Here is my debate. At my job we have been busy building large gas compressor packages which require LOTS and LOTS of bracket making to run conduit and high pressure pipe, and all these brackets are made out of 1/4" - 3/8" steel plate. In order to mount these brackets we drill holes through them and use u-bolts to clamp them to the pipe. Well up until now I have been using the welders drill bits which were all very pricey bit sets he got through his last employer. Well as the bits would get used hard and dulled he would sharpen them on his drill doctor which was better than a bench grinder could do...but eventually someone would ruin the bit by over heating it while drilling and so slowly but surely the bits got thrown away. Well long story short he eventually found another job and the shop payed him for the bit sets that got ruined. Which now leaves me with a half set of his old bits and another package needing to be built soon. My question is, do you guys see drill bits as a consumable that the shop should provide? Or do you guys go all out and get the pricey bits for day in and day out drilling through hard steel plate? I had bought a decent set of hss irwin bits for just under $100 to get me by with in case I needed to drill out the occasional broken bolt...but was not planning on daily hard use like what the last guy had been using his bits for. Should I be expected to drop $200 on some high end drill bits? I get the feeling if his bits didn't last the entire month long job...then mine probably won't fair well.
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how do you guys see drill bits for at work??
- Thread starter mech-tech
- Start date
they provide cup wire brushes for grinders, buffing pads for die grinders, and other cheap consumables for cutting and buffing. Its all in a big vending machine that you must enter your employee number and it tells you what you have access to and how much you can have! If you reach your limit you are denied access to that item, such as wd-40, paint cans, batteries, safety glasses and gloves!!!!!!!
Heavymetalmechanic
Well-known member
Both shops I have worked for (8 years total) have provided a set of cheap bits. I have my own set of Snap-on bits $250+ that I use only for extraction and precision tasks where it has to be perfect the first try.
Edit:
In the environment you described I am surprised they do not have them available, unless you are offered a generous tool allowance. That welder was very kind to let you beat up on his nice bits, I would likely not.
Edit:
In the environment you described I am surprised they do not have them available, unless you are offered a generous tool allowance. That welder was very kind to let you beat up on his nice bits, I would likely not.
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Wamsutta
Well-known member
My question is, do you guys see drill bits as a consumable that the shop should provide? Or do you guys go all out and get the pricey bits for day in and day out drilling through hard steel plate?
That depends on how much they're paying me. If I was making $25 an hour, I might not mind buying my own Toledo Consolidated Drill Co. drill bits. But if they're paying me $10 an hour and I'm drilling through plow steel all day, I might ***** about it.
NoahG
Well-known member
My shop provides bits and all other consumables. It also has a contract with a sharpening company that picks up weekly and can sharpen almost any kind of bit or blade.
That said I do keep my own complete set of bits just so I know that I always have a set of sharp bits at the ready. I also have my own set of Forstner bits and hole saws because the shop set is incomplete.
That said I do keep my own complete set of bits just so I know that I always have a set of sharp bits at the ready. I also have my own set of Forstner bits and hole saws because the shop set is incomplete.
thetool
Well-known member
everything is supplied where i work, just go to the tool room and get it.
Well they should at least replace broken and worn bits. Every place I've worked would supply cutting tools some where very skimpy and it whose almost impossible to get them.
I would bring the drill set in the office and have a talk with the boss he might not be aware of the problem. See if they would stock and replace the used sizes they aren't all that expensive to replace a few at a time.
I would bring the drill set in the office and have a talk with the boss he might not be aware of the problem. See if they would stock and replace the used sizes they aren't all that expensive to replace a few at a time.
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chris142
Well-known member
im expected to buy my own. my boss did buy a drill doctor lol
low_dakota94
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2014
- Messages
- 79
My shop supplies all of our bits. They are junk bits but if you kill one just grab another lol.
mopwered
Well-known member
The shop i worked in didn't buy them at first but after awhile we all started complaining about it and they started buying them ,
Its all in a big vending machine that you must enter your employee number and it tells you what you have access to and how much you can have! If you reach your limit you are denied access to that item, such as wd-40, paint cans, batteries, safety glasses and gloves!!!!!!!
It can deny you safety glasses? Hmmm.
