Best drill bit for brush restore?

[chris456]

What is the preferred bit to drill out a vintage brush? I'll be using a hand drill.

I'm pretty excited about doing my first restore! My silvertip badger knot is en route from GN

 

[texbilly]

What is the preferred bit to drill out a vintage brush? I'll be using a hand drill.

I'm pretty excited about doing my first restore! My silvertip badger knot is en route from GN

By far the cleanest hole will come from a forstner bit like this one. However, they work best in a drill press. If you have the tools to clamp the handle on a solid surface you may be able to control it in a hand held drill but take care and go slow. I use a drill press and easily drill to the final size, but I would sneak up on it and use at least one size smaller first, working up to the final size. Might want to practice on a bum handle or wood scrap first.

If you don't want to bother with a forstner, I'd use a brad point wood bit, working up to the size you need. Sizes are more limited though unless you go industrial. I would not use a spade bit (flat face) - very hard to control.

 

[Hammer]

I use a 3/8 bit drill the center after I have cut off the old bristles then go to a dremmel with different bits to complete the job.
Take your time and don't rush and it will come out just fine.

 

[chris456]

thanks for the tips.

 

[Alaskan Eagle]

+1 on the forstner bit. I ended up buying a drill press and it is wonderful. If you don't want to get the press, go with the dremel. Works just as well, but is slower and not a "clean."

 

[henkverhaar]

I beg to differ. With clean, solid wood, be it cross-grain or end-grain, I would indeed use a forstner bit, sawtooth bit, or preferably one of those new-fangled 3D bits to bore out a large, flat-bottomed hole in one go. However, to redrill an existing hole, with all sorts of remnants from the previous knot and the adhesive to keep it in place, I would be hesitant to use a (final size) forstner, and gradually widening a hole with successive sizes of forsters is not advisable either, since a forstner cannot be piloted to stay concentric with a slightly undersized hole already present. The same holds for brad-point ('wood') bits. For such a task (drilling out to successively larger diameters), I would revert to (high quality) standard (high speed) drill bits. Even when you widen a 20mm hole to a 22mm hole with a standard bit, it is easy to keep the bit centered in the existing hole.

Henk

 

[blackfoot]

I like the Forstner bits best, too.

 

[bones59]

I haven't done this (drill out a knot), but I would be hesitant to do it by hand. Not only would the results be less than satisfactory, but I would think it dangerous, too. Not only for the operator, but for the brush handle, as well. I'm not sure how I would do it, but I know I would have the tool and the handle both well secured. A few ideas: one popular idea is a drill press, and a vice.2 Chuck the handle in a lathe, and drill/bore out the knot.3 Put the handle in a vice attached to a mill, and drill/bore it. Please don't use a hand drill, I think you would be disappointed. I hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Forstner bits!

 

[Jack-in-the-Green]

I like the Forstners as well. But let me add that it pays to get quality ones. My first set were cheapies (though they came in a nice wooden box ) and they got dull too quickly. I've replaced my 3/4 (which works well for 20mm knots) with one that has a slight saw-tooth design on the edge, and it works worlds better. Well worth the investment, even though the one bit cost about half what my original 6-piece set cost.

I also find that with a hand drill I often have to start with standard drill bits, then move to the Forstner once the center "bump" of leftover bristles is gone. I clamp the handle into a vise to work on it.

Also, someone around here recommended taping up the handle with painter's tape before hitting it with the power tools. That was really good advice! It's saved me from ruining more than one handle.

 

[chris456]

Thanks for all the great advice.

It has me re-thinking my approach.

Looks like I will be asking a few friends if they have a drill press