My Craftsman cobalt drills have been great. Not sure who makes them for Craftsman but they are made in the U.S.A. and I couldn't be happier for the price. When I have one dull or get damaged I will replace it with higher quality brand. That way I only have money ******* in the sizes I use the most.
Drill bits, are there any good ones out there?
- Thread starter 69supercj
- Start date
comedyman809
Well-known member
Not to be a PITA... I've worked with quite a few people who don't understand drill bit speeds; they spin the **** out of the bit at 3000 rpm (while drilling metal), heat it 'til its way past smoking, and then complain the bit is junk.
I realize we have MANY different skill levels here, if everybody already knew this, I do apologize.
i understand that totally.
my worker will make a 1/2'' hole starting with a 1/2'' bit, and then ***** because it is taking too long, and hates that has to go through 3 bits to make one hole.
gee, anyone heard of step drilling!!!!!
i learned how to drill a hole at the age of 16. and he is 61.
foul_ball
Well-known member
Step drilling is the way to go, but if you want not only to drill quickly, but also have a concentric hole when you are finished, try a piloted tip double margin step drill like the ones in here:
http://www.panamericantool.com/pdfs/DMCT-808-11_double_margin_book.pdf
double margin drills are
CGT80
Well-known member
Necro thread...............Yup, I will wake it up.
Thanks to guys on this site, I bought some Noresman bits for a great price to fill in the holes where my Dewalt USA bits have been worn out, and I bought the number and letter bits for the all of the common taps I have. Those things work great. It is much easier to tap a hole when you have the proper size bit and I was able to tap 10-32 threads into 1/4" steel plate with my cordless drill, after using the right drill and a countersink to clean up the hole.
A while back, I ordered a 5/8" S&D bit from Mcmastercar. It is a Viking brand and worked great, but wasn't ideal for enlarging holes, but I was too cheap to order the 47 dollar enlarging bit.
I just opened a hog kit from Viking that has 4 pilots and 4 enlarging bits. They look great and they looked an awful lot like the Noresman bits. My OCD likes it when things match. I did a search for reviews on Viking and found this site again and saw it is the same as Noresman. That is cool.
McMaster has been good about quality when I have ordered cutting tools. A couple drilling end mills from them seemed like a nice USA made product and the drill bits have been great. Their price is a bit better than amazon on the individual hog bits, but shipping would likely make them the same price.
I have found that lube and cooling really help the tools to cut better vs. using them dry and they last a long time. For the mill, I use mist cooling, and by hand oil or other drilling lubes have done well. The Dewalt bits were great because they were German made and cut wonderful and were available at Home Depot (I used to do construction for a living and was always there) but the made in China bit are junk.
You can't go wrong with Noresman/Viking and lube, cooling, and proper speed and feed.
Mcmaster has been very convenient (I ordered yesterday and got my package today LA warehouse) with great products but I wish they listed the brand or country of origin and a few more details on the tools.
Home Cheapo and Lows (low quality) can keep their drill bits.
Thanks to guys on this site, I bought some Noresman bits for a great price to fill in the holes where my Dewalt USA bits have been worn out, and I bought the number and letter bits for the all of the common taps I have. Those things work great. It is much easier to tap a hole when you have the proper size bit and I was able to tap 10-32 threads into 1/4" steel plate with my cordless drill, after using the right drill and a countersink to clean up the hole.
A while back, I ordered a 5/8" S&D bit from Mcmastercar. It is a Viking brand and worked great, but wasn't ideal for enlarging holes, but I was too cheap to order the 47 dollar enlarging bit.
I just opened a hog kit from Viking that has 4 pilots and 4 enlarging bits. They look great and they looked an awful lot like the Noresman bits. My OCD likes it when things match. I did a search for reviews on Viking and found this site again and saw it is the same as Noresman. That is cool.
McMaster has been good about quality when I have ordered cutting tools. A couple drilling end mills from them seemed like a nice USA made product and the drill bits have been great. Their price is a bit better than amazon on the individual hog bits, but shipping would likely make them the same price.
I have found that lube and cooling really help the tools to cut better vs. using them dry and they last a long time. For the mill, I use mist cooling, and by hand oil or other drilling lubes have done well. The Dewalt bits were great because they were German made and cut wonderful and were available at Home Depot (I used to do construction for a living and was always there) but the made in China bit are junk.
You can't go wrong with Noresman/Viking and lube, cooling, and proper speed and feed.
Mcmaster has been very convenient (I ordered yesterday and got my package today LA warehouse) with great products but I wish they listed the brand or country of origin and a few more details on the tools.
Home Cheapo and Lows (low quality) can keep their drill bits.
