Drill bit assembly with an indenting member

1. A drill bit assembly, comprising:

a body portion intermediate a shank portion and a working portion;

the working portion comprising a recess;

the recess comprising a side wall and a closed end; the closed end being substantially coaxial with the shank portion; and

at least one cutting element is attached to the side wall and a spring loaded indenting member is disposed within the closed end

wherein the indenting member is a hard metal insert and is substantially coaxial with the shank portion.

2. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein a distal end of the indenting member comprises a superhard material selected from the group consisting of diamond, polycrystalline diamond, and cubic boron nitride.

3. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein the indenting member comprises a distal end that is rotationally isolated from the body portion.

4. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein the indenting member is substantially coaxial with the shank portion.

5. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein the recess is adapted to form a conical profile in a subsurface formation.

6. The drill bit assembly of claim 5 , wherein indenting member is adapted to break up the conical profile.

7. The drill bit assembly of claim 5 , wherein the indenting member is adapted to direct at least a portion of the conical profile towards the at least one cutting element.

8. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein the indenting member is secured within the recess with a bolt, a weld, a braze, a threadform, an adhesive, a fastener, or combinations thereof.

9. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element is a shearing element.

10. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one cutting element comprises a superhard material selected from the group consisting of diamond, polycrystalline diamond, or cubic boron nitride.

11. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shank portion is adapted for connection to a downhole tool string.

12. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein a distal end of the indenting member is located within the recess.

13. The drill bit assembly of claim 1 , wherein the indenting member comprises at least one flute.

14. A method for drilling through a formation, comprising the steps of:

providing a drill bit assembly with a recess formed in a working portion of the assembly, the working portion comprising a plurality of cutting elements and the recess comprising a side wall with at least one cutting element and a closed end;

cutting the formation with the plurality of cutting elements by engaging the formation with the working portion and rotating the drill bit assembly;

breaking up a conical profile formed in the formation by the recess by penetrating the conical profile with a spring loaded indenting member supported within the recess

wherein the indenting member is a hard metal insert and is substantially coaxial with the shank portion.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the indenting member directs at least a portion of the conical profile into the at least one cutting element.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the drill bit assembly is adapted for connection to a downhole tool string.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein during the step of cutting the formation, at least a portion of the weight of the tool string loaded to the working portion is transferred to the indenting member.