Best bits for drilling metal?
- Thread starter Sanderguy777
- Start date
akalian
Well-known member
Here's a good site for all manner of metal working tools.
Link to the Cobalt Drill bit page:
I like the 135 degree split point cobalt drills.
Victor Machinery - Metalworking tools and supplies
Victor Machinery's online store for taps and dies, cutting and measuring tools, machine shop supplies.
www.victornet.com
Link to the Cobalt Drill bit page:
Cobalt Steel Jobber Length Drill Bits for Stainless Steel
Browse cobalt steel jobber length drill bits here. Cobalt drill bits for stainless steel have great heat-resistance, making them ideal for tougher steels.
www.victornet.com
ThePostman
Well-known member
If it hasn't been mentioned already, Norseman cobalt sold through Fastenal. Buy local. Online they are 200, I paid 144 in person, their hours **** tho, get up early. They will chew through grade 8 snapped off Toyota caliper bolts. 27/64ths is your size to retap. Greatest drill bits ever. Go slow, spray lube.
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Valweld4
Member
Champion drill bits seem to really last longer than anything else we’ve had. An they are hexagon on the shanks
Kscardsfan
Well-known member
Think that’s related to pig iron somehow?
I haven't the foggiest. I was thinking a play on "Hawg".
Kscardsfan
Well-known member
I’m just joking around. Pig iron is part of the steel refining process.
OP
Sanderguy777
Well-known member
I asked the Drill Hog seller on ebay and he said the bits themselves are USA made. Whether that is true I don't know, but that's what he said.
Here's the knife after drilling and installing the handle and home made brass rivets.
Not perfect, but I think it is pretty nice compared to the old handle...
Here's the knife after drilling and installing the handle and home made brass rivets.
Not perfect, but I think it is pretty nice compared to the old handle...
1. They are NOT very well made - very brittle and break easily.
2. They don't honor their warranty - emails are never answered.
3. Stay away
Did you use cutting fluid on the drill bit? A cobalt bit should have handled that. Use water If you can't use oil. But you have to have something. And get the speed down lower.
akalian
Well-known member
Here's a reference chart to guide you on the proper drill speeds for different metals.
Once you know the SFM (Surface Feet per Minute) you need to set the drill press rotation to the correct rotation speed depending on the size of the drill bit being used.
The rotation speed doesn't have to match exactly, but knowing what the optimum speed is you can adjust the belts on your drill press to get as close to optimum as you can.
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The Drill Hawg brand has always acted very shady, so I will never buy anything from them. When they were first starting out, they put Chinese made drill bits into USA made Huot drill indexes and then they would list them as something like "US made drill bit index sets". All the listing images would show American flags everywhere, and the Huot "made in the USA" stamping on the metal index was shown very prominently, but the flags and the US stamping on the index cover had nothing to do with the actual bits. A lot of people got tricked into overpaying for Chinese made bits.
All their step drills used to be foreign made as well, but they were also originally marketed as if they were US made. The red flag for many should have been the fact that the Drill Hawg step drills were selling for less than 1/3 the price of US made step drills at the time. They were basically selling at China step drill prices plus 10-20%.
Now, based solely on their prices, it does seem like they might be selling some actual US made stuff, so who knows. If things are US made, sellers usually advertise that like crazy though. Drill Hog seems to be putting the US flag all over the place, but they are still leaving the actual COO declaration vague or nonexistent for many of their products. I would still be very careful buying anything from them. Their prices don't appear to be that amazing anyways, so why take the risk?
Nice job on the knife OP! It looks good.
Downwindtracker 2
Well-known member
There can be huge differences in drill bit quality. Our purchasing agent thought he got a deal on some bits, we would grab a handful to finish the job. You likely have gotten the same quality at a big box. It wasn't cost effective. Pick up a index of good quality like Norseman . If you using one size a lot , buy a single short length cobalt by a industrial brand ,I like Butterfield.
Good thread and I appreciate the comments on Drill Hog, as they are a tempting buy. I was going to update some 1/16-1/4" drills (old Craftsman high speed steel) and found some Irwin M2 118 degree point and some Norseman M7 135 degree split point.
Should I even consider the Irwin M2 bits as I assume the Norseman are much superior? I have an old drill bit sharpener stand that you use with a bench grinder with settings of CSK, 49, 59, 68, and 88. How do you sharpen the 135 degree split point? Do I use the 68 setting? Thanks for helping to educate me!
Should I even consider the Irwin M2 bits as I assume the Norseman are much superior? I have an old drill bit sharpener stand that you use with a bench grinder with settings of CSK, 49, 59, 68, and 88. How do you sharpen the 135 degree split point? Do I use the 68 setting? Thanks for helping to educate me!
Chicago Latrobe
Precision Twist
Norseman
Cle-line
Alfa
Cleveland
Viking
Champion (exceptions)
Drill America (exceptions)
Greenlee
Triumph
Union Butterfield
All of which are available on Ebay and Amazon,
and theres plenty more quality European and Asian offerings
Precision Twist
Norseman
Cle-line
Alfa
Cleveland
Viking
Champion (exceptions)
Drill America (exceptions)
Greenlee
Triumph
Union Butterfield
All of which are available on Ebay and Amazon,
and theres plenty more quality European and Asian offerings
Downwindtracker 2
Well-known member
135 split point are sharpened by machines, but your run of the mill drill bit can be web thinned. same effect.