Freud PB-0065: Precision Shear™ Serrated Edge Forstner Drill Bit 3-1/2-inch

Freud forstner bits are high quality. They cut cleanly and stay sharp a long time.

Wonderful bit. Cuts easily with clean edges.

Precision quality tool. Using it to counter sink holes in gun stocks. Worked perfectly (no splinters).

Don't waste you money on any other brands, these are AWESOME! I've purchased 3 different sizes so far and love them. Extremely clean wholes, don't push them, let them do all the work and you will be extremely impressed. Very sharp and after hundreds of wholes they appear to be holding their sharpness extremely well.

Better suited for a drill press than a hand drill. The trouble is the center point is too short. On soft or rough-sawn wood, the spurs on the circumference of the bit grab the wood and cause the bit to skate away from the intended location, ruining the wood surface in the process. That wouldn't happen in a drill press. The bit is aggressive and can cause some surface tear out. Letting it start with light pressure prevents tear out and you can go on to quickly drill as deep as you need. In the woods I tested, it drilled quickly and kept throwing out chunks of wood without having to withdraw the bit. Only if I pushed it too hard, would the wood chips cause it to jam. It is possible to get a very clean cut hole, just pay attention to what you are doing. Please correct the name in the description; it is a Forstner bit, not a Forester.

Sharp and clean drilling

Great quality bit. Sturdy and well made. Cuts absolutely perfectly round, clean holes. Don’t forget to tape the exit side of your wood project to prevent blowout. Happens with most any bit so this is no exception.

I needed to make a very clean and precise angled hole that later was to be plugged with a bung. I was working with the test piece firmly clamped onto on my full sized drill press so that the set up was as stable as reasonably possible. I tried spade bits both with and without spurs. I tried an Irwin Forstner bit and I still wasn't getting the precision I was looking for. I tried using a hole saw first and then final drilling with the Irwin Forstner. That worked fairly well but still was not perfect and required changing out the hole saw for the drill bit and digging out the waste wood in the center of the hole before proceeding. The bung would only fit loosely in any of these resulting hole(s) and did not have that nice tight fit I was hoping for. It turns out that many Forstner bits have saw tooth circumferences, which is what the Irwins have. Some have a sort of "straight sharp" blade outer circumference, and some, including the Freud under review here and the Fisch have a sort of wavy sharp circumference. That wavy edge is the key to getting a clean precise start on an angled hole. I bought both Fisch and Freud bits because I wasn't sure if one would be better than the other. They are both excellent. Both are far superior to the Irwin when drilling on an angle. (The Irwin does just fine for a straight bore.) Only having made a few holes so far I will give the Freud the nod, but the difference is almost imperceptible. Some say the Fisch will last longer than Freud but I won't be using either of them enough to make that determination.