Buy This, Not That | Drill Bits 

I really like this type of "Buy this not that"

Please do more of these. So many ideas: blades, bits, sandpaper, tapes, etc etc. so helpful for relative newbies like me.

I think the main reason the Amana countersink bit does not burn the surface of the wood is because of the bearing holding the stop, allowing the depth stop/collar to stop spinning. I bought one years ago based on your recommendation Mark and is definitely my favorite.

The Amana countersink stop is on a bearing. Never knew such a thing was even available, thanks for sharing the knowledge.

So as a new wood worker I find this information helpful. I believe in buy once cry once method, even with consumables

Great information! The brad point bit comes in extremely handy when drilling the center for pen turning blanks too!

Spade bits. They are cheap. You can grind them and shape them. You can drill a conical "hole" for a tool holder. You can get a completely custom diameter for a vise you're installing on your workbench. Doesn't happen often, but it's a thing you can do. You can even shape them for cleaner entry into the stock.

Marc this is one of the best ideas I've seen on a wood working channel. You should do one once a month or once a quarter. I've made everyone of these mistakes. It blows to spend money only to find out for a little bit more you could have purchase the right tool in the beginning. A little extra can save spending twice! Great job and thank you!

Highly recommend these videos. I find them very useful. Also a video on when and why to use certain screw heads/types or just use nails would be great.

I use spade bits when I need the reach, since they are typically much longer than forstner bits. So I wouldn't discourage their existence in a woodworker's shop altogether. Still don't have the Amana countersink, but it is definitely on my list. Making do with twist bits and a separate countersink bit. Love your content, thanks!

Amazing video. Think I've already made a few of these mistakes as far as tool purchases and learning the hard way, but glad I came across the video. These types of videos are what us new to fine woodworking need!

Thank you for this video, I'm really new to woodworking and I bought a cheap set of countersink bits because tools are so so expensive. My collars are always clogging or wiggling lose to the point that I rarely use them just to avoid the frustration. This Video helped a lot

Very informative to the novice woodworker. Thank you for taking the time to save us time and frustration in the future. Love the videos.

Some great tips here. I was first introduced to brad point bits via recommended tools on a guild project. Game changer bits.

I've learned the hard way about all those tools you've shown. This would have saved me significant cash. BTW, I think an explanation of the basics about the differences between a jobsite, hybrid, and cabinet saw would be really helpful to newbies. I trusted a DIY magazine and learned a hard lesson about jobsite saws where the fence can make or break a projects.

This type of video is exactly what I needed as a newbie to woodworking. Many thanks!

I love my Fisch brad point bits! Made a huge difference in quality holes!

I'm still learning a lot of these things one by one the hard way. Would have been nice to learn this stuff in the beginning of my woodworking journey! Thanks man

Love this type of short and informative video. Well done and thank you!

Never new bradpoint bits and counter sinks that had a stop collar existed. Much appreciated! Good idea on videos like this.

I like this video format a lot! This was quite helpful. Thank you!

Great video: clear and concise! Thank you! A few other tidBITS (pun intended) for those following this: * If you use spade bits, they are also available with tangs at the corners, which can reduce tearout. Still a far cry from a Forstner. * Black oxide HSS (high speed steel) twist bits are generally fine for ordinary household work, you don't necessarily need the gold Ti-N coating or carbide or what not. What does make a big difference is the quality and sharpness of the bit. Chicago-Latrobe bits are expensive, but consistent and superior to what I find at the big box stores. There are various tip angles available, 118deg is the most standard, but don't sweat this unless you are doing a bunch of metal work. * There are special twist drills for plastics that make a big difference. * Twist bits are available in several length types, "jobbers" length is most standard, "stub" length is stiffer. * Center punches/awls make great starting holes. * Inch-series flat head screws for wood are most commonly 82deg heads, but they vary. Metric is almost always 90deg. * There are tapered and stepped bits for various purposes, Marc shows a tapered bit on in the "lesser" countersink setup in the video. I have not seen tapered bits in the sweet Amana countersink. * Experiment with your drill rotational speed and "downforce"/feed rate: you can go too fast or too slow and make a big impact on quality and heating. * The drill guides from Big Gator Tools are remarkably useful if you need to drill semi-straight, don't have a drill press and/or are not so capable at holding your drill plumb. Your mileage may vary with the larger/more complex drill guide systems. * A brace with an auger bit is something you really need to try out: can be awkward at first and definitely slower than a power drill, but it is a different connection with the wood, and much easier to stop!

