Freud PB-011: 1-1/2" (Dia.) Forstner Bit

I have used this Forstner bit for quite a few times over the span of a year, and I would say its performance is excellent. I have bought each size individually and am now only a few bit short of a full set. They all remain sharp for very long time and do not rust. I wish they had such bits for the metric system.

Freud Precision Shear Serrated Edge Forstner Drill Bit 1-1/2-Inch by 3/8-Inch Shank (PB-011)... Project: drilling a inch and a half diameter hole through 5 inch thick piece of Brazilian Ebony (For reference Oak has a Janka hardness of 1290, this ebony has a Janka hardness of 3690 making it three times harder than Oak). I burnt up a brand new big box store forstner bit and only got 1/16" deep. This Freud bit cut through that ebony like a hot knife in butter. After I drilled the whole I realized that I had actually drilled it about 1/8 off center so I scrapped that piece and started anew. Second time was the same as the first (minus being off center) and after I was done I could find no degradation in the sharpness of the cutting surfaces. Like its still brand new and the edges of the hole looked like it was cut with a laser, nice and smooth. Holy cow ! I've always known that Freud was top of the line but never justified the cost. I will only be buying Freud going forward.

I used it to auger out 30 3/4" 2x4 holes in Douglas fir posts, which it handled easily. After 20 holes, I gave it a light touch-up with the Dremel and kept on eating. 👍

I'm saving this for the inset under the pieces I turn on the lathe where I put my label. I want that to be a perfect cut, and this does the trick. Very nice cuts. Very sharp.

When I need a through hole I usually don't care so much about the quality of a forstner bit and even the cheap ones usually will do ok, but when I need a good clean flat bottomed hole I still look to Freud first and I prefer these "older" style rather than the carbide bits. These are still really well ground and still made in Austria. I considered trying out the Bora forstners...photos look nice and they're Austrian as well...but stuck with tried and true. Put it to use immediately and nice clean entrance and good looking flat bottom in both baltic birch ply and solid canarywood. I wish Freud hadn't discontinued so many sizes in their forstner bits...would love to have a 30mm and know that I could still get smaller 16ths again. I don't know if it's true that the Diablo bits are the same, just a marketing shift, but the ones I've seen don't look as nicely made as the Freud label and for this size they aren't even ground in the same style. If it's for woodworking instead of utility/construction, stick with Freud or Fisch (or Fomag...$$).

The Freud PB-011: 1-1/2" (Dia.) Forstner Bit arrived a day late. The bit was packaged well. Let me start by saying I prefer the Fisch Wavecutter bits, but I wasn't able to find one available. I went with this Freud bit because I have several Freud saw blades and have been very satisfied with them. This 1 1/2" bit cut well through some 2x pine material. The hole wasn't as clean as I would have expected, but did the job I needed for, so I'm happy. Time will tell how long it last.

Works as described

This bit is amazing! Drilled 79 holes in 1.5 inch thick maple and it’s still perfectly sharp. Each hole was nice and clean on the start and of the 79 only about 10 had any tare out when bing used with a cordless drill and no backing on the other side of the hole. Made a custom peg board for my home climbing gym.

La limpieza, precision y exactitud en las perforaciones qué haces son muy superiores a otras brocas de este tipo, vale cada peso

Was contemplating buying a cheaper set that was half the price of just this one bit. Glad I chose for this one, went through 5/4 pine like a hot knife through butter. Will never buy cheap bits again.

Does a good job, came in earlier than expected

This drill bit performed exactly as required to get the job done to install the newel posts for my stair railings . The item arrived very quickly which enabled me to complete the job in a timely way. Great product and great service.