Wood_Junkie
Member
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,311
Here we have the 8 piece, Festool Centrotec Wood drill set. This particular set is in Imperial sizes... good for those of still in the ice age of measurements.
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The set comes in a nice clamshell case that locks closed, and flips open along the bottom. The bits inside are held in a pre-fit foam insert. This does a decent job with the smaller bits, however the 1/2" bit and the countersink come "loose" if you turn the case face-side-down. As long as you place it right-side-up before opening it, the big bits finds their way home and don't come tumbling out. There's room for some improvement here, but it works alright.
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The 8 piece set includes the following bits, shown left to right in the photo:
1/8", 3/16", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16", 1/2"
The countersink is a 3/16" - 19/32" (5-15mm) single flute countersink.
All bits have the Festool Centrotec shank.
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The overall bits cutting lengths (excluding shank) are as follows:
1/8": 1-1/4" long
3/16": 1-1/2" long
1/4": 2-1/4" long
5/16": 2-3/4" long
3/8": 3-1/8" long
7/16": 3-1/4" long
1/2": 3-1/4" long
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Here is the 1/4" bit being inserted into the Centrotec chuck. You insert it 'through' the Centrotec's guide hole by retracting the green tab on the chuck, and then rotate it slightly to seat the hex shank into the drill's drive shaft.
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I decided to do test drilling in cedar, as it's so particularly easy to get tear out and fuzzy cuts (using normal bits).
Here is the 1/4" bit tearing into the task. First a straight hole (vertical), and then an angled hole.
The side spurs score the cutting hole very nicely, and the flutes clear chips quickly.
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Here is the 7/16" bit that I'm using to drill a very deep hole into the 3/4" wide side. This can be a risky move, as the bit can split soft woods if the cut is of low quality and the chips don't get cleared well.
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Here is the result. The Festool bit chewed into that hole with aplomb and is tearout free, with only the slightest hint of fuzz around the hole.
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Here I've used the countersink on the 7/16" hole. The off-centeredness is my fault... But you can see that the countersink is chatter free and quite clean. It's not perfect, but then again a flat screw head would cover it. The circle's circumference is very clean, which would be visible.
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Now shown are all available hole sizes with the bits in this kit, in order from smallest to largest, left to right. All came out pretty nice.
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Up closer you can see that the smaller sized holes have more 'fuzzing' than the large ones. If you look closely in the holes you can see the clean cut sides and the nearly flat bottom of the hole. It's not quite as flat as a Forstner bit would produce, but pretty close.
[attachthumb=#]
Like all Festool cutting accessories I've handled thus far these drill bits are impressively sharp, made to perfection, and work superbly (enough superlatives?).
I would not use these for everyday tasks... e.g. predrilling plaster for mounting pictures; drilling framing/construction lumber, etc which would be a waste of fine tooling. Reserving these for the making of finer things, or with splinter-prone wood will result in longer life, sustained sharpness, and quality results.
At a current price of $125 for the set, they aren't cheap. But it's a relatively decent bargain if you consider that the countersink alone lists for $41. Removing that, the seven drill bits average out to $12 each. Definitely not your China made cheapos from the hardware store. But you are not getting China made cheapo quality. Additionally, these integrate with the Centrotec system, allow for nearly nonexistent runout and very quick bit changes.
[attachthumb=#]
The set comes in a nice clamshell case that locks closed, and flips open along the bottom. The bits inside are held in a pre-fit foam insert. This does a decent job with the smaller bits, however the 1/2" bit and the countersink come "loose" if you turn the case face-side-down. As long as you place it right-side-up before opening it, the big bits finds their way home and don't come tumbling out. There's room for some improvement here, but it works alright.
[attachthumb=#]
The 8 piece set includes the following bits, shown left to right in the photo:
1/8", 3/16", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16", 1/2"
The countersink is a 3/16" - 19/32" (5-15mm) single flute countersink.
All bits have the Festool Centrotec shank.
[attachthumb=#]
The overall bits cutting lengths (excluding shank) are as follows:
1/8": 1-1/4" long
3/16": 1-1/2" long
1/4": 2-1/4" long
5/16": 2-3/4" long
3/8": 3-1/8" long
7/16": 3-1/4" long
1/2": 3-1/4" long
[attachthumb=#]
Here is the 1/4" bit being inserted into the Centrotec chuck. You insert it 'through' the Centrotec's guide hole by retracting the green tab on the chuck, and then rotate it slightly to seat the hex shank into the drill's drive shaft.
[attachthumb=#]
I decided to do test drilling in cedar, as it's so particularly easy to get tear out and fuzzy cuts (using normal bits).
Here is the 1/4" bit tearing into the task. First a straight hole (vertical), and then an angled hole.
The side spurs score the cutting hole very nicely, and the flutes clear chips quickly.
[attachthumb=#] [attachthumb=#]
Here is the 7/16" bit that I'm using to drill a very deep hole into the 3/4" wide side. This can be a risky move, as the bit can split soft woods if the cut is of low quality and the chips don't get cleared well.
[attachthumb=#]
Here is the result. The Festool bit chewed into that hole with aplomb and is tearout free, with only the slightest hint of fuzz around the hole.
[attachthumb=#]
Here I've used the countersink on the 7/16" hole. The off-centeredness is my fault... But you can see that the countersink is chatter free and quite clean. It's not perfect, but then again a flat screw head would cover it. The circle's circumference is very clean, which would be visible.
[attachthumb=#]
Now shown are all available hole sizes with the bits in this kit, in order from smallest to largest, left to right. All came out pretty nice.
[attachthumb=#]
Up closer you can see that the smaller sized holes have more 'fuzzing' than the large ones. If you look closely in the holes you can see the clean cut sides and the nearly flat bottom of the hole. It's not quite as flat as a Forstner bit would produce, but pretty close.
[attachthumb=#]
Like all Festool cutting accessories I've handled thus far these drill bits are impressively sharp, made to perfection, and work superbly (enough superlatives?).
I would not use these for everyday tasks... e.g. predrilling plaster for mounting pictures; drilling framing/construction lumber, etc which would be a waste of fine tooling. Reserving these for the making of finer things, or with splinter-prone wood will result in longer life, sustained sharpness, and quality results.
At a current price of $125 for the set, they aren't cheap. But it's a relatively decent bargain if you consider that the countersink alone lists for $41. Removing that, the seven drill bits average out to $12 each. Definitely not your China made cheapos from the hardware store. But you are not getting China made cheapo quality. Additionally, these integrate with the Centrotec system, allow for nearly nonexistent runout and very quick bit changes.