The last place I worked there was a storeroom above the shop that was bigger than the shop itself. It had every kind of pipe, belt, pully, conduit, wire, gloves, glasses, ear plugs, motors, nuts and bolts in trays, Tyvek overalls, rubber boots, anything you could need to keep the place running. You would fill out a 3x5 card and include your supervisor's name and sign it and put it in a box and take the part. And grab a handfull of candy from a bowl on your way out. Your supervisor would get his cards out of the box and process the cards maybe once a week. There were some things up there that were in locked cabinets, like saw blades and drill bits; things that people might especially like to take home. To get those things you would find your supervisor and borrow the key to get them and then return the key. It all worked out well. You might suggest something like this. You had to provide your own hand tools, that was all.
They're not a consumable where I work. We get welding supplies, safety equipment, rolocs, ziz wheels, emery cloth, and that sort of thing for free, most of which gets billed as shop supplies.
So I don't treat them as such. My last job, I got a nice set of German bits for Christmas one year. I baby those things. I don't lend them out, and I use them carefully. I don't really go over 8 or 10 mm with a hand held drill. We've got a decent drill press, a portable Milwaukee mounted on a stand (can be raised/lowered and angled very precisely) and another with a magnetic base. It's easy to use the right drill for the job. I **** at free hand sharpening, so I bought a drill doctor to keep them in good shape and they've lasted me years.
If I lost that set tomorrow, I wouldn't go all out, but I'd definitely buy some that are worth maintaining -- but that's generally my approach to most of what I have in my box.
So I don't treat them as such. My last job, I got a nice set of German bits for Christmas one year. I baby those things. I don't lend them out, and I use them carefully. I don't really go over 8 or 10 mm with a hand held drill. We've got a decent drill press, a portable Milwaukee mounted on a stand (can be raised/lowered and angled very precisely) and another with a magnetic base. It's easy to use the right drill for the job. I **** at free hand sharpening, so I bought a drill doctor to keep them in good shape and they've lasted me years.
If I lost that set tomorrow, I wouldn't go all out, but I'd definitely buy some that are worth maintaining -- but that's generally my approach to most of what I have in my box.
Uh its in a vending machine and can deny you safety items? Yea thats not legal. Call OSHA...PRONTO. I can understand consumable things, but not safety items like glasses and gloves.
I would not supply my own drill bits at all, your job is fabrication and therefore if they supply things like welders, grinders, drills, well then they gotta provide bits and so so forth.
I would not supply my own drill bits at all, your job is fabrication and therefore if they supply things like welders, grinders, drills, well then they gotta provide bits and so so forth.
JoeFin
Well-known member
So if I come to work with a "Drill Doctor" do I get promoted to Foreman because now the company will depend on me for production ???
greasemonkey44
Well-known member
If I'm working on a project for work stuff and wipe them out; work pays to replace them
I have a large set of norsemans that do 99% of what I need at work
I do however see them as consumable and don't bother sharpening them
I have a large set of norsemans that do 99% of what I need at work
I do however see them as consumable and don't bother sharpening them
rsanter
Well-known member
If it a general repair shop then it goes either way on the shop supplying the bits or you supply.
If it is a fab shop where the holes have to be drilled to make the part then the shop should buy the bits and they are a consumable. They can opt to send them out to get sharpened or they can buy a sharper to save some money.
If you guys are drilling that many holes in that thickness of material then the shop should look as buying an iron worker to punch the holes. Much less time to make a ogle with it
Bob
If it is a fab shop where the holes have to be drilled to make the part then the shop should buy the bits and they are a consumable. They can opt to send them out to get sharpened or they can buy a sharper to save some money.
If you guys are drilling that many holes in that thickness of material then the shop should look as buying an iron worker to punch the holes. Much less time to make a ogle with it
Bob
Uh its in a vending machine and can deny you safety items? Yea thats not legal. Call OSHA...PRONTO. I can understand consumable things, but not safety items like glasses and gloves.
I would not supply my own drill bits at all, your job is fabrication and therefore if they supply things like welders, grinders, drills, well then they gotta provide bits and so so forth.
Relax. If he keeps disappearing safety glasses, they're not going to deny them to him. They'll just hand him some and deduct them from his check for being an idiot who can't keep track of his PPE.
