I drilled a full length 1.5" Douglas Fir board with a large taper with a drill press. I drilled 1/4" holes first. Worked poorly, burned a lot and didn't drill much. So after that I drilled 1/2" holes through and through with a bladed bit, then reused the cone and it worked great . The cone cutter isn't that sharp, but it works. Actually, there aren't many options for stepless bits.