Really helpful video. I use brad point and Forster bits but I didn’t know about the Amana countersink bit. Many thanks!

Great breakdown of bits! I do love the Amana countersink bit. Oh, and it's so awesome seeing a new video from you each week!

Great video. The number of countersink drill bits - from cheap to expensive - is mind boggling (I've come to love the Amana tool). I would not mind some follow up - perhaps in a future video - on matching drill sizes (and countersink diameters) to screw sizes, and when to use straight v. tapered screws and drill bits.

As simple as it may sound, it’s information like this that really helps. If you have no one to teach you tips like this (I have no one in my family or friend network who likes woodworking), so how can you find out from online sources what’s great information or just biased opinion. Thanks for this Mark, and I’d like to reiterate what others have said in the comments and ask if this could be a regular thing, please, and also include other woodworking items that you’d find helpful. Cheers.

Thank you for the countersink tip! I've never seen that one before and had the collar ones.

Great, Marc~! I'm totally onboard with the first 2 recommendations, but that countersink bit is a new one for me. I'll be going online to shop for some to replace mine. I hate having to clean out the jammed sawdust between holes. Thanks for the info~!

Short, sweet, and tasty information for us newbies out here. Thanks Marc!

Thanks for the helpful little "bit", Marc!

I absolutely agree with you on the Amana counter sink bit. It's fantastic! I love it! I use nothing else! Also, I've enjoyed your videos! Thanks for sharing.

Latest project- hinge ended ip misaligned. Finally bought a self centering bit. Wow was that nice for the rest of the project. BTW- i never knew that brad point bits had side cutters. Definitely getting a small set.

Always great info. Thank you for what you do.

If you're doing any dowel work without a jig, bradpoint bits are a must! Really liked your version with the spurs or cutters on the outer edge too! I do have a soft-spot for spade bits primarily because they cut so quick. The obvious use case as you say is construction, but if you are creating any wooden mechanical projects they're just so darn quick for prototyping too.

Great video. I learned the brad point and forstner bit thing a while back but that countersink thing explains a lot of my frustration with the ones I have.

I am a woodworker, but by trade I am a pipe organ builder. So I have without exaggerating, drilled tens of thousands of holes, of all sizes. I agree with a lot of what you are saying, but I think more is better in this case. Just keep them all 😏. In the case of the combination bits, I always convert them to straight drill. I don’t like those tapered things. I also never use the collars for the exact reason you stated, but I almost always have them in a press with a depth stop set. Anyway, love your content, and enjoyed the video.

Great video Marc, very informative. Funny thing is, as I'm sure is the case for some of us, I'd come to all these same conclusions .... but had to get some years under my belt to figure them out. If only I'd seen this video years ago ;) Keep up the great work, I'm enjoying all your new content, and will be watching for more tips!

This is great, more of these please.

100% would also recommend 2-3 vix bits for installing hinges.

Spot on Mark. Here in Australia, a good quality brad-point bit can cost me anywhere from $10 to $20. However, it is so worth it when you think that you are drilling into a $40 piece of wood for a good project :)

These are cool.. More of these please!

Excellent video, I learned several things in those 5 minutes. Thanks, Marc!

Super helpful, Thanks Marc

You say the words "drill press" and I somehow find myself spending an hour online shopping for a new one I can't afford yet. Thanks a lot! ;)

Make more of these videos, I command you!! 😆 love it Marc!!

Wish I knew this years ago. Unfortunately went through the process of finding all this out through trial and error. I completely agree with mark on all the chosen bits.

Thank you for making this video. Very helpful inputs. God bless

Great video and very helpful too! Thanks!

I love my Amana countersink bit - works fantastic. The only downside is that sometimes the bearing is just too big for tight spaces so I have to remove the bearing or resort to one of my more traditional countersinks.

Great tips Marc! Thanks.

