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Good usa drill bit set.

lucky3

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Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Messages
288
I;m looking for a good set of usa made drill bit set. I do mostly drilling in metal. I use both a hand drill and variable speed drill press. I want a good set but i also don't want to spend $300 on a set of drill bits.
thanks
 
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thedeatons

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Dec 5, 2011
Messages
372
Norseman... I think i have posted their 39 piece jobber bit set in another thread. Fluted bits so they won't slip, made in usa...

James
 

BWS

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Joined
Sep 3, 2006
Messages
923
Location
Mnts of Va
Well,in my pea brain twist drills....taps/dies....and quality bolts sort of go together.


See if you can find a local bolt jobber....and no,homeboy BB stores ain't.If you can find an industrial bolt joint,more than likely they'll have taps/dies/drills and as good of bolts as you're willing to pay for.They should have a VG line of twist drills.These are the types of brick/mortar places that,if the part fails......you show up with it...throw it on the counter and ask WTF?Seeing as they'd be wasting everyones time selling cheap chit.....uhh,you're somewhat assured of quality service/parts.

Its a dying type of mentality/store......but one you'll miss when its gone.Support them.BW
 

kartracer55

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Jun 21, 2005
Messages
5,317
I buy the generic "made in USA" bits from MSC all the time. I have a set of bright polish ones which I use to drill 7075 almost exclusively.
 
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kartracer55

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Jun 21, 2005
Messages
5,317
All of those bits are listed as for use on wood and non-ferrous metals. What's up with that? Is it the 118* tip? I want something for steel!

a 118* High Speed Steel bit will work adequately for most materials you will run into around the garage
 

FastKat

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Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Messages
553
I just want to know why Norseman says to avoid drilling steel with these bits. I know not all HSS bits are created equal... maybe these ones aren't fully treated, or maybe an inferior alloy?

I have my eye on these:
http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=337-2186&PMPXNO=28073960&PARTPG=INLMK32

Or these:

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRIT?PMAKA=337-2805&PMPXNO=28074575&PARTPG=INLMK32

a 118* High Speed Steel bit will work adequately for most materials you will run into around the garage
 
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gatewaysysop

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Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
3,288
Location
Arizona
I ended up going the vintage/NOS drill bit route on evil-bay. Lucked out a few times, after hunting for a while, and got some nice complete sets of US-made bits, complete with US-made drill index for each one. Just another option.
 

sonnyboy

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Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Messages
159
Location
MN
I've gone almost exclusively to Triumph "Thunderbits", 135 deg split points. Decent price for USA bits, and seem to hold up pretty well. I get mine through Enco, but I'm sure there are other vendors that are competitively priced. I've also heard rumors that these are the bits that are re-branded for Snap-On, and sold at a significant markup. (If anybody can verify, that would be great)

I used to like Precision Twist Drill (PTD) bits, but I've noticed lately that the replacement bits I've gotten are no longer made in the USA (mostly Brazil), and still cost more that an equivelant Triumph "Thunderbit".
 

booya719

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Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
57
Location
Canada
Norseman have never failed me. It's all I've used for the past 6, 7 years that I've been drilling steel. They are expensive but worth every penny. If you drill by hand in awkward places and positions more often, then these are the bits to use because they can take quite a lot of abuse and you can drill on angles with them. If you're using a press you can get away with lesser quality bits.

Buying a set has never panned out for me because bits work differently depending on the hole size and how you're drilling. For small holes like 1/8" inch you should use cheap bits because they are susceptible to breaking even norseman. I use cheap bits for drilling smaller holes and expensive bits for drilling larger holes. I buy my norseman drill bits one by one whenever they are needed and then you don't end up buying a whole set only to break all the small bits in it and never use the larger ones anyway.
 
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