Centrotec drill bits

[AndrewG]

I have the opportunity to purchase a brand new (old stock) installers kit at a price that I’d be irresponsible to not buy. The kit comes with the set of HSS twist drill bits from 3-8mm in 0.5mm increments, as well as 28 replacement bits. The kit also has the set of 5 full length brad point bits (3,4,5,6 and 8mm). This was a handy find as I’m in the process of changing my drills to Festool, and therefore taking advantage of the centrotec system.

Now, I prefer brad point bits as I’ve pretty much always used them and I only work in wood. I do have twist drill bits, including my countersink, but I reach for my brad points when I can. They’re not the best quality, and I got random sets with either broken or misplaced bits. I just like how accurate they are with points, especially when drilling multiple holes.

I don’t do all that much drilling/screwing but when I do, I want excellent results. So I’m thinking of buying the remaining brad point bits that I need, 7,9, and 10mm and potentially selling the twist drill bits and with the money, buying the in between sizes. The problem is, I don’t think, or at least I can’t find here in Australia, Festool brad point bits that are in 0.5mm sizes, eg 6.5mm. The other option I considered was buying the imperial set which would give me a slight variation with the metric.

So my questions are, does anyone use twist drill bits exclusively in wood? And if so, why do you choose them over brad points.

Also, what options are there for centrotec brad point bits that are non Festool? I looked at the famag set but couldn’t tell if they were centrotec or not.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[Jim_in_PA]

There's no issue using plain twist bits in wood, although it's a good idea to pre-mark "the spot" with a punch if location is super critical and you're drilling by hand. They cut just fine. Brad points obviously make that easier since you can eliminate the pre-marking.

 

[Gregor]

Festool centrotec brad point wood drill bits only exist as 3-8 (1mm steps) and 10 mm.

The interesting part with the HSS D CE/M drill bits is that they consist of two parts:

We have the HSS drill bits (available as spares) itself
View attachment 2

and the centrotect holder for it
View attachment 1

So you should (havn't tested that in practice, but the theory looked feasible when I physically inspected the set a while back) be able to convert normal (brad point or not) wood x.5mm drills (with a quick angle grinder treatment to create the dado in the shaft) to be accepted by the HSS holders of the matching size.

 

[Cheese]

So my questions are, does anyone use twist drill bits exclusively in wood? And if so, why do you choose them over brad points.

Also, what options are there for centrotec brad point bits that are non Festool? I looked at the famag set but couldn’t tell if they were centrotec or not.

It’s really just a matter of how accurate your hole diameter needs to be and also how accurate the location of the hole needs to be.

Brad point drills are easier to locate precisely (a relative term) but they aren’t necessarily any more accurate when it comes to the finished drilled hole diameter. The accuracy of the drilled hole diameter depends more upon the chosen methods used to drill the hole and less on the type of drill bit used.
Take a 1/4” diameter premium brad point drill and a 1/4” diameter premium metal style twist drill. If both drill diameters are measured and are the same, then the finished drilled hole diameters in hardwoods, will likely be within .002” or less of each other. Certainly not a deal breaker for woodworking projects.

What’s probably more important is accurately locating the position of a drilled hole. Brad point drills are easier to position, but not necessarily more accurate.

For instance, if drilling a precision hole pattern in maple, I’d prefer metal twist bits used in a knee mill over brad point bits used with a hand drill.

Also something to think about is when you need that odd sized hole. Sometimes it’s a letter drill, sometimes it’s a number drill and brad points just aren’t available for that situation.

I guess the bottom line is, to use brad points when you need to index the holes easily (notice I didn’t say accurately) but to not be afraid of using SHARP twist drills if the need arises.

One last note, I’ll use a brad point drill to locate a hole and then use a twist drill to enlarge the hole. Especially in hardwood, the cutting flank of the twist drill bit will self center on the hole created by the brad point drill and everything will be within a few thousands of being concentric.

As far as Centrotec goes...well that was a good idea gone awry.  You can brag about the virtues of the concept all day long, but at the end of the day if there’s no product available to use, then what does it matter?

That one’s all on Festool, I rather think of it as their Bitcoin option. Something that exists...but not in the real world.

Forgot to add, the real advantage of brad point drills is the cleanliness of the holes they produce because of the side spurs.

