Starborn BDA141 No.8 Trim Head Smart-Bit Pre-drilling & Countersinking Tool

hello. first off, i build decks for a living. i just finished an 1100 sq.ft. deck re-skin this past week. the previous deck was a composite deck and the joists were 12" on center. the new decking i installed was 13/16" ipe. also know as "iron wood" all the holes have to be counter sunk and drilled through the deck board. this smart bit is an indispensable tool in my arsenal. i installed roughly 5100+/- stainless steel screws on this deck.i have 4 older smart bits and ordered a new one and a pack of 5 extra bits for this project. the deck was 11 years old and as you can imagine the 2 x 12" joists were extremely dry. this countersink tool is made for only drilling and counter sinking vertical holes. i use a separate countersink bit for angled holes.in my experience using this bit, it cannot be forced into the wood. at least not in ipe. occasionally i would have to drill in a1/2" and then pull the bit out to clean and then finish drilling the hole and counter sink. ipe is extremely hard and dulls sharp blades very quickly. after several hundred holes the counter sunk holes were ragged. not an issue as the whole deck is going to be sanded and then stained. i will tell you that i broke all 7 bits that i had for this project. on occasion i would hit a knot or the remains of a broken deck screw . and user error i will admit.haha! i also use this bit on cedar decks on the board edges to prevent splitting. i will continue to buy and use this product as long as i am building decks. i hope this helps out on your next project!

Works well till the bit breaks.

I first got one with an order of polymer decking material like Trex. It came with the order. I used it to build the entire deck as it made screwing in the screws look much better. EXCELLENT countersink. The best I've used, and I do a lot of carpentry. Wife saw me use it on finish work promptly appropriated it. Figures. So I got her a brand new one for Christmas, and ordered myself a replacement as well as a pack of replacement drill bits. This is one of the best and most used bits in my tool box. LOVE IT. Very sharp and clean drilling. If you do a lot of deck work or finish work, you'll want one.

That the screws are not for wood that is one inch thick or less. I like that the counter sink tool has a stop on it and you can't over sink it,that is a great feature . If you can come up with a screw for smaller depths of wood ,maybe even a smaller screw head,i think you will have a better product.

Just used this to pre-drill every whole in my re-decking project. All the wood was pressure-treated SYP, and came from the lumber yard as wet as that stuff typically is. The first bit broke quickly, but I'm going to attribute that to not using good care in pulling the bit straight out. The second bit took me almost all the way through all the decking on a 14x16 deck, and the third bit finished me up. I had to re-tighten the bit a couple of times -- be sure to note that there is a flat part on the bit that the set screw is supposed to hit. I'm not sure how much to blame the slightly ragged countersink on most of the holes on the fact that the wood was wet. The bigger problem is that the stop collar has a pretty thin rim, so it takes almost no pressure to leave a circular imprint surrounding the whole you are drilling. They should have considered making that collar have a bigger area of contact. Hopefully as the wood dries the circles will vanish, and hopefully they won't show up again when I stain.

This is a fabulous tool. Countersinks perfectly with no mark on the wood whatsoever. I installed over 500 screws in hard wood on one bit without ever replacing the drill tip. I notice there are a few reviews complaining about marks on the wood. That's because these people didn't understand you are supposed to HOLD THE STOP as you drill so it does not turn with the bit. The whole innovation here is that the stop does not rotate with the countersink so it won’t mar the wood when it reaches the surface.

There is no depth adjustment for the countersink on this tool, and I think the countersink is too big and too deep, at least for the #8 trim screws I bought (GRK Fintrim). Once mine arrived I noted on the package that it is specifically designed for Headcote and Deckfast screws - as is also noted on their website (in hindsight). Here's my workaround. I rummaged around and found a galvanized strap with several 1/2" holes (somewhat smaller than the diameter of the depth stop on the tool). I had to try several different strong tie type items before I got the right depth (I needed something about as thick as a penny). I just center the 1/2" hole in the strap over the desired screw location and let the depth stop hit the metal instead of the wood. Much better result for my trim screws.

Great tool for sinking screws to a consistent depth. Even better now that you can replace a broken drill bit!

Mars the surface of the piece you’re drilling. Not recommended.

la butée est de bonne qualité (ne laisse pas de marque, en revanche, les forets ont la fâcheuse tendance à casser facilement. J'ai tout de même fais ma terrasse avec et le travail est propre.

Great tool for drilling screw holes in decking, to ensure you don't damage the surface.

Works great. Does what it is suppose to do.