Forstner Bit Basics for Dummies

Forstner bit

The staffers find it amusing to read through some of the dross posted by the world's freelancers, especially those who are just trying to make a buck instead of actually be... informative. We guess that's the word. Those are the ones who know little or nothing about their topic, but forge ahead anyway and drop in a few basic mistakes along the way. take, for instance EzineArticles.com contributor Shalini Madhav and her attempt to tell us, "Everything You Need to Know About Forstner Bits."

Madhav roared onto EzineArticles and published a gazillion light-weight articles, about half of which dealt with fashion (she was a "postgraduate in Fashion Technology," whatever that is) – as long as you consider choosing the right watch band and "How to Opt for the Right Shoulder Holster" to be about fashion. We guess that last was written for the 2nd Amendment supporters in her native India...  Whatever the case, we're pretty sure Shalini has zero experience with Forstner bits, considering that she opened her post by gushing that,

"...if you have been confused about which drill bit to use in a particular situation, then I know how that feels because it has happened to me too, many times. That is when I started reading about different drill bits and their purposes so that I am never caught off guard in a situation where I do not know which drill bit will be the best suited for the purpose. That is the reason why I am writing this article today, to educate you with a different kind of drill bit called Forstner bit."

Yeah, like someone who thinks that "understanding [the different drill bits] not only requires skill but also perseverance" is going to be a lot of help in that vein! Whatever the case, Madhav managed to copy-reword-paste a lot of information about Forstner bits, including where the name comes from and their purpose:

"...to bore flat-bottomed holes in a material which is mostly wood [sic]..."

She also tells us that, "[T]hey are commonly used in lathes and drill presses"; which isn't quite true, since they're not used in lathes: that's a whole different tool, Shalini! Next, she describes a Forstner bit and its function:

"A Forstner bit is constructed with a sharp tip pointed outwards and a small cylindrical cutter around the perimeter of the center. The sharp tip dips first into the wood followed by the cylindrical cutter."

Ummm, no that's not how a Forstner is constructed. The bit is a short cylinder mounted on a shank. There is, indeed, a guide tip, but there's no "cylindrical cutter." The edge of the cylinder may or may not be toothed, but the important cutter is the radial "chippers" on the bottom of the bit. That's how a Forstner bit cuts a flat-bottomed hole, much the way a plane shaves the edge of a board.

Shalini would also have us think that,

"The high speed of the drill, accompanied by this design philosophy with the sharp bit going in first prevents any wobbles and results in a sharp and clean cut."

No! Forstner bits are low-speed cutters, not high speed! That claim alone is sufficient to qualify Madhav for Dumbass of the Day. She made it even more obvious that she knew nothing of her subject by never mentioning HSS or carbide, for starters. Deliver us from content farmers babbling through their hats, OK? Because that certainly wasn't everything you need to know about Forstner bits!

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