 

[Ben63]

I rarely use my brad point drill bits. Just because I want them to be sharp when I really need them. I do not often use screws in furniture, never so they are seen (If not for ex. hinges). When restoring my wooden boat, made of fir, teak and mahogany, I really need those bits. They make nice sharp edged plugholes. Especially on shaped surfaces. Easier to plug, and looks good.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I very often use my HSS bits for metal to drill in wood, simply because those are the ones I have most of the time with me. They work just fine. The brad point drills cut quicker in wood, so if you have a lot of holes to drill they're my choice, but I see no difference in precision.

 

[Svar]

In addition to what was said, brad points cut cleaner with less blowout on through holes. The difference is particularly obvious in softwood and with larger diameters.

 

[mrboult]

Yeah i love my brad points. Clean exit holes and high placement precision with out the need for a centre punch first. I keep them for specific high spec work.

The regular hss drill bits i just replace with a bosch/makita bits. Keep a file in the tool box to make the appropriate flat spot needed for the centrotec holder..

 

[Cheese]

When restoring my wooden boat, made of fir, teak and mahogany, I really need those bits. They make nice sharp edged plugholes. Especially on shaped surfaces. Easier to plug, and looks good.

Hey [member=68659]Ben63[/member] , is there a particular brand of brad point drill that you favor?

 

[Alanbach]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] - I use brad point bits from WL Fuller out of Warwick, RI. They are the people that make the tapered bits with the countersinks that come in the orange wood blocks. You might have seen them before. Their bits are expensive but they are super accurate, sharpened correctly and built to last. I believe that it is wlfuller.com

 

[mike_aa]

......Also, what options are there for centrotec brad point bits that are non Festool? I looked at the famag set but couldn’t tell if they were centrotec or not.

Thanks,
Andy

[member=16995]AndrewG[/member] 
Axminster in UK sells a variety of Centrotec fitting drive and drill bits by other manufacturers.  They have a  set of six brad point bits by Fisch that fit Centrotec.  They ship worldwide including Australia.

Mike A.

 

[Cheese]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] - I use brad point bits from WL Fuller out of Warwick, RI. They are the people that make the tapered bits with the countersinks that come in the orange wood blocks. You might have seen them before. Their bits are expensive but they are super accurate, sharpened correctly and built to last. I believe that it is wlfuller.com

Ya thanks for that...  I expect that Ben63 is also using Fuller brad points. Especially for boat building, you'd want the drilled holes to be as clean as possible when being plugged for both aesthetic and functional reasons.

I currently have a mix of Fisch, Colt, Festool and Fuller brad points. I'm kind of leaning towards replacing them with Fuller as the others wear out. The Fuller's do cut really clean. [big grin]

 

[rmhinden]

I purchased a range of Snappy Tools "Drill Bit Adapter with Festool Centrotec compatible shank" and matching Brad Point bits from Tools for Working Wood.  Links:
https://www.snappytools.com/product...l-bit-adapters&query_type_product-category=or
https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TD/item/MS-BPD.XX

It's working well for me.  I think the bits are made by Fuller.

 

[Alanbach]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member] - in my experience, when it comes to brad point bits the key is finding a really good sharpening shop that has commercial customers that cause them to sharpen a lot of BP bits. Proper sharpening is key and apparently sharpening BP bits properly is challenging. I am lucky in that I live in a big city (Houston) so finding a shop with that level of expertise is fairly easy.

 

[AndrewG]

Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate it. I’ll look into all the suggestions and let you know what I come up with.

Are there any centrotec brad point bits on the market that come in 0.5mm eg 6.5mm etc? The ones mentioned from Axminster are similar to what Festool offers. At this stage I’ll look at buying the remaining brad point bits in Festool, and go with another company for the in between sizes. It would be nice if Festool sold a full kit like the HSS twist drill bits.

Cheers

 

[Ben63]

Ya thanks for that...  I expect that Ben63 is also using Fuller brad points. Especially for boat building, you'd want the drilled holes to be as clean as possible when being plugged for both aesthetic and functional reasons.

I have a small set of Festool brad points. Unfortunately here in Finland is no dealer for Fuller. I’m pretty happy with Bosch. I’m no expert on drill bits.