Push drill fans:
This thread is still somewhat alive, so about the concern with twist drills
splitting thin wood:

There are many ways to reshape the cutting edge of a drill, all intended to
make it  do what _you_ want it to do. The off-the-shelf standard isn't good
for everything, and isn't intended to be.

Just like using a back bevel on a plane iron to change the angle of attack
for particular problems, drill bits are often modified by knocking off the
aggressive cutting edge, back to a much less agressive angle.  That's good
for copper, brass, lead - where the standard would just screw itself in.

Another common rework is for thin sheet metal.  For a round hole, the
entire point angle is removed except for a pilot point - making it much
like a piloted Forstner.  Otherwise it will make an undersize rounded
triangle hole in thin stock - metal or wood.

Bits are like every other other tool you might buy.  They need a sharpening
tuneup when you get them.  But we aren't prisoners of the  production line,
and can turn their stuff into something useful, based on what we need.

Experiment with the cutting angle and even the point angle.  There is no
reason a straight flute bit made by Goodell-Pratt is the only way to go.

And since I mentioned them, and have one of their thingies, I don't see why
their four jawed chuck wouldn't grip a modern twist bit if the shank was
filed square.

It's also very easy to make your own half flute drill from round drill
stock.  It acts a lot like a Forstner but you can make it yourself in no
time.  Lot's of territory to be explored.

Gene