Drill bits. Tired of the one set does it all ****.

[Grant Gunderson]

Over the years I have always thought of drill bits as consumables and usually bought the mid-grade sets at Lowes of Home depot. I'd use them for wood, aluminum, steel. Basically as a one set does it all, but lets be honest they don't really do anything great, just adequate. Lately I've been going through those even faster then normal. Yesterday I needed some metric wood drills, so bit the bullet and bought the Festool study brad set. Wow, completely blown away with the difference. A few years ago I upgraded from box store grade driver bits to all PB Swiss and wouldn't go back for the world... so would like to now do that with my drill bits.

So that got me thinking it was time to invest in a few sets of single purpose bits. I.E. a full breakpoint set, a taper set, and a dedicated hardened steel set.

Now I'm looking for some advice on who makes the best bits for each of these purposes.

Bradpoints: Festool doesn't do anything smaller then 3mm and I need smaller sizes and a full imperial and metric set.

Tapper wood bits: Thinking about ordering the 14 piece set from WL Fuller. They on ungodly expensive so curious if something else was a close second.

Carbide set dedicated for hard steel: Saw some on Fuller's site that look good but they don't sell sets.

Non-ferous metal set: Was thinking about just using a general purpose set from Bosch or millwaulke but open to ideas.

I dont own any centrotec drills.... its about the only thing I don't own from festool, so I can see my self going down that rabbit hole soon, so centrotec compatible bits are a plus but not a must.

 

[larry_g]

If you go to the advanced search feature, puts 'bits' in the search field and use titles only you will come up with hundreds of threads on this same question. This question comes up at least once a month.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Git]

Bradpoints: Festool doesn't do anything smaller then 3mm and I need smaller sizes and a full imperial and metric set.

Look at LeeValley
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?c=&p=42247&cat=1,180


Carbide set dedicated for hard steel: Saw some on Fuller's site that look good but they don't sell sets.

I have a high speed steel set from Triumph that I am very happy with:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007MN6OR6/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I dont own any centrotec drills....
I have one centrotec type drill bit. I spent $65 on this countersink drill bit (What the hell was I thinking?) Unless you're a tool collector/polisher - spit out the Kool-Aid and buy something that actually has a good value for your money

 

[James-W]

I think what you use the drill bits for determines what type you should buy. I don't see any reason for buying super good drill bits to just drill thru a piece of wood. On the other hand, if you often drill thru hardened steel then you need to get some really good drill bits.

 

[larry_g]

Carbide set dedicated for hard steel: Saw some on Fuller's site that look good but they don't sell sets.

You have to be a bit careful with the carbide. They perty much require a solid setup, mill or good drillpress, or you will fracture the bits. I'm not sure what you consider 'hard steel'?

lg
no neat sig line

 

[bob15]

Brad points: go with the HSS set from Lee Valley.

Why do you think you need carbide drill bits? Have you tried these bits before: https://www.harryepstein.com/index.php/norseman-115pc-magnum-super-premium-drill-bit-set-jobber-length-black-gold-sp-115.html

 

[Teenager with old tools]

Go to yard sales and pick up huot indexes with bits in them. Very high chance of them being American. No way can I afford new Cleveland bits but my old ads set will drill through anything softer than a fine.

Sent from my P027 using Tapatalk

 

[Packard V8]

Grant, you just went headfirst down the slippery slope. There's literally no end of "best for the hole in the material" bits. Metric, number, letter, fractional, brad point, Forstner, hole saw, Morse taper, left hand, adjustable, and so it goes.

jack vines

 

[Thumper68]

I just broke my Norseman 1/2" bit a few weeks ago, okay it was 25+ years old but it was my go to when I needed a good hole.

I have a complete set of (missing the 1/2" now) of Norseman that I only use when I need the hole to be good the first time.

I also have several sets of the HF bits for when I know I am going to be abusing them.

 

[Ign]

I would not dream of carbide without a quality, metalworking floor drill press or mill.

Cheap drill presses too sloppy. Using carbide in a hand drill super stupid = waste of $$ = you'll trash 'em

 

[JohnDeere1]

I buy all my drill bits from my local peddlers mall flea market a guy sells good USA made and other drill bits for $1 each all types. I bought milwaukee,Makita ,and Bosch and others in different types cobalt,titanium,and other steel bits all high quality I spent alot of money but got alot and cleaned him out in the brands mentioned above can't beat the price then went to another flea market and found 200 or more USA made drill bits in 2 bundles wrapped in rubber bands for $2 a bundle I now have 400 or so drill bits I'm set I suggest checking flea markets like I did you might get lucky. I'd love to try some festool goodness but I'm not a wood worker but do have plenty of pb Swiss I love them I'm buying the screwdrivers next or at least put them on my Christmas list.