Hammer1963
Well-known member
Learning how to sharpen a HSS drill can solve most of the issues most people run into. Proper usage of speeds, feeds and coolant/lubricants is key. Carbide, Nitride coated, split-point and Cobalt drill bits have their place but are not magic wands. A little research on basic machine tool methods is invaluable
mark.dziamski
Well-known member
I have the same set works great for me as well
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mark.dziamski
Well-known member
I agree, simple, look at a drill press, how fast does it spin. Pretty slow, so I always keep my cordless drill at a low rpm and with my rigid cobalt bits I've had for a few years still cuts through no problem. Speed is key, and keep the bit cool with a good lubricant
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thebeekeeper1
Well-known member
Every "machinist" who has ever died leaves behind hundreds, if not thousands, of old drill bits--most often good name brand ones. They are rarely sorted or indexed, so they go for next to nothing at yard sales. A box of them is often $5.
Add a Drill Doctor 500, spend a little time learning how to PROPERLY use it, and you can spend rainy afternoons making those old drill bits like new--for very little money. Even the DD can be had (over time, and with diligence and patience) from CraigsList for cheap (mine was LNIB and $35) from some poor sap who wasn't a "manual reader" and couldn't figure out how to make the thing work. I did RTFM and watched Youtube videos, and can now sharpen a bit same as new.
Otherwise, I like the Norseman bits from Fastenal for onsies and twosies.
Edit to add: As others have emphasized, learning about feed speed and proper use of lube is a wise thing--to the point of being critical. Also, get a three pulley drill press! Mine was $75 on CL for a good old Rockwell Delta--that came from a passed away machinist, and included a nice vise and an attached rack of bits in all 29 sizes. I use the bottle of green lube from Fastenal--forget the brand, but I just call it "snot" due to the green color. It's thick like pudding which makes it stick for hand drilling upside down. Good stuff, though it makes a nasty slurry with the chips.
Add a Drill Doctor 500, spend a little time learning how to PROPERLY use it, and you can spend rainy afternoons making those old drill bits like new--for very little money. Even the DD can be had (over time, and with diligence and patience) from CraigsList for cheap (mine was LNIB and $35) from some poor sap who wasn't a "manual reader" and couldn't figure out how to make the thing work. I did RTFM and watched Youtube videos, and can now sharpen a bit same as new.
Otherwise, I like the Norseman bits from Fastenal for onsies and twosies.
Edit to add: As others have emphasized, learning about feed speed and proper use of lube is a wise thing--to the point of being critical. Also, get a three pulley drill press! Mine was $75 on CL for a good old Rockwell Delta--that came from a passed away machinist, and included a nice vise and an attached rack of bits in all 29 sizes. I use the bottle of green lube from Fastenal--forget the brand, but I just call it "snot" due to the green color. It's thick like pudding which makes it stick for hand drilling upside down. Good stuff, though it makes a nasty slurry with the chips.
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I use a disk sander because of the flat surface. Much easier for me to maintain consistency because you do not have to adjust for the curve of the grinder.
I don't mind the curve of the grinder when sharpening drill bits. It can actually help you get the correct relief angle, by just working at the correct height above the rest.
By keeping the drill bit level with the bench (horizontal) and starting the grind at about 1/10th of the wheel diameter above the rest, you automatically get the initial relief angle of about 12 degrees.
Dennis Leigh Henry
Well-known member
Agree with the old tool maker / machinist estates.. Off hand grinding is quick once you develop the knack..
If looking for new USA, look no further than good ol' Greenwood, Indiana; Nachi.. A Japanese company who makes cutting tools of all sorts, and bearings. Way back in the day I purchased a drill set through Brookstone (when it was mostly a tool company), and landed a full set of fractional up to 1/2, letter, and number for fairly cheap. Back then money was scarce so buying a drill set from Japan (Nachi made in Japan) didn't bother me. Now that they also make drills in Greenwood, I'm happy even more. I still have it..and use the set regularly..
If looking for new USA, look no further than good ol' Greenwood, Indiana; Nachi.. A Japanese company who makes cutting tools of all sorts, and bearings. Way back in the day I purchased a drill set through Brookstone (when it was mostly a tool company), and landed a full set of fractional up to 1/2, letter, and number for fairly cheap. Back then money was scarce so buying a drill set from Japan (Nachi made in Japan) didn't bother me. Now that they also make drills in Greenwood, I'm happy even more. I still have it..and use the set regularly..
I don't mind the curve of the grinder when sharpening drill bits. It can actually help you get the correct relief angle, by just working at the correct height above the rest.
By keeping the drill bit level with the bench (horizontal) and starting the grind at about 1/10th of the wheel diameter above the rest, you automatically get the initial relief angle of about 12 degrees.
I will try that. thanks