Loving this format! Please please please continue doing these kinds of videos. I’ve wasted far too many dollars trying so save a penny

Thanks for the tips! Used to use separate bits for the countersink and just recently finally pulled the trigger on an all-in-one set that, unfortunately, is the type you don't recommend. Oh well, I typically only use one size 90% of the time anyway, so maybe I'll pick up the Amana in that size only.

Awesome video Marc, I think you should do another video like this with, well anything blades. Tools, whatever. I have found the same things as you with all those bits. Having all 6 types myself. Lol so it works just be cool to see some other similar type things with other woodworking info. Thanks for another great one.

The Amana countersink rocks, but would also recommend the Festool snail counter sinks, they are super sharp, always a great finish, albeit they don’t have the stop which I miss.

I really love the Honesty, Decency and Integrity in this video. 😉 Top Notch. 👌

Great video need more of these!

Always good information

Marc, you're a great communicator and teacher. I agree with all below - this kind of content is extremely useful. When I 'discovered' brad point bits, it was like the sun coming out after a dark night of frustrating woodworking. In your video, I now know where to find that awesome countersink you use. Final thought - based on reviews, the Brad Pitt bits are just way-expensive, standard brad point bits in fancier packaging. Do not recommend.

I primarily use a bit and follow up with the counter sink. I have found the cheap versions leave an unbalanced surface when the countersink portion engages the wood. I believe I will look into the Amana bits or something similar. 👍

I have a really old countersink attachment that you can put on a regular drill bit which works on a small range of sizes and it stays on with a couple set screws, and it works really great, but I have never found any product like it ever again. It looks a little like some of the cheap countersinks you can buy at Home Depot or Lowes, but was actually designed to allow more than one sized bit.

Good points. A few other points to consider: 1) Screw/Stub length bits (opposed to Jobber length) are short bits that are useful for tight spaces, tall drill press stacks, and higher precision when drilling holes on the drill press. 2) A spring punch/awl will help you get an accurate start with standard drill bits 3) Auger Bits are useful for very deep, large holes. They are basically forsner bits with very long, large flutes to carry away chips. They're tend to have screw tips to pull them through the wood and lean more toward rough work, but are useful in certain situations. 4) It's worth buying big box quality drill index, then replacing frequently used individual bits one at a time with high quality bits from a company like Precision Twist. The better bits will hold their edge, are worth getting sharpened instead of throwing them out, and do a much better job.

Famag Bormax forstner bits are amazing and seem to last for years. I've been using a 3/4" one for three years and it just keeps making perfect holes in wood as dense as Cocobolo.

One suggestion I would add, is that, when you 𝗔𝗥𝗘 shopping for Spade Bits, to purchase the ones with Spurs on the outside edges of the blade. Spurs are magical.

Irwin have put out a 3 flute bit with a small screw tip that cuts like a spade bit. They call it the "Speedbore". It's exceptionally fast but it's a real beast once it bites.

So helpful, thank you!

Thank you Sir , that was very educational 😊👌

Lol😅🤣😅, "wasted a lot of money on tools to almost do the job I needed them to do" that's me! I have standard twist bits, had issues so it was recommended to me to buy some little bullet-looking tool to make an indented dot (which I have). Need brad-point bits. Didn't even know those were made 🤔. The closest thing I have is the KregJig bit & not quite the same 🙄 I have spade bits & Forstner bits. Don't have any of the countersink bits, but I do have some large cutting hole bits that are not in this video. They look like countersink bits but with saw-looking blades around the big circles. Anyway, thanks for the informative video 😁

I bought the Amana countersink based on your previous recommendation and love it. However it was confusing which size to get until i went to their website where it was more clearly spelled out. I accidentally bought the #4 the first time and I kept breaking its tiny drill bit. Now I have the #6 and #8 (the one you linked to) and it works perfectly. I find myself actually pre-drilling more than I used to and having better and more predictable results.

I have been using the Brad point then cou ter sink after because of the issues with all in ones. Will gran that Amana though looks like it solves the issues and save a little time, thanks.

When you held it up at the end, I wish you'd mentioned zero flute vs nth fluted counter sinks. After ruining a piece of oak with a 5 flute bit and learning about zero flutes I'll never go back. The zero flutes just makes such a nicer finished hole.

