6Pcs Flat Wood Bit Set

A flat bit, or spade bit, is a simple thing: a flat blade with a centre spur and two cutting edges, on a shank. It has no flutes and no screw point, so it does not pull itself in and it does not lift the waste out. What it does is scrape a hole through timber at considerable speed for very little money, which is exactly what an electrician boring through studs and joists, or a plumber running pipe through a floor, actually needs. Nobody is looking at the inside of those holes.

The sizes, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 25mm, are chosen around what passes through them: cable and bundles, small conduit, water pipe, and the clearance holes for bolts and threaded rod through timber.

Being honest about their limitations is more useful than praising them. They tear out badly where they exit, so clamp a piece of scrap behind the work or stop when the centre spur breaks through and finish from the other side. They wander if the spur is not started square, and once wandering they are difficult to correct. And they generate real torque, particularly at 25mm, so hold the drill firmly with both hands and expect it to snatch if the bit binds. On a cordless drill, set the clutch.

The 1/4 inch hex shank matters here more than on smaller bits. A round shank at 25mm in timber can spin in a three jaw chuck under that torque and polish itself; a six sided shank in a six sided socket cannot.

They are carbon steel, hardened and tempered, which is correct and economical for timber, and useless in anything else.

Buyers are electricians, plumbers, carpenters and site trades, maintenance men and hardware shops.

Message 94 77 111 8880 for the set or for replacements of the size you use most. Island-wide delivery.