Spiral up cut bits.

Sweet

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Sep 16, 2007
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We're a bit quiet at the moment and I'm putting the lull to good use by reorganising our workshop and building two large MFT type tables. However when it comes to drilling the numerous 20mm holes (using a OF1010 and LR32 of course) I'm struggling to find a reasonably priced spiral up cut bit in the UK. Anyone have any suggestions? I've been quoted £276 with Titman and drawn a blank at Trend.  [unsure]
 
Sweet said:
We're a bit quiet at the moment and I'm putting the lull to good use by reorganising our workshop and building two large MFT type tables. However when it comes to drilling the numerous 20mm holes (using a OF1010 and LR32 of course) I'm struggling to find a reasonably priced spiral up cut bit in the UK. Anyone have any suggestions? I've been quoted £276 with Titman and drawn a blank at Trend.  [unsure]

Thats expensive by Titman I thought they where reasonable priced!     Trend do one for £240 I think

Amazon?!   estimate 10 days delivery I think

http://www.amazon.com/CMT-195-200-11-Upcut-Spiral-Router/dp/B000UJZ9QG/ref=lh_ni_t

Edited:

Yeah here is a trend one  for £240 still not cheap but cheaper than titman.

http://www.diytools.co.uk/trend-solid-tungsten-spiral-three-flute-upcut-20-mm-diameter-4.html?utm_source=Google-Product-Search&utm_medium=Organic-Feed&utm_campaign=Google-Product-Search
 
I had the same problem when I was making my version of Ron Paulks UWB, and in the end marked out a grid and used a 20mm Zobo bit in the T15.

Worked a treat
 
It's what I would call a hinge boring router bit.

It can make a flat bottom hole or a through hole about 25 mm deep. It's meant to spin a lot faster than a typical forstner bit, which are meant to be used with drills.

Tom
 
Tom Bellemare said:
It's what I would call a hinge boring router bit.

It can make a flat bottom hole or a through hole about 25 mm deep. It's meant to spin a lot faster than a typical forstner bit, which are meant to be used with drills.

Tom

Yeah I didnt kno what they where called!  I just said forstner bit as I didnt kno the name of the router version of them,  just look the similar -ish  but obviously with a shank which would fit a router and can handle higher speeds.  

You see I would of just gone to my local dealer and looked in his large display or gone internet searching to find a ''forstner'' hinge boring router bit.     I should of looked on the internet for the proper name before I gave my advise to be honest!  I was being lazy!
 
[thanks]

Thanks chaps. Have ordered the festal cutter and a slightly cheaper equivalent from Titman. I'll let you know how they perform. I managed to build several storage racks yesterday too.... photo's to follow!

 
I have used the Festool 20mm euro hinge boring bit and I tried 4 holes with it, all of which had a lot of play with my Vertas bench dogs.  I tried free hand with my OF 1400 and even tried clamping it in place and still had play in the dog.  Next step is to check the diameter of my veritas bench dogs as I swear they were 20mm and were sold to me by Lee Valley as such. 

Wood Beaver makes a perfect 20 mm boring bit long and stubbies but I just dont know of a way to drill and be as precise as you need to be when creating a copy of the MFT.  Getting frustrated but refuse to spend that much money on an MFT.
 
NoahsArk said:
I have used the Festool 20mm euro hinge boring bit and I tried 4 holes with it, all of which had a lot of play with my Vertas bench dogs.  I tried free hand with my OF 1400 and even tried clamping it in place and still had play in the dog.  Next step is to check the diameter of my veritas bench dogs as I swear they were 20mm and were sold to me by Lee Valley as such. 

Wood Beaver makes a perfect 20 mm boring bit long and stubbies but I just dont know of a way to drill and be as precise as you need to be when creating a copy of the MFT.  Getting frustrated but refuse to spend that much money on an MFT.

First, [welcome] to the FOG!

I can relate to your frustration at finding an appropriate bit as I've struggled with the same issue. Check out this thread for a comparison of the Festool and CMT 20mm bits:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/festool-20mm-boring-bit-vs-cmt-20mm-straight-bit-a-demo/msg238874/#msg238874

And this thread about using a 25/32" end mill bit:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/my-new-bit-for-drilling-mft-tops!!/msg288560/#msg288560

Hope that helps!
 
You can get 20mm boring bits for knock-down hardware.  I have them for a construction boring machine.  I don't know that they are balanced for router speeds. Typically shanks are 8mm or 10mm and have a flat on the side.

In any case, I might approach it by drilling little pilot holes like 1/8" or something in the pattern, then drilling with the boring bit or a forstner centered on the pilot holes to 6mm or so depth, then drilling a 9/16" hole in the middle, flipping the board over and finishing the holes with a flush trimming bit. 
 
I think your best bet is to use an existing top (if you have one) as a template.  Clamp the template to your new piece, roughly drill out the holes and then use a flush trim router bit (upper bearing) to make an EXACT copy.  To make the new top bigger than the template - use some longer bench dogs to index the top in the last row of holes you made and repeat

If you don't already have a top - you can a replacement "plate" for $83 from Amazon  (not sure exactly what size the holes will be, though - it may be an older version)
http://www.amazon.com/Festool-488565-Perforated-plate-repl/dp/B003KN3V3W/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-4&keywords=perforated+plate+replacement
 
I used the Festool 20mm bit to bore holes in two 65" X 49" MDF to make a large clamping table in conjunction with a Festool OF1400 & the LR-32 jig to make umpteen hundred perfectly aligned holes that fit my dogs perfectly.  My cutting/clamping table is 102" long by 65" wide with a removable 4" center piece for cross cutting.
 
I have the one Tom referred to, and my lee valley parf dogs fit with no play as long as they are screwed down from underneath.  Without the screw, there is a very very slight play.  I have also tried a 25/32, which works, but it almost too tight.
 
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