Bits for drilling pepper mills

Re: Bits for drilling pepper mills

mikeee12345

Maybe more important to learn how to properly sharpen the Forstner bit without ruining the profile. A good quality set with a broad selection of sizes to choose from will always get a lot of use over the years.

Re: Bits for drilling pepper mills

Bill Blasic

None better than the COLT MaxiCut Forstner Bits for pepper mills.

A Twist drill . . .

Doc Green

Is it true that part of the difficulty in drilling pepper mills is having to form a rather hole in end-grain wood? And is it also true that a Forstner bit is about the worst choice for drilling into end grain?

If so, here's a suggestion: use a twist drill to hog out most of the wood before you finish with a Forstner bit. I'm thinking of a twist drill that's perhaps 3/4".

However, before jumping in with the twist drill, and removing the center, use the Forstner bit to establish the cut. That is, drill to a depth of 1/8" or so to center the Forstner bit after you use the twist drill.

After you mark the blank with the Forstner bit, use the twist drill to make the initial hole. Then follow it with the Forstner bit. You will find this procedure, even though it adds an additional step, will cause the Forstner bit to work much, much better.

Disclaimer: I've never turned a pepper mill. . . . Never.

~Doc

Re: A Twist drill . . .

AZ in Colorado Springs

I've never done this either, but I'd suggest drilling this in several successive steps. I watched as a guy drilled out for a cigar tube and it generated a lot of heat. He was using a large twist drill. Really tough to clear out the debris. Drilling a series of holes would reduce the heat build up, I think.

I used this technique when I built a handrail a few years ago. Several forstner bits (three, I think -- the widest was 1-1/4") registering each size as Doc described, before drilling to depth using the narrowest size.

Ive done this too

Keith Newton

But to hollow the pith and juvenile wood from a cherry sculpture, to prevent checking. The largest being a 3” multispur bit. I don’t recall just how many incremental bits I used, but you are right about the twist drills being the best for easy removal of endgrain. I think my largest is 1.25”. Even jumping up at half inch increments where your only using the outer 1/4” of the cutting edge requires a lot more torque, so you’ll need a good double reduction drill.

Not that you would want to do this for a pepper mill, but I’ll share something else I’ve found handy for using twist drills for wood. If you grind the point angle a lot sharper, the flutes start acting more like screw threads and will virtually pull the bit through the wood.

Re: A Twist drill . . .

Bill Howatt

I often hold my air hose's nozzle beside the drill chuck in the tailstock and blow air into the hole while drilling. It cools the drill and helps remove a lot of the shavings.

Bill