Great video! It sounds basic, but I found this to be so informative! Definitely more videos like these please! Oh, and I too Freudian slip Brad Pitt as well! Haha

One thing I like about spade bits is that they’re easily customized. I recently needed to drill holes that were just under an inch across for some roller bearings. All my 1” bits were too big so I ended up grinding a little off the edges of an old spade bit. It worked really well and I didn’t feel bad sacrificing a more expensive forstner bit.

Same, when I was starting out, I used the standard twist bit and they always walked on me! I had to use a punch to start them and it didn’t always work. Thanks for the video as I still didn’t know the names of them, I just know what to avoid.

I learned from Christopher Schawrz to use a spade bit for making stick chairs. Just make sure they have the outer spurs and you sharpen them.

In general I agree with your advice here, but I find that if I have to drill a (usually larger) hole, I gravitate to the spade bits. Not sure if this is a 'rest of the world' thing, but my spade bits have spurs and if I drill have way through until the tip pokes out the other end and then drill from the other side, using the little hole left by the tip as a guide, I get very clean holes and way quicker than with my (arguably crappy forstner bits.

All thoes bit are really good for what they are ment for. I have all, I use them all.

I would add battery powered nailers. Maybe not from a quality standpoint but certainly from a time/ efficiency standpoint. Especially on the job. Being able to disconnect from cords and hoses is a game changer

The countersink + drill bits that I have don't have a collar at all. So they never clog or make divots around the hole - but you don't automatically get the depth right. On harder woods, that's not really a problem because progress with the actual countersink part is fairly slow - but on soft woods it's very easy to get the countersink going in too deep so the screw isn't just nicely flat on the surface - but buried a quarter inch BELOW the surface...which isn't really good. At any rate - these are the only kind I saw on sale at Home Depot...so that's what I have.

Really awesome tips, dude! Thanks a lot! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

You don't get burning on the Amana because the collar is able to spin freely. So once it hits the wood it stops moving and isn't able to actually mar the surface. The cheaper one is fixed with a set screw and so once you get to final depth it's actually spinning against the wood an you get friction burns.

Love the shirt man!!!!!

great tips

Greate Video and Tips, Im Long time fan!! But one small correction: The bit that you had introduced as "regular twist bit" is not desigend to drill wood. Its a common mistake but its actully designed to drill metal not wood, and sould be used after utilizeing of a centerpunch for precise drilling. That's actully the reson of the unprecise drilling in wood, the tearouts and somtimes even burn marks. using them on wood wont hurt them, but if doing so it is recommended to use a centrpunch to mark the hole center first

I have a set of Irwin spade bits that have spurs on them. They a cut a very clean hole.

Thanks. Concise and useful info. Skookum.

Thank you

Thank you!

I totally agree on the Brad point bits And the counter sink bits But spade bits are cheap and versatile and if you keep them sharp (which is easy to do on the bench grinder) they cut great and sometimes fore hard wear you nead a wear size grab a spade bit and grind it to size not saying that I don't use fostner bits.

i'll add one. not necessarily a bit, but still for drilling. Dont buy a doweling jig that you have to wedge by hand, if you need exact lineups. for ruff projects, they are fast and easy, but if you want your parts to line up perfectly, get a jig that clamps on the edge, so you dont shift it a tiny bit while drilling.

Yes. Please do one on Allen wrenches and the like!!

I bought one of those Dewalt quick change drill/countersink and Phillips driver set after seeing Norm use one. They are convenient but man do they clog up fast.

Dude I need that countersink. What about the tapered drill bit option on that? Yay or nay?

There is one more drill bit that I would recommend having - it's the drill bit made special for drilling hinge screw holes (the self-centering bit) Hettich makes a good set, Festool makes one for the 5mm screws or blum for smaller screws

Excellent do more

I appreciate you recommending the Me Point bits.

Where u get those wood screw with square shape

Thanks

Great video.

I don't know in the rest of the world but in Spain the first drill bits you show are "metal" drill bits (conic) and "wood" drill bits (barbed).

I know this isnt fine woodworking but im building a timberframe shed for my garbage cans and i dont have a brace and bit. What drill bit would you recommend? I was thinking it might be between brad point and auger but ive hurt my arm a few times with an auger but when it catches a knot and the drill yanks my arm. Any help from anyone appreciated.