The General Drill Bit Set

[Dmar836]

As a kid I had several 29-piece bit sets from Craftsman. Over the years you get a few extras included in "drill kits", etc.
Most recently, I have bought them off Craigslist, etc. from people cleaning out their fathers barn or as part of machinist tool lots and what not.
It quickly gets to the point where you have more than you need.
Last year, I refurbished my 25 yo Craftsman toolbox I got as a teen into a drill index. I use it frequently.
I also like the Drill Dr. on a rainy day.

Dave
KC

 

[Bolster]

That's cool. What are you using as dividers?

 

[Dmar836]

I tried forming some out of scored plastic stock but it tended to want to unravel. I ended up buying some florescent light bulb protectors(clear plastic tubes) from Lowes or HD, cut them into troughs. I taped them together then lined them up upside down and hit the back of each seam with with a little hot glue. Covered them in felt.
There is a limit to the size of bit it will hold - either too long or too fat. I have other sets and the odd large bits, masonry, and spade bits elsewhere. I must have 40 or more of some sizes in there. The top is felt lined and holds all the odd drills/attachments.
Dave
KC

 

[JASTECH]

I just recieved the USA Econ 115pc HSS set. So now I need to be learned please. The set is Black Oxide and has HS on bits. I expected them to be shiny and HSS on the bits. I wanted a general use 115pc set under 150.00. So did I goof up? These are oiled heavy. Should I return them for a Cobalt M24 set? Or?

Thanks, JASTECH

 

[Bolster]

I ended up buying some florescent light bulb protectors(clear plastic tubes) from Lowes or HD, cut them into troughs. I taped them together then lined them up upside down and hit the back of each seam with with a little hot glue. Covered them in felt.

Clever, dude!

I just recieved the USA Econ 115pc HSS set. So now I need to be learned please. The set is Black Oxide and has HS on bits. I expected them to be shiny and HSS on the bits. I wanted a general use 115pc set under 150.00. So did I goof up? These are oiled heavy. Should I return them for a Cobalt M24 set? Or?

From Enco, or where? I think HS means High Speed, just like HSS. Black Oxide will hold more oil, it's my preference actually. Cobalt is not a general use bit, it's for hard alloys. Fragile. I'd be pleased to own the set you just bought. Go use 'em.

 

[NAYLOR]

I just recieved the USA Econ 115pc HSS set. So now I need to be learned please. The set is Black Oxide and has HS on bits. I expected them to be shiny and HSS on the bits. I wanted a general use 115pc set under 150.00. So did I goof up? These are oiled heavy. Should I return them for a Cobalt M24 set? Or?

Thanks, JASTECH

They will be great of ferrous metals! Black oxide will tend to gum up on aluminum but it's nothing you can't scrape off. If you are going into production drilling it's another story, but they will be perfect for 95% of home use.

I just ordered a Triumph black oxide set by 64ths. I had to choose between BO and polished, and picked BO since they will work better drilling steel.

 

[JASTECH]

Yes from Enco. I still have 2 Norseman Premium Molly sets in jobber length..Need to trade one off for 3-flat set same quality. So use these for my everyday metal drilling, use Norsman for hard steels and SS, find good set for wood like a 3-point? My Scout can kill cheap bits, lol
I sure like this site and the members are knowledgable and honest!

Thanks, JASTECH

 

[Stephenw]

I just recieved the USA Econ 115pc HSS set. So now I need to be learned please. The set is Black Oxide and has HS on bits. I expected them to be shiny and HSS on the bits. I wanted a general use 115pc set under 150.00. So did I goof up? These are oiled heavy. Should I return them for a Cobalt M24 set? Or?

Thanks, JASTECH

High speed steel is the material the bits are made out of. You are thinking of finish. The shiny bits are called bright finish. I prefer black oxide finish. They have worked well for me in both steel and aluminum. I actually feel that black oxide bits shed chips better. Cobalt bits are expensive and brittle. They are more likely to break when used in a hand held drill.

 

[Stephenw]

One thing I'd like to add...

I don't know for sure who makes the USA branded bits that Enco sells, but they look an awful lot like Huot products I have received through the Government supply system.

 

[Bolster]

One thing I'd like to add...

I don't know for sure who makes the USA branded bits that Enco sells, but they look an awful lot like Huot products I have received through the Government supply system.

Oh really? Huh. I had always guessed they were Precision Twist Drill aka PrecisionDormer. But come to think of it, Precision may be a global company.

 

[chad s]

One thing I'd like to add...

I don't know for sure who makes the USA branded bits that Enco sells, but they look an awful lot like Huot products I have received through the Government supply system.

Huot makes drill indexes, not the drill bits themselves.

 

[kc-steve]

I too have thought about getting a Drill Doctor. I just own DeWalt high-speed steel bits. But since I bought a used Grizzly 16-spd drill press, I just put a drop of cutting oil on my work, avoid overheating as I drill and have yet to dull my bits. So I haven't popped for the DD yet.

