The Unibit: Part II

[drew]

So I got one of these Unibits for my birthday (everyone asked me what I wanted, and I could not think of a single other thing outside of pornos) and it goes up to 7/8". It cuts cleanly, works VERY NICELY with a handheld drill, and did I mention that it cuts cleanly? Holy crap.

So my question is: Do they make one of these big enough to use for making a hole for an XLR jack in a chassis? Just wondering, since I was hoping to be able to do that with the unibit...

I suppose I could unibit out a 7/8" hole and make one that's maybe 15/16" or 1" in diameter with a regular drill bit, but that wouldn't be any fun...

thanks!

drew
toothpastefordinner.com

[zachary vex]

i use varibits... they have two cuts so they don't warp from heat.  unibits eventually warp because they are asymmetrical. varibits go all the way up to one and 3/8 inches.

http://www.lenoxsaw.com/spvaribt.htm

[drew]

thanks "z"! I am gonna head out to the local hardware store and see if they stock 'em and if not, order one.

[zachary vex]

i get mine at professional machinists/carpenter shops or tool specialty shops.

[C Bradley]

Check out J & L industrial supply. They had all kinds of stuff like that when I was a full time machinist about 4 years ago. Reasonably priced stuff too.

Chris B

[Mike Burgundy]

unibits eventually warp because they are asymmetrical.
True, especially if you're on a schedule.
If, however, you take it easy, allow lower drill speeds and use some cutting oil, they last a long, long time though. Longer than my last 10mm (jack-size) drill bit held up before it needed recutting.
There are different qualities in unibits around though - mileage may vary.
hih