Bob,
Here's my $.02
I really like the crush grind kit. Have made a few (more than a half dozen, less than a dozen, not exactly sure.)
With my initial crush grind kit order from CSU I also ordered the full set of forstner bits and extender. At the time they were backordered on the 1 1/16 bit and the extender. It was christmas time, and these were supposed to be gifts, time to improvise.... [
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I had a 1" spade bit and it appeared long enough that I just might be able to drill far enough to make things work. Checked the fit of the plastic cap fitting in a one inch hole. All seemed like it would work out fine, and it did. They worked just fine. I tried drilling on both the lathe and my drill press with the spade bit. Can't really say I would choose one over the other at this point. It wasn't really that bad drilling. Got a little warm, but not too bad. As Frank said, I do remember it, but then again I'm fairly young and I still remember quite a few things.... [}
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It worked out so well in fact that I called CSU and had them cancel the remaining bit and extender.
I have since purchased a set from HF that has a 1" so I will probably use that in the future along with the extender I ended up buying from CSU later on. I think I actually like the fit in a 1" hole better than I would in a 1 1/16.
As to the quality of the bits from CSU, I would say they are better than what the HF set is, but not that much better. I have been using all of them quite a bit lately for some other turning projects and sharpen both brands regularly with a handheld diamond hone/file. Just a quick touchup of the underside of the cutting surface and they seem to be cutting just fine again.
Ok, after the ribbing, now on to Frank's defense, (I know you don't really need it.) [
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I can see how the brad point bits would do a great job in this instance, especially for the long bore you have to do for the body of the mill. You don't really care if you are boring a perfectly flat bottomed hole for that shot because your either cut off the end or drill right through anyway, right?
So, let's go through the drilling steps, as I remember them, not looking at instructions right now.
Body:
Drill step 1
1 3/4
this first bore is only going an inch or two into the blank if I remember right. Forstner works just fine for this, even though it's on endgrain. A brad point bit would also work just fine here since in your next step you're going to be drilling out almost all of the bottom of the hole anyway. (But I'm not sure I can even imagine the huge bit that a 1 3/4 brad point bit would be, mabye I'm not picturing it correctly, but that seems like it would be a pretty hefty chunk of drill bit!) All you really need is a shoulder for the edge of the grind mechanism to sit and be glued onto, and with step two coming up, you'll see it ends up being not much of a shoulder left anyway.
Drill step 2
1 9/16
You're going straight from where you just drilled with the slightly bigger bit and still only going an inch or two deep here. Again, forstner works just fine, and again, I can hardly imagine the huge brad point bit that would be required to do this fairly shallow, easy bore.
Drilling step 3
1 1/16 (or 1" for me [
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This is really the biggie. You're going deep on this one, depending on the length you're planning on making your body. Here I can see where Frank's Brad point may shine. The bit, at one inch is almost half the size, and probably price, I haven't checked, as what you would have been dealing with for the first couple bores. As I said, I have used both a spade bit and a forstner bit for this step, and I honestly can't say which one I prefer. I think the forstner actually heats up more, but cuts a cleaner hole. But who really cares how clean the hole is, it's deep inside the body anyway, and a little sandpaper cleans it up nicely and quickly. Your choice here. I'd probably go with the brad point but it can be done with other tools.
Drill step 4
Cap
This again is a fairly shallow hole and still smaller than any other yet. no biggie for the forstner.
Well, far more than my .02 here but there you have it a full nickel's worth [:I]
Good luck and feel free to PM me if you have any specific quesitons I might be able to answer down the line.
] Some spade bits, ground differently than these commercial jobbies are used for end grain. Don't count on these to do the job happily. For some end grain drilling a certain type of spoon bit works very well and is used by some master craftsmen. Downside there is they have to be made just right and at very low speeds. Also, chip removal is problematic, requiring frequent withdrawl of the drill and clearing. Unless you make it into an air drill/spoon bit, then you are off an running with very expensive equipment. Fuggitit, use brad points and be happy.
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