Steve

 

[JASTECH]

Why do BO (Black Oxide) bits shed chips better? I was thinking less do to no slick backed on coating ect. For working on my 73' & 76' Scout I use to use the HSS shiny bits then went to titanium (fake) bits and they would not go through the Scouts firewall so I went to a tool store (family owned, op) and they sold me a set of Hansen cobalt bits 19 pc I think for 20.00 and that was a lot for me in the 80's, but they went through the Scout steel easier.

So my DeWalt 29pc titanium coated bullet point are better for cast and other soft steel? I also have a Milwaukee blk/gld set. How do I determin wood bits ?

Thanks, JASTECH

 

[EZH]

Was at Truck Pro this morning picking some stuff up and spotted this brand on the shelf in a round index. Never heard of them before and made in the USA too. Check 'em out >>> http://www.knkut.com/

Eric

 

[Stephenw]

Why do BO (Black Oxide) bits shed chips better?

I think cutting fluid sticks better to the black oxide, making the bits "slicker". Just my opinion.

 

[sselander]

I like KnKut's girl of the month pics:

http://www.knkut.com/shop/index.php?crn=213

oh, and they have a nice website

http://www.knkut.com

 

[Steve_P]

I mostly have the titanium nitride finish bits from HF- which have served me well, but I feel the older bright finish bits I have (20+ yrs) are the best. This may be because the only blackened bits I have are newer chinese stuff and probably not as good as the vintage US stuff. I feel the TiN finish is mostly a marketing gimmick as it probably only really matters for that first use, but really don't care for the blackened stuff.

oh, and the drill doctor is great.

 

[spyhunter]

harbor freight cobalt bits. As long as you don't abuse them, they will cut through anything, even stainless steel. The regular titanium ones are garbage

 

[y2knole]

you're gonna laugh, but I bot a set of 100+ bits from costco for $20 a while back "made by" kawasaki.

cheap enough to not be too concerned with their longevity, but so far, so good!

theres enough of them and they're cheap enough that I dont have any qualms with abusing them either!

 

[TheGrooveking]

I didn't say they wouldn't work. I just said that even though most people don't know about them there actually are several different drill points. 118 and 135 are just the most common.

I totally agree using the correct feed, speed, pecking and cutting fluid will give the best results and tool life.

Rolleiflex is correct, in regards to maximizing performance and life the correct drill point an flute design will greatly effect the longivity of the drill bit. Even though a drill bit will work for aluminum I can tell you that I've been onvolved in designing drill bits for a few companies such as Briggs & Stratton and Harley-Davidson and Boeing to tell you the geometry is greatly different for high performance aluminum drilling versus steel.

Changing speeds for different materials is a basic, but as Rolleiflex eluded to the chip load in a regular HSS bit designed for steel will loadup and snap a bit long before it dulls the cutting edges.

TheGrooveking

 

[bgarrett]

I am very strongly opposed to buying stuff made in China but I was told the Horrible Freights M-2 bits work well and I have found that to be true.

Be sure they say M-2 on the box

 

[cnc-me]

From what my machinist connections tell me, the Drill Doctor is a waste of money these days. They work for a short period of time, then seem to fade. I was all set to by one until I researched them. I'll keep my $$ for now.

Exactly,what piece of ****. Works ok for a while, then it starts
vibrating so bad it won't stay on the bench, not to mention the
fact it doesn't sharpen drills correctly anymore.
Went back to sharpening drills by hand.
Every time I grabbed a drill that would not cut right, I could tell it
was one that had been "sharpened" by the DD.
Gradually getting them all sharpened by hand again, so they cut correctly.
Save your money people.....

 

[roboref]

Re: Tell me more about speed

Maybe a stupid question, but what are the proper speeds for steel, aluminum, and wood.
When using a variable speed handheld how do you judge the proper speed?

Thanks

 

[pfred1]

my 115 HF bit set is going strong after several years industrial use. my drill press spins pretty slow, and i use some type of cutting oil. they keep going, and going and going

Same here. Some of us apparently just know what we're doing. I run those bits at around 50 Surface Feet Per Minute (SFPM) and they seem fine to me. What is 50 SFPM? Well for a 1/4 inch bit it'd be around 800 RPM.

PI X Diameter X RPM / 12

3.1415 X .25 X 800 = 52.36 SFPM

Which is pretty slow. And the bigger the bit the slower you go. My press goes down to 220 RPM. Which lets me drill about a 7/8s hole with it.

 

[PSEUDOSENTIENT]

"The use and care of drill bits"

 

[K and K]

I have this made in USA cobalt set from Northern Tool. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_7899_7899
They cut hard metal great. But what manufacturer makes this set? They only say USA and the size on them.

 

[thedeatons]

From everything I have read the Norseman 29 piece Mechanics set with the 3 flutes on the shaft is a great buy ($85 at Harry Epstein's), and the steel is excellent. I plan to buy some when I have the funds.

