my centrotec conversion and bit collection

[bryan1982]

Hi guys long time reader here

I dont post much but i do enjoy reading what people are doing and how they do things

Here is my collection of centrotec bits i use daily

Left 3.5mm long. 4.5mm long. 4.5mm spur bit. 5mm spur bit. 6mm bit. 10mm bit. Long driver bit.
4.6mm tct countersunk bit. 3.6mm tct countersunk bit.
lenox hole saw arbor

Cheers

Bryan

 

[Doug S]

Brilliant! Always frustrated that certain bits are not available in centrotec so have to keep swapping chucks. Guess it will work out expensive, does anyone know are the bit holders available by themselves or only in the packs including drill bits? I will be copying though, thank you.

 

[promhandicam]

Has anyone worked out a way of using a drill bit smaller than 3mm in a centrotec holder? For pilot holes for 4mm screws 3mm is too big - Festool really need to do a 2mm bit.

 

[Doug S]

Promhandicam, with a little bit of grinding some of the hex end type drill bits will fit in the centrotec chuck (not the type in holders where you can replace the bits, normally too short in the shank), I use the bosch ones and they make a 2mm bit. You just need to grind the corners off and grind a line round so it locks in, just copy a proper centrotec bit.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I want that 2 mm bit too. 3 and 4 mm screws are my most used sizes, and I want to be able to drill pilot holes for them.

 

[bryan1982]

I want that 2 mm bit too. 3 and 4 mm screws are my most used sizes, and I want to be able to drill pilot holes for them.

So i did it 2.5mm bit and or any size you can buy with a hex shank

I simply put the drill bit end in my cordless drill and used a file to mill the shank down to the size i needed took 10mins to get it done.
i fit this one into a 5.5mm centrotec thats what i had laying around. 6mm would have been better.

Here in aus you can buy the centrotec shank and drill bit upto 10mm ( be carrful the 10mm bit is a 8mm shank.

8mm is what i needed for my combo drill counter sink bits they were 29$ ea

I use these every day and the time saved for me installing kitchens is awesome.

Cheers

Bryan

 

[Stone Message]

This is jumping the gun a bit (sorry for that pun) but I am getting ready to make a video about Centrotec. I have been doing some preparation and keep finding comments like those above...

- Festool need to include more drill sizes from 2 mm upwards and they need to include 0.5 mm increments.

- People would like to see the brad point sizes go up to at least 12 mm.

- The Zobo bits, with or without Centrotec connectivity, need to have more sizes in the range and perhaps start at 10 mm and rise in 1 mm increments.

The danger with this is that someone else may decide to beat Festool at their own (Centrotec) game and produce a larger selection of bits, in a greater range of sizes and perhaps undercutting Festool's prices.

I would be really grateful if people could let me know their thoughts via PM rather than hijacking Bryan's thread.

Peter

 

[AlexThePalex]

The danger with this is that someone else may decide to beat Festool at their own (Centrotec) game and produce a larger selection of bits, in a greater range of sizes and perhaps undercutting Festool's prices.

Doesn't sound like a danger to me at all. I would love to see more manufacturers adopt the centrotec standard and expand the range. Perhaps in time, it could become a widely used standard. That would be awesome.

Festool's offering is really limited, and I don't like it. They create the nicest quick change system I have yet seen, and then offer only the most basic kit you can imagine. Even then leaving out basic things like a 2 and a 12 mm bit. They leave the field wide open for other manufacturers, and I hope a bunch of them come up to fill the gap Festool created.

It is all nice of course you can make your own adaptations like Bryan shows here, but I would prefer to get it all perfectly engineerd from the shelves and would pay good money for that.

 

[jonny round boy]

I was at a tool show recently, and Trend were there. They had the regular Snappy bits, and I asked the rep if/when the Centrotec snappy bits would be available here in the UK.

"We don't do those bits for the Festool drills" came the reply. I then pointed out to him that they did exist, and were available stateside. He looked a little surprised (to be honest I'm not sure he believed me!) and said there were no plans to release them here, and that he didn't think there would be much demand for them. Then added that I was the second person to ask him that - this was within the first hour of the first day of the show!

I've been meaning to order some from the U.S. for over a year now, but not gotten around to it in the hope that they'd come out here, but I guess that's not going to happen!

 

[neeleman]

I just ordered a Snappy set like in the picture below.
Besides some drills it's the only Centrotec set Snappy makes until now.
An English FOG user is picking it up for me in the USA (Thanks Fishy).
Should arrive at the end of the month.
Although Trend UK were also willing to send a set from USA to Europe for me, so that makes 3 interested people.
I wish that Festool or Trend/Snappy will design more Centrotec compatible bits.
Snappy has a wide collection of potential Centrotec bits.
[attachimg=1]

 

[promhandicam]

So we now have something else that is NAONA (not available outside north america) [big grin] I wonder if there would be enough interest from members here in the UK to make it worth importing some direct from Snappy? I've got various regular snappy accessories and just use them in the standard BH 60 bit holder.

 

[Stone Message]

So we now have something else that is NAONA (not available outside north america) [big grin] I wonder if there would be enough interest from members here in the UK to make it worth importing some direct from Snappy? I've got various regular snappy accessories and just use them in the standard BH 60 bit holder.

Maybe we need a shipping container going one way with NAONA and coming back with NAINA  [wink]

Peter

 

[ewils91]

So we now have something else that is NAONA (not available outside north america) [big grin] I wonder if there would be enough interest from members here in the UK to make it worth importing some direct from Snappy? I've got various regular snappy accessories and just use them in the standard BH 60 bit holder.

Maybe we need a shipping container going one way with NAONA and coming back with NAINA  [wink]

Peter

Now there is a marriage made in heaven. [big grin]

 

[eddomak]

I simply put the drill bit end in my cordless drill and used a file to mill the shank down to the size i needed took 10mins to get it done.
i fit this one into a 5.5mm centrotec thats what i had laying around. 6mm would have been better.

I also tried doing this for a #2 Philips head bit but seem to be getting nowhere with the 2nd groove - it is nowhere near deep enough after 10 minutes (Paul-Marcel seems to do it in 5 minutes in his video). Does it make a difference that I am using an impact driver rated bit to start with (ie is it a lot harder steel)? Is there a particular file that is better to use?

Also, has anyone done the reverse - put an additional groove in a Centrotec bit so that it can be used in a non-Festool drill/driver? I use a small Makita 10.8V drill driver (yes, I know it is not a CXS  [tongue] with the quick-swap chuck, but it is fantastic at what it does) and it would be good that even in the instance I shell out for Centrotec bits then I could also swap them straight in without adding the space overhead of the centrotec converter bit, then the centrotec chuck etc.

 

[mac sparrow]

So we now have something else that is NAONA (not available outside north america) [big grin] I wonder if there would be enough interest from members here in the UK to make it worth importing some direct from Snappy? I've got various regular snappy accessories and just use them in the standard BH 60 bit holder.

Yes.  I'm in the UK and would be interested in some Snappy Centrotec items if it goes ahead.

 

[mac sparrow]

Thanks to Festool Fishy I now have the Snappy Cabinet Makers Set.  Thank you very much sir.

 

[Peter Fish]

Mac Sparrow  I hope you enjoy your Snappy set

I have others  If anybody in UK is interested please contact me

 

[SoonerFan]

Maybe we need a shipping container going one way with NAONA and coming back with NAINA  [wink]

Peter

Y'all in Europe would need to find a lot of people that want the Snappy bits to fill the space for all the stuff we'd want that is NAINA.