Aftermarket centrotec tapered drill bit

[Davesbuildtips]

Were you aware that there is a centrotec chuck fitting on this after market tapered drill bit? Click here to see more detail

 

[Cheese]

Were you aware that there is a centrotec chuck fitting on this after market tapered drill bit?

Ya, that's a fairly recent addition to the Amana countersink line. The original countersinks were only available with standard 1/4" hex ends, but in the last 12-18 months they've added Centrotec to some of their product. Here are 3 Amana countersinks purchased 3-4 years ago and the Centrotec version purchased within the last year.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have had one of the regular hex style bits for many years, but didn't know the Centrotec version even existed. I'll have to look into it.

 

[4nthony]

I have had one of the regular hex style bits for many years, but didn't know the Centrotec version even existed. I'll have to look into it.

Same. I looked up when I ordered mine and it was one year ago this weekend. I don't remember if there was a Centrotec option at the time but I would've ordered it had I known.

I wonder if you can order just the countersink with Centrotec and swap it out with existing parts?

 

[Crazyraceguy]

It appears so [member=75283]4nthony[/member]. Amazon shows it as Amana #55644 for the #8 size screw anyway.

 

[4nthony]

It appears so [member=75283]4nthony[/member]. Amazon shows it as Amana #55644 for the #8 size screw anyway.

Thanks for that! Looks like the 55644 countersink is a proper Centrotec whereas the one in Cheese's photo is like a combination Centrotec/hex shaft.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Tools Today appears to carry all of the Ammana Centrotec compatible countersinks.

 

[thudchkr]

Tools Today appears to carry all of the Ammana Centrotec compatible countersinks.

That’s where I’ve purchased most of my Centrotec countersinks and tapered drills. Just do a search for “Centrotec” on their website and you’ll get a good look of the Amanaofferings that are available.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Tools Today appears to carry all of the Ammana Centrotec compatible countersinks.

That’s where I’ve purchased most of my Centrotec countersinks and tapered drills. Just do a search for “Centrotec” on their website and you’ll get a good look of the Amanaofferings that are available.

Yup...the search is your friend.

All of my current countersinks are Snappy Centrotec, but if I decide I need to upgrade to a better one for, say, the #8 screws that are my staple fastener, I'd very much consider these excellent Ammana tools.

 

[Mini Me]

I am not a Centrotec rusted on fan but I bought the Festool CS bit many years ago and it has done well over ten thousand holes and shows no sign of dying. I took a big deep breath because it cost so much when I bought it but all these years later I think it is the single best Festool product I have.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I am not a Centrotec rusted on fan but I bought the Festool CS bit many years ago and it has done well over ten thousand holes and shows no sign of dying. I took a big deep breath because it cost so much when I bought it but all these years later I think it is the single best Festool product I have.

The biggest advantage of the Amana offerings is that they are carbide tipped. This is of at least mild concern for drilling into wood/wood products because of the wear factor. They last longer, but the real beauty is if you need to countersink into some other materials. Plastic laminate (HPL) is especially difficult. It's not hard to drill into, because it's so thin, but it is exceptionally "hard", so it wears on cutters of all kinds, even carbide, but much less than the typical steel of countersinks.
The common 4 flute ones, like Fuller, have pretty thin flutes, they wear/dull very fast, plus they are driven by the drill bit itself, with grub screws. When I discovered the WolfCraft version, I switched immediately. They are 3 flute, with much thicker flutes and they drive by the hex rather than the bit shank. I used them for years, until the first time I came across a need to drill/countersink into thick phenolic. I actually had to build some cabinets from that stuff. The steel countersink just wasn't having it. This was when I found Amana. The carbide tips are the perfect solution. I knew nothing of Centrotec at that time, the CSX got me into it later.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

That's a good point about the carbide...long, long life does make the higher initial investment disappear over time.

 

[Cheese]

The biggest advantage of the Amana offerings is that they are carbide tipped.

Speaking about carbide tipped...here are a couple of photos of the HSS Festool vs the carbide Amana countersink.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

[attachimg=3]

 

[Mini Me]

I take your point about the carbide but I have yet to experience a noticeable loss of performance using the Festool bit. If I was countersinking into phenolic, aluminium etc or very dense hardwoods on a daily basis then carbide would be a necessity. I did buy a carbide tipped CS many years ago from LV simply because I was building a deck with over three thousand screws with help and needed two bits to be used by the other person and it was a lot cheaper than the Festool bit.