Need help buying drill bits

[DMT]

I just picked up a nice Clausing drill press. I have a hand full of dewalt multi-purpose bits but I want to get a quality set of drill bits primarily for metal work. Any suggestion on places to pick them up?

 

[remileblanc]

cant go wrong with dormer. call up your local industrial supply.

 

[mattrogers]

You anywhere near Minneapolis-St. Paul?

You could probably go to the Norseman Drill factory and pick up a set directly from them!

I bought two 135° sets--one inch, one metric--for metal and I couldn't be happier.

355 State Street
St.Paul, Minnesota 55107
651-227-8911

 

[jjjrmx5]

cant go wrong with dormer. call up your local industrial supply.

Yep.
Dormer for USA bits.

I've got a ton.

Find a local supplier or local machine shop to get them thru.

 

[littletoes]

For strictly metalwork, I like the cobalt 135* bits, and if you can get the shorter version, they will last much longer than the "jobber" length bits. In most cases, you don't need bits that long, its just what most folks are use to.

Champion has been a good brand for me, although I have a couple of Snap-On sets, one in HSS, the other Cobalt (which are my go-to bits for metal work).


For just everyday use, HSS might be the most affordable, and cheaper to replace when you break one.

http://www.championcuttingtool.com/_index_champion.html

 

[browntown]

Since I have a drill dr, and a drawer full of bits from different cheap sets I've bought over the years, I just stick with US made HSS. Then sharpen when dull, and replace as needed. I'm just a homeowner though, so I just go through a dozen 1/8" bits a year drilling out broken bolts, and everything else is ancient.

 

[JASTECH]

CryoBits from PartsMaster, they have the lube too "EZ-Cut". There is a Rep on this forum too.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

I've had very good experience with machine shop quality bits from Dormer, Cleveland Twist, Clarkson Osborn, Champion, Norseman.

My personal favourites are the Clarkson Osborn and Norseman "Two tone" drills. They cut through tool steel and even stainless very smoothly.

Like others have said, go to a real industrial supply place to buy drill bits, not the box stores. I buy my Norseman bits from Fastenal.

 

[DMT]

Thanks everyone for the quick feedback.

You anywhere near Minneapolis-St. Paul?

You could probably go to the Norseman Drill factory and pick up a set directly from them!

I bought two 135° sets--one inch, one metric--for metal and I couldn't be happier.

355 State Street
St.Paul, Minnesota 55107
651-227-8911

I am very close to there. I'll have to check them out.

 

[jhelrey]

and I was about to say DeWalt Pilot Bits

 

[Jim Johnstone]

and I was about to say DeWalt Pilot Bits

Those DeWALT bits from Home Depot or Lowes are garbage compared to a good set of bits made for machine shop use.

 

[Kath]

I have many boxes of Cleveland Twist Drill bits. My father was a machinist and passed away. I am looking to get a fair price for these. I have thousands of different sizes. Any idea how I could sell these and get a fair price?

 

[BlackLS2]

I picked up a 14 piece kit of DeWalt 1263 Cobalt pilot point bits just to do metal on my drill press...holy cow they make a good hole. Best 30 bucks I have spent in a while...they are now $43 on Amazon.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Whatever brand you end up buying, if you are going to do a lot of metal drilling you might want to invest in a drill doctor if you don't know how to sharpen bits by hand. I got one at an estate sale and I can't say enough great things about it. Having sharp bits makes the work go so much easier!

 

[Bill Bowman]

Norseman

 

[jeffmoss26]

Drill Hog

 

[noid]

+1 on the Norsemen drill bits.

 

[Professional Tool User]

I am currently using Norseman Super Premium Bits. They are metal capable but don't seem to remain sharp for long after I sharpened them. Another thing that's kind of annoying about them is that the coating on at least the ones I got were too thick. This translates into problems after the part of the bit that the chuck hooks onto gets chewed up and it won't go back into the index without some grinding. For the money they are decent. I also managed to get a Thunderbit sample after my Snap on guy warrantied one of my old blue point bits and replaced it with a HSS Thunderbit. Those thunderbits seem to stay sharp a lot longer and I'll probably end up getting an index of either HSS or Cobalt Thunderbits in the future.

 

[GRB]

I have many boxes of Cleveland Twist Drill bits. My father was a machinist and passed away. I am looking to get a fair price for these. I have thousands of different sizes. Any idea how I could sell these and get a fair price?

WHERE are you. Values of used high quality items like that vary a lot by local demand. I had a friend with a big machine shop that was recently auctioned in Southern California and items like drill bits, taps, etc went for virtually nothing. A few, very few, items of big equipment went for a high price but mostly given away.
If they were purchased from a local industrial supply and are still new and in original packaging, they would probably be your best buyer.