, but first impression is that it works great....I've used a couple of those cheap carbide forstner bits with great results and would like to buy more. I've got a 2 1/8" one that I've used to drill out probably 20 or so mug blanks with, entirely end grain drilling, about 6" or drilling for each blank, and it's still going strong.
60mm = 2 3/8, The bit I use most is 3". I have extended it to the max on several occasions in hard wood with no problems, I guess I must be lucky...@barry richardson
Barry, 60mm is a big bite. I tried the go big or go home method of drilling a hollow form on the lathe. Maybe I was too aggressive, maybe the wood was too hard, I was probably extended too far. Whatever the combination was, it resulted in a bent quill. My practice now is to step drill and work my way up.
Matt, any idea of what "C" number the carbide is rated? ........... Jerry (in Tucson)Man, Barry, you remember more about the bit I bought than I do - I just remember that it was blue!
Let us know how the one you bought holds up! I checked and the ones I have are Roman Carbide and I've been happy with them. But I'm not opposed to buying an even cheaper one if it's worth it!
Matt, any idea of what "C" number the carbide is rated? ........... Jerry (in Tucson)
It could be that the bit had a hard catch on initial contact, I always try and flatten the surface where the bit makes initial contact. Also agree that the quill is not very strong steel, I stripped the threads out of my first one, I believe by cranking big bits into wood, that were getting dull..... basically abusing it, lol....Maybe I should have eased in with lighter cuts. I never imagined bending that on a 3520B. I could not figure why it wouldn’t retract into the tailstock until I took it out, set it on a flat surface and shined a light under it. Chinese (Taiwan) steel?
Do I see another basket weave convert in the making??Really needed a better indexing option on my 3520B. I saw that Ed D. had a good aftermarket system (Alisam Engineering $99 plus shipping) and I discussed it with him. Took me a few weeks but I finally pulled the trigger. It arrived yesterday and and I tried it out and it worked great. I've been going to something about getting better indexing on this lathe for years.
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