i want some drill bits
- Thread starter brownbagg
- Start date
77Mini
Well-known member
You should learn to sharpen drill bits properly on a grinder. Make use of all those dull bits.
Doug Arthurs
Well-known member
If yours are name brand learn as 77 said to sharpen on a bench grinder. Lots of vids show you how. Takes plenty of practice and you will need a drill gauge to keep the lips even. If you need to buy go to an industrial distributor. Even his worst bits will be better then anything at the hardware store. When you have them sharp make sure you use a little cutting oil and keep your rpm low. I see lots of people that run their bits too fast and burn them up.
Odd, my drill doctor works pretty well.
Didn't at first, but once I read the instructions a little more carefully and sharpened them the way they said instead of the way I thought it should work, then it began to work fine.
Some with extra wide webbing, or odd spirals take more effort to figure out, but for basic standard bits its no problem providing they don't get the **** beat out of them.
Unfortunately where I work the words 'slow' and 'oil' don't seem to get through, so the bits usually have the **** beat out of them. For those I have to set the doctor up and run them until it quits making noise, then reset the bit and make the recommended number of turns.
I won't say they are as sharp as a brand new good quality bit, but they are good enough to peel off nice spirals or chips depending on what I'm drilling.
I actually can sharpen bits by hand, or at least I could before the DD made me lazy.
But doing that requires a nice fine grinding stone in good shape, also something hard to keep in a shop, the last time I had a fine wheel on my grinder I found it slap full of aluminum. Yeah, I can find my dressing tool, and fix it, and then sharpen the bits, but that's more hassle.
Also a coarse/medium stone and wire wheel is a more functional combo on a grinder.
Plus over time my hand sharpened drill bits would drift off from the angle they should be and not work very well.
I suppose if I did it every day instead of once every six months I would be a lot better at it, but since I don't need to sharpen anywhere near that many bits I get rusty at it.
Didn't at first, but once I read the instructions a little more carefully and sharpened them the way they said instead of the way I thought it should work, then it began to work fine.
Some with extra wide webbing, or odd spirals take more effort to figure out, but for basic standard bits its no problem providing they don't get the **** beat out of them.
Unfortunately where I work the words 'slow' and 'oil' don't seem to get through, so the bits usually have the **** beat out of them. For those I have to set the doctor up and run them until it quits making noise, then reset the bit and make the recommended number of turns.
I won't say they are as sharp as a brand new good quality bit, but they are good enough to peel off nice spirals or chips depending on what I'm drilling.
I actually can sharpen bits by hand, or at least I could before the DD made me lazy.
But doing that requires a nice fine grinding stone in good shape, also something hard to keep in a shop, the last time I had a fine wheel on my grinder I found it slap full of aluminum. Yeah, I can find my dressing tool, and fix it, and then sharpen the bits, but that's more hassle.
Also a coarse/medium stone and wire wheel is a more functional combo on a grinder.
Plus over time my hand sharpened drill bits would drift off from the angle they should be and not work very well.
I suppose if I did it every day instead of once every six months I would be a lot better at it, but since I don't need to sharpen anywhere near that many bits I get rusty at it.
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Can you explain your drilling process to us.
Hand drill or drill press?
Oil or dry?
What sized holes?
Where are you getting your bits now?
What material bits are you using?
What is the plate material specification?
Most any bit you buy will be sharp, the above variables will tell you how long it is going to stay sharp.
Richard Cranium
Well-known member
I didn't like my drill doctor either, I gave it to my BIL and he likes it.
WildwoodChuck
Well-known member
I use champion brand we have 5 of the 29 piece high speed indexes. We punch a lot of 7 gauge mild steel, we pay around 80 cents each for anything under 1/4" so we only sharpen from 1/4" to 1/2" with the drill dr. I pilot almost everything with a #29 then bump it up to #7 then bigger as needed. We also have 1/4" to 3/4" and 1/4" to 1-1/8" multi step bits as well as a full set of conduit sized hole saws.
unisawone
Active member
We use the Viking or Norseman, wouldn't buy anything else.
good luck!
good luck!
woody 73
Well-known member
One very good video for you to look at:
Another guide for buying used drill bits:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=271214
Hope that helps you out.