My employer treats drill bits and taps as a consumable and therefore provides them or reimburse us. ALL hand and power tools are on us.
99% of my time is out in the field traveling to customer sites. I fax the home office a shopping list for consumables and PPE and they pull it and ship it to my house. Need a part for a machine and I have them ship it to the customers location or fly it in via one of the major airlines if I need it really fast.
99% of my time is out in the field traveling to customer sites. I fax the home office a shopping list for consumables and PPE and they pull it and ship it to my house. Need a part for a machine and I have them ship it to the customers location or fly it in via one of the major airlines if I need it really fast.
jjjrmx5
Well-known member
My question is, do you guys see drill bits as a consumable that the shop should provide?.
Yes.
You have gone from ocasional use to mfg. /assembly work which is repetitive and thus requires consumables that wear fastaer than if only used occasionally.
Our mfg floor drills, grinds and welds metal plate all day long as well as armour plate.
Drill bits, grinding discs, etc. are company supplied.
We buy USA made Dormer bits in bulk.
Your employer should either supply you bits in bulk or have those brackets built and pre-drilled out of house and delivered and ready to go for you to install.
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finn
Well-known member
Sounds like you are an employee doing production work, therefore they provide the tools and consumables.
If you are a subcontractor who quotes or bids the job and sets your own daily schedule and hours, and are not supervised daily, the tools and consumables are on you.
This is the third thread today where people are putting themselves in or tolerating 18th century working conditions.
How backwards is this country getting?
If you are a subcontractor who quotes or bids the job and sets your own daily schedule and hours, and are not supervised daily, the tools and consumables are on you.
This is the third thread today where people are putting themselves in or tolerating 18th century working conditions.
How backwards is this country getting?
It seems you guys are seeing it the same way I see it. To me, drill bits are like taps, they will wear out eventually, but you need them on occasion to do your job as a mechanic and they should last many many years. Building a product where now my wearable items are being used hard daily quickly becomes an expense for me. The bits he had came in a green metal index with "ZU" on the front. These bits were by far the best I have ever used, and were every bit of $200, which lasted 4 weeks of use! That's quite a large loss to take on a monthly basis.
Motor-Mechanic
Well-known member
Sounds like you are an employee doing production work, therefore they provide the tools and consumables.
If you are a subcontractor who quotes or bids the job and sets your own daily schedule and hours, and are not supervised daily, the tools and consumables are on you.
This is the third thread today where people are putting themselves in or tolerating 18th century working conditions.
How backwards is this country getting?
The UK is the same in some areas of industry, plenty of companies disregarding employment and HSE laws and getting away with it.
MagnumForce
Well-known member
Totally consumable, in fact I just bought a new drill index and went up to the tool crib and filled it up. Everything in our tool crib is available to anyone who has been signed off. Scan the item, put in your clock number and quantity and you are good to go. From shop rags to hydraulic cylinders, from gloves to prox switches.
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We were given 1 set of 29 bits and told they would not be replaced. Simple solution was when we used one up, we told them we could no longer drill that size of hole. Which incorrect size would you like us to drill? Now, albeit with some grumbling, they replace the bits as needed.
They are a consumable, plain and simple.
They are a consumable, plain and simple.
Marvelicious
Well-known member
We were given 1 set of 29 bits and told they would not be replaced. Simple solution was when we used one up, we told them we could no longer drill that size of hole. Which incorrect size would you like us to drill? Now, albeit with some grumbling, they replace the bits as needed.
They are a consumable, plain and simple.
I was thinking along these lines as well. For repair work, I can see buying them just like the rest of your tools, but for production? "Sorry boss, money is a little tight this month, but I should be able to drill those holes next month... unless you'd like to go buy me some drill bits!"
We have a tool list. Everything beyond that is supposed to be provided by the contractor.
The reality is, one needs a few hand tools beyond the list. No problem.