 

[Dave455]

For drilling wood, if you're happy with the festool bits that you've got, stick with them. I don't bother with specific wood drills below 3mm, I just use regular HSS, but I have a few that I keep specifically for wood and don't blunt them on anything else! Yes, shame Festool live in this 'metric only' utopia and don't offer a full range. Those Lee Valley bits look superb though!

When you start drilling steel, the quality of the drill bit is everything. You don't need carbide (except for some very hard metals) but you do need a quality drill. I'm reluctant to advise particular makes as there are so many out there. I have a specialist drill supplier locally and find that whatever he sells me is leagues ahead of 'mid grade' drill sets, but many of the makes I don't recognise!

Most of the sets I have are from older British or U.S. makers, but newer makes I find to be consistently good are Presto (U.K.) or Guhring (German). There will be U.S. equivalents. A set of quality H.S.S. drills, in the size range you need , is always a good start. If you want to upgrade, start by looking at cobalt bits, which take the heat better, or TiN coated. You can sharpen the cobalt bits using a special wheel but the TiN coated can't be sharpened so I only tend to use these in the smaller sizes.

Drills for non ferrous metals depend on the material. Brass needs a 'slow helix' drill, aluminium is better with a 'quick helix', but if you're only drilling a small hole it won't matter!

It's worth picking up a copy of the MSC catalogue as they have a large section on drills, and they usually have a solution for most metalworking problems!

 

[Mecha]

HSS from a USA company is the best typically. Precision, Norseman, Chicago Latrobe, Cleveland Twist Drill. It's not a "USA" thing, it's that USA made quality has been good for a long time.

Those are good for most and can sharpen well.

Harder metals same types of brands but with coatings. Cobalt, etc.

 

[theoldwizard1]

HSS from a USA company is the best typically. Precision, Norseman, Chicago Latrobe, Cleveland Twist Drill. It's not a "USA" thing, it's that USA made quality has been good for a long time.

Drill Hog (sold only on eBay) are made in the USA (rumor is they are Norseman) and have a LIFETIME WARRANTY ! Break it and they replace it.

I have 2 sets, 3/8 and 1/2. Their most common sets use M7 molybdenum HSS steel but they also have M42 cobalt and carbide masonry drills. Very little selection of metric bits. I haven't given them a real work out yet. but I am happy so far.


I have to ask. What is a tapered wood drill bit and why do you need them ?

 

[cheechi]

wood screws used to be tapered. They also used to be slotted heads only.

the reason a lot of guys still use tapered drills is they typically also have an adjustable countersink on them and that's a one step process. Quite often you want your screws to be hidden or at least flush.

I don't like the lee valley brad points, I find it easier to work with ones that don't have the lip. They are good drills just not my preference. I have a set of Dewalts (Ti coated I think?) that I prefer.

I have a few sets that only get used in the DP, only for metals, etc but drilling wood is nothing special usually it's just a 1/8" pilot hole most of my wood screws have pilot points so its just to prevent splitting.

 

[tym]

I've been buying my drill bits at flea markets like others have mentioned, then running through my Drill Doctor to sharpen them if they're a bit dull.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I've been buying my drill bits at flea markets like others have mentioned, then running through my Drill Doctor to sharpen them if they're a bit dull.

Drill Doctor. Some people swear by them. Some people swear at them.


A couple of addons. I have a few Silver & Demming bits (3/4" and 7/8") that I bought at my local surplus store. I have the drill motor that will turn them (Craftsman Industrial 1/2" triple gear reduction). That baby will hurt you if the don't have the assist handle on when you are drilling with one of those large bits.

Also, step drills are great ! I should get 1 or 2 more.

 

[hangfirew8]

Carbide set dedicated for hard steel: Saw some on Fuller's site that look good but they don't sell sets.

You have to be a bit careful with the carbide. They perty much require a solid setup, mill or good drillpress, or you will fracture the bits. I'm not sure what you consider 'hard steel'?

Why do you think you need carbide drill bits? Have you tried these bits before: https://www.harryepstein.com/index.php/norseman-115pc-magnum-super-premium-drill-bit-set-jobber-length-black-gold-sp-115.html

I would not dream of carbide without a quality, metalworking floor drill press or mill.

Cheap drill presses too sloppy. Using carbide in a hand drill super stupid = waste of $$ = you'll trash 'em

OK, so you've been warned about Carbide. I've successfully used Carbide bits in my cheap Chinese Craftsman drill press, BUT... I replaced the chuck with a Jacobs, AND I dialed it in for minimum runout. (Runout is a good thing to check for with any new, or new-to-you drill press). I only use them for very small holes in hard steel that I'm going to tap, the flex of a HSS steel bit is enough to wallow out the hole to thread depth. It also allows me to skip the annealing step for surface hardened steel (and still get a small entry hole).

Bob15 shows a good alternative, but there's nothing wrong with a good quality set of Cobalt bits. Cobalt will drill any steel you find.