For the last few years I’ve switched back and forth between using Wood Owl spade bits and Japanese Star M F-type augers for drilling critical holes.
The Wood Owls are about $3.50 each, and the Star M bits are about $9. Both work fine. But here are their important differences.
With the Wood Owls, I manage to build about two chairs before they are too dull ($1.25 per chair). I can easily sharpen the spade bits two more times, so I can squeeze six chairs total out of the bit before it goes to the recycler. So 58 cents per chair.
With the Star Ms, I get five chairs out of one bit ($1.80 per chair) before I recycle it. I haven’t found a good way to resharpen them. The bit’s cutting geometry is above my pay grade.
The Star Ms have some advantages compared to the spades, however. The Star Ms cut much faster, which is nice. Also, they leave clean exit holes, so I don’t have to use a backing board when drilling through an arm or a seat. That feature is worth a lot to me because it easily cuts my drilling time in half.
So which bit do I prefer? Whichever one I can find. Both bits in the 5/8”/16mm size are tricky to find in stock. (As I type this, I can’t find either brand in stock.)
I’m sure y’all have a lot of “but what about this other bit?” questions, but I don’t have many answers. Apologies in advance.
— Christopher Schwarz
Readily available on the UK – want me to get you some?
Thanks Michael,
If you could tell me where you buy them, that would be enough. I’ll be in the UK in November and can pick them up.
Ace Hardware has a store brand of spade bit with those ears on them for cutting the edges. I haven’t compared them to wood owl, but they seem to work well. Better than the ear-less Irwin bits.
I had to try them….I got mine from Amazon but Workshop Heaven sells them over here…..what a fantastic bit!!!! Very clean cut even in softwood!!! Stunning!!!!
Ya, but which one after dull makes better ammunition for the knife throwing target.
Ask this guy:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-BKEZbYOMpI
They seem to be out of stock most places because some talented guy wrote a book extolling their benefits.
Taylor Toolworis has them in stock. The price is $11.99
https://taytools.com/products/star-m-japanese-f-style-anti-burr-drill-bits-hex-shank
Nope. Click on the 16mm and it will indicate “sold out.” They have been for awhile.
Until they are back in stock, you might want to check out, if you haven’t already, the Makita and Milwaukee heavy duty spade bits (Milwaukee calls them flat boring bits). I recently bought the Milwaukee and they are very good. The only problem, at my home centres anyway, is that they only sell kits and not individual bits even though the companies website show they do. So if I want more of just the one size I will have to special order them.
I’ve also had good luck with the Milwaukee bits on my recent chair build.
Someone should approach Crucilbe tools about making them…
I think Chris know the owner of Crusible tools
Mr Schwarz,
The geometry of the auger looks similar to how the Fisch sharpening jig sharpens their forstner bits. The tip would be the same and as the sharpening jig moves in x,y,z axis I would think it might work for them? I haven’t tried it but its worth a shot.
Wait… Are we passed the wood owl auger bits? The ultra smooth tri cuts? How am I so behind??
For drill bit sharpening, try this company: Boggs Tool & File Sharpening Company
Toll Free: (800) 547-5244, Phone:(562) 634-1081, Fax: (562) 634-0839, Email: contact@boggstool.com
They do a great job on rasps and filles too. They come back better than new.
Atlas Saw in Chicago used to sharpen my company’s saw blades and bits as well.
Mmmmm…who could be to blame for a run on 5/8″ & 16mm Spade and F-Type bits? lol
Don’t look in the mirror, Kyle. You turned me onto the Star Ms.
Touché…as they say in my old neighborhood, the first taste is always free
Fisch in Austria make a decent 16 mm spade bit. I will have a couple of those with me in October, so you can check them out and see if they might be a viable third option for you …
Cheers,
Mattias
Star M all the way, but I only cut 6-8 holes per year.
Out of curiosity, have you ever try to heat harden the bits to see if they last longer?
I have not.
I thought the WoodOwl overdrive were the same thing as the Star M. Is that not the case?
5/8″ overdrive bits are in stock at Taylor Toolworks, but now I’m starting to question if I was right about thinking they are the same as the Star M…
Yeah. They’re different. I missed that too. Look at this post https://blog.lostartpress.com/2022/06/27/the-new-generation-of-auger-bits/
Peter Galbert has a way of grinding standard twist drills that look similar to the star m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu3cxRwRdW8
Have you tried the Norseman bits? I just watched a video and they seem interesting, but perhaps too pricey for potentially inferior results.
“Whichever one I can find.” is the honest answer
I appreciate honesty and the notion that there is always a little too much chaos
Off topic, but can’t see where else to ask: p100 of The Woodworker’s Pocketbook is “‘Old Woodwork Accessible to the Public”. A list of houses in England with significant woodwork and open to the public. Is anyone aware of any similar lists for the US? A spectacular book, I should add. Kudos to Lost Art for publishing a vast amount of useful information in such a small book. Thanks
The overdrive bits don’t have the tapered cutting lips and made drilling steeper mortises a two step process (with the 1″ diameter and larger). I started it at the steepest angle I could along the resultant w/o walking it, once the lips are below the surface of the piece, draw the angle back to the prescribed angle while pushing or in the case of a seat mortise for an arm: stop after the first step, then put the bit through the arm mortise and into the incomplete seat mortise w/ the lips below the surface and finish the hole at the correct angle. That’s how I did it for the curvy Irish chair’s angles.
Chris – you say you can make 5 chairs with an F-Type, how many holes is that typically?
I am tooling up to start making Stick Chairs in my retirement and had to buy a full set of F-Types because all the individual 16mm ones had disappeared for some reason – and then you drop this bombshell.
I contacted Star-M for sharpening advice, and was surprised that these bits don’t feature on their website (but their Wood Owl does). They confirmed that the F-Type can’t be sharpened, “but are very good otherwise”. Part of the problem of finding these things (apart from Lost Art Press promotion :-)) is that they are specially made for selected clients worldwide, hence not generally available like their Wood Owl bits
Nett result is that I think I will revert to Wood Owl bits after the F-Types go blunt, and after a few attempts at re-sharpening. I am proposing to use mostly tapered holes anyway, so the main advantage of the F-Types in less exit splintering will be taken care of by the tapered reamer.
Other than that, thanks for all the wonderful information, books, and blogs that you all generate.
Keep up the good work.
Each chair is about 30 holes.
Thank you … 150 holes isn’t that bad after all!
I think my brain fog must have been particularly thick when I wrote all the above – I could have counted them myself! I couldn’t even send the e-mail properly using the WordPress option. Apologies.
Northwestpassagetools.com has woodowl 5/8″x6″ spade bits, $4.79CAD., in stock. Shipping to USA is $17.13CAD. Hardwick & Sons is out of these until after the new year.