Spade Bits

[smitty0312]

Anybody use these instead of forstner bits? Just curious.

[wood-n-things]

Not instead of but have used them. I typically will drill down until the pilot/bit breaks through and then turn project over and enter from the other side to avoid tear out.

[Bill Wilson]

I've used them frequently over the years, but mostly in construction/home repair type of applications. In a drill press, they would work fine for some woodworking tasks, provided they were sharp, but the advantages of the forstner bits make them the preferred option in most cases, for me.

[Hawaiilad]

I use both. I ran into a problem of late with a forstner bit not being long enough for what I was drilling through...not having an extender, I ended up using a long thin drill bit to drill a center hole through the chunk of wood, flip it over and use the hole to center the forstner bit to drill the other side. Just make sure you drill into the center of the hole or you will be off center when using the forstner bit on the back side.

[tvman44]

That is all I have, they do not make quiet as clean a hole as a Forstner.

[KJS]

I will use the spade bits in my drill press for that type of thing occasionally, but I only have them up to size 1-1/2" so they are kind of limited for larger holes. Unfortunately, they only seem to hold an edge about as long as a Gerbil holds a thought, which doesn’t appear to be very long.

[Davisjr]

I purchased a set of spade bits from Harbor Freight about a year ago. Used them for all sorts of little projects at home and used them at work also. Have worked very well and still in great condition.

[daveW]

I use both, depending on the project...usually for rough hole drilling in heavy stuff (home and stud drilling projects ) they're not really good for something that requires a decently finished hole.......thats when the forstner bits are used, unfortunatly my larger sizes are limited to my wallet........biggest forstener I have is 2 1/4 inch and addmitedly, those larger sized are NOT used too often. my forsteners are all MADE IN USA.....and built well.