The Test Cut

Woodworking Glossary

Spade Bit

A 19mm spade bit -- the flat paddle, the long centre spur that locates the hole, and the small spurs at the outer corners that score the rim before the flats cut.
A 19mm spade bit -- the flat paddle, the long centre spur that locates the hole, and the small spurs at the outer corners that score the rim before the flats cut.

A spade bit is a flat, paddle-shaped drill bit with a sharp point and two flat cutting edges, designed for fast, rough boring in wood -- running conduit or plumbing through framing is its classic job. It cuts quickly and cheaply but leaves a rougher hole with more tearout than a Forstner bit or a brad point bit, both of which trade speed for a cleaner, flatter-bottomed, more precisely located hole.

Images

A 19mm spade bit -- the flat paddle, the long centre spur that locates the hole, and the small spurs at the outer corners that score the rim before the flats cut.

Product: A 19mm spade bit -- the flat paddle, the long centre spur that locates the hole, and the small spurs at the outer corners that score the rim before the flats cut.