Another guide for buying used drill bits:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=271214
Hope that helps you out.
matt_i
Well-known member
I buy packs of 12pcs of 1/8" and 5/32" for pilot holes. Just black oxide, jobber. use the 1/8" for hand-drilling, the 5/32" for mill or drill press work.
after drilling the pilot hole, then drill to your finished size with 118deg points. I keep speeds low, drills work really well at low RPMs despite everyone wanting to run them wide open throttle. Tap Magic @ 1 drop per hole if needed.
If you look at a 118 deg point the center web cuts nothing and just stirs around metal until it flakes up, generating heat in the process. The larger the drill the greater the heating effect and the more thrust it takes to keep that blunt edge moving.
The pilot hole is designed to remove that metal and just let the actual cutting edges go to work. Less thrust, less heat, longer life.
The 135 degree design eliminates the center web but its a weaker cutting edge and almost impossible to hand-sharpen on a grinding wheel. So I consider those junk unless its a machine tool application.
after drilling the pilot hole, then drill to your finished size with 118deg points. I keep speeds low, drills work really well at low RPMs despite everyone wanting to run them wide open throttle. Tap Magic @ 1 drop per hole if needed.
If you look at a 118 deg point the center web cuts nothing and just stirs around metal until it flakes up, generating heat in the process. The larger the drill the greater the heating effect and the more thrust it takes to keep that blunt edge moving.
The pilot hole is designed to remove that metal and just let the actual cutting edges go to work. Less thrust, less heat, longer life.
The 135 degree design eliminates the center web but its a weaker cutting edge and almost impossible to hand-sharpen on a grinding wheel. So I consider those junk unless its a machine tool application.
gdocktor3
Well-known member
Irwin Hansen are quality drill bits at affordable prices. Sold on tool trucks, just rebadged.
MFolks
Well-known member
For the longer 6"and 12" bits,go to any good aircraft tool supplier. I use www.browntool.com
HMCFab9
Well-known member
Grainger / Fastenal / MSC are good places to buy drill bits.
Yes....they are going to be more expensive, but the ones I got have been great.
Yes....they are going to be more expensive, but the ones I got have been great.
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
I've had good luck lately with Drill Hog.
Your mileage may vary. If you're buying online, you're usually getting China Irwin even on their turbomax drill bits. While when you buy off the truck you're usually getting USA or Brazil.
Heavy Metal Doctor
Well-known member
Here's what I do - resharpen bits over 1/4" or so.
Buy a handful of decent bits under 1/4". Make pilot holes with the small brand new bits, then enlarge to the finished size I want with resharpened bits.
Buy a handful of decent bits under 1/4". Make pilot holes with the small brand new bits, then enlarge to the finished size I want with resharpened bits.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
I second Drill Hog. Made in the US. Lifetime warranty.
ssdave
Banned
I buy cobolt HSS, here's where I get mine:
http://www.victornet.com/subdepartments/HS-Jobber-Drills---Cobalt/1130.html
Or here for sets:
http://www.victornet.com/subdepartments/Jobber-Drill-Sets/1090.html
http://www.victornet.com/subdepartments/HS-Jobber-Drills---Cobalt/1130.html
Or here for sets:
http://www.victornet.com/subdepartments/Jobber-Drill-Sets/1090.html
People think steel is steel is steel. Just ain't so. There are tools that are better made in the USA, and there are tools where it doesn't matter as much as some of us think. I would probably argue that you could get good enough HSS bits from non US countries.
The HF set I bought years ago is complete poo. They weren't even sharpened correctly. Some were sharpened so poorly they would not cut at all. But once sharpened, they did ok....ish.
Cobalt, real M-42, in my experience is best bought from US makers. I question whether the Chinese cobalt is even real cobalt. It's certainly not M-42.
The HF set I bought years ago is complete poo. They weren't even sharpened correctly. Some were sharpened so poorly they would not cut at all. But once sharpened, they did ok....ish.
Cobalt, real M-42, in my experience is best bought from US makers. I question whether the Chinese cobalt is even real cobalt. It's certainly not M-42.