Consumables are supposed to be provided by the contractor. Most of the time, they are. Sometimes, they are just not there and sometimes they ****. I have a "bag of tricks". some bits and hole saws… That are far better than the contractor provides. I am covetous of it. I do not even let anyone see it. I will not let anyone use anything out who has said so much as an unkind word to me in the last 20 years. I probably will not let you use anything if you are nice as pie. **** you. Go get it from the contractor or go buy one. **** you sideways. I will let you borrow the one the contractor provided or something unusable. I will drill a few holes with my personal Champion CT7 hole saw. If you ask me for a hole saw, you can have a dull company provided Morse.
It is not my job to buy other electricians tools. But, I want my tools to be easier to use, less abusive to my wrists… **** your wrists and **** you.
I remember catching a guy trying to steal **** out of my box. He even tried again at lunch, when I was away from my tools.
Once, I caught a foreman trying to steal my tools.
The reality is, one needs a few hand tools beyond the list. No problem.
Consumables are supposed to be provided by the contractor. Most of the time, they are. Sometimes, they are just not there and sometimes they ****. I have a "bag of tricks". some bits and hole saws… That are far better than the contractor provides. I am covetous of it. I do not even let anyone see it. I will not let anyone use anything out who has said so much as an unkind word to me in the last 20 years. I probably will not let you use anything if you are nice as pie. **** you. Go get it from the contractor or go buy one. **** you sideways. I will let you borrow the one the contractor provided or something unusable. I will drill a few holes with my personal Champion CT7 hole saw. If you ask me for a hole saw, you can have a dull company provided Morse.
It is not my job to buy other electricians tools. But, I want my tools to be easier to use, less abusive to my wrists… **** your wrists and **** you.
I remember catching a guy trying to steal **** out of my box. He even tried again at lunch, when I was away from my tools.
Once, I caught a foreman trying to steal my tools.
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jeffmoss26
Well-known member
I just go to the tool crib and get what I need.
I probably come off a little angry… I have been through 20 years of this kind of thing. It gets old. "Hey Brother, I am dead in my tracks until I get (insert tool or consumable here)" If you lend them a tool they will usually mistreat it and possibly never give it back (or make you go hunt them down". It is the other electrician/their foreman/the contractors job to provide consumables. **** you!!!! "Brother".
I have 20 more years of this ****.
I have 20 more years of this ****.
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Dan Jacobs
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- Joined
- Feb 9, 2012
- Messages
- 433
shop buys
fitz11
Well-known member
Do you use all of the sizes in the index? If it's repeating production work it might be easier to get them to just add the popular sizes used everyday into the vending machine.
NoahG
Well-known member
Do you use all of the sizes in the index? If it's repeating production work it might be easier to get them to just add the popular sizes used everyday into the vending machine.
Exactly. The two most common holes drilled I'm at are for 1/4" and 3/8" hardware. We have the appropriate wood and steel bits for those by the bin full.
softailgarage
Well-known member
If your job is drilling holes for a product they sell and profit from I would expect them to buy all consumables including bits.
Exactly!!! Unless you get part of the profit from the product your making for the company
texasfiremedic
Well-known member
They are a consumable. I would say if that the shop need to invest in a drill doctor. Then they supply the bits and once they get dull you sharpen them. Then once they get to the point that they are no longer able to be sharpened return for a new one. In reality bits are not that expensive when bought in bulk. If profit margins are that tight. You may not have a company to work for if they take a economic loss.
I maybe wrong but that's my 2 cent piece.
I maybe wrong but that's my 2 cent piece.
RivennHewn
Well-known member
Easy.
If the customer is paying you, you pay for the bits.
If the customer is paying your boss, he pays for the bits.
If the customer is paying you, you pay for the bits.
If the customer is paying your boss, he pays for the bits.
ttpete
Well-known member
They are a consumable. I would say if that the shop need to invest in a drill doctor. Then they supply the bits and once they get dull you sharpen them. Then once they get to the point that they are no longer able to be sharpened return for a new one. In reality bits are not that expensive when bought in bulk. If profit margins are that tight. You may not have a company to work for if they take a economic loss.
I maybe wrong but that's my 2 cent piece.
It's cheaper to send drills out to cutter grind than it is to buy a decent drill sharpener and pay someone to run it. The cheaper Drill Doctors won't hold up in an industrial application, anyway.
383 240z
Well-known member
When I was a mechanic I bought my own drill bits, when I became a fabricator, the shop bought ALL my cutting tools. Keith