James

 

[PinkLinc]

I picked up a set of Triumph ThunderBits on ebay for around $60. Snap On rebrands these and sells them for over $200. They're split point HSS and work great.

 

[EW57]

+1 on Norseman

 

[The Dutchman]

Re: Tell me more about speed

Maybe a stupid question, but what are the proper speeds for steel, aluminum, and wood.
When using a variable speed handheld how do you judge the proper speed?

Thanks

As an auto mechanic I've been up against this problem for years. It's a "seat of the pants" thing. You've got to remember a few ground rules.

The harder the material, the slower the drill RPM; the softer, the faster the drill RPM.

The larger the drill bit, the slower the RPM; the smaller, the faster the drill RPM.

For example, the other day I was drilling out a grade 8 bolt that had snapped off. I was using a 3/8" drill bit, which, to me is a "larger" size bit, since I don't have any bits bigger than 1/2". My Ingersoll Rand cordless hand drill has 2 speeds; I used the lower speed, which I think is 400 RPM. I pushed firmly forward with increasing hand pressure until the chips started coming out freely; then I maintained that hand pressure. You see, if I would have backed off on the pressure at that moment, I wouldn't have continued to apply enough force to cut the material, resulting in rubbing--not cutting & it just overheats the work & the bit. (When the chips are coming out steadily they don't have time to overheat.) If you apply too much force over & above what's necessary to produce chips, that's just as bad. I've had so much bad luck hand drilling over the years that I started a thread here on GJ recently:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118351

I really got some good advice on this thread. Good luck drilling!

P.S: I even got carried away & bought a quart of Dark Cutting Oil that I spray with a spray bottle on the bit as I'm drilling, or I get a helper for that. Soluble oil is recomended, as opposed to cutting oil, but the dark cutting oil I got at Lowe's works fantastic.

E.T.A: Sorry, I didn't read the part about drilling aluminum & wood. Maybe I'm naive, but I've never worried too much about drilling these materials; they're so soft. Unless, of course, you're drilling, say, dozens & dozens of holes, which I never have to do. I think my advice applies well for steel, though.

 

[bobcatdan]

The best bits I have are from the Lawson guy. I keep them in my service truck so I have the best bits on the road so i don't use them everyday, but I have them five years or so and the 29 piece set is still 29 piece. In the shop my drill bits are supplied and I abuse it, I really only use a drill bit once, then tose it my box and next time go get a fresh one. Norsman was the last set I bought before the lawson set and they where very good. Stay away from those turbomax with the special end! Yeah they work great when new, but seem to dull somewhat quick and in my opion are not worth the time to grind normal on a drill doctor.

 

[GRX]

Holy thread revival! Drill doctors are "OK". Anyone interested in learning how to sharpen their bits by hand may benefit from the thread I started a few days ago.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135850

 

[oldwino]

? re: Drill Doc
I have a cheapy DD (model 300) I picked up on a closeout a while back. Works great on 1/4" and up, sometimes 3/16", but not worth a **** on small bits. Small bits are cheap and disposable but do you guys have much luck sharpening the little guys?

 

[kuhner]

Fellow shows up at Hershey every year. Bought a small set the first year went back the second year and bought the big set. The best bits going, made in the US and a heck of a nice guy.

http://wintersdrillbitcity.com/

 

[incurablescrounge]

I agree with GRX, learn how to sharpen by hand. My machine shop teacher back in 1984, spent the first quarter of school year teaching how to sharpen bits by hand. That's probably the most useful thing I got from him (no machine shop). It seems that most smaller bits, 3/8 or less, are not real critical to have equal length cutting edges. Eyeballing is close enough.

 

[91bronc300]

I tried forming some out of scored plastic stock but it tended to want to unravel. I ended up buying some florescent light bulb protectors(clear plastic tubes) from Lowes or HD, cut them into troughs. I taped them together then lined them up upside down and hit the back of each seam with with a little hot glue. Covered them in felt.
There is a limit to the size of bit it will hold - either too long or too fat. I have other sets and the odd large bits, masonry, and spade bits elsewhere. I must have 40 or more of some sizes in there. The top is felt lined and holds all the odd drills/attachments.
Dave
KC

That is genius I might be stealing that.

 

[MarkLB]

I came accross a very interesting website with more info on this product: www.directindustry.com/industrial-manufacturer/drill-bit-67307.html

 

[purplezr2]

I came accross a very interesting website with more info on this product: www.directindustry.com/industrial-manufacturer/drill-bit-67307.html

Hmm, new member, recent sign up date and links to a none common supplier,

Seems fishy....

 

[4x4gearhead]

I use a 1/2" set of IRWIN cobalt 118 deg bits with the 3 flats. I have been happy with them, they only get used on metal and Ive had them for over 5 years. A drill doctor makes all the difference too IMHO.

 

[Dust Devil]

Re: Tell me more about speed

Maybe a stupid question, but what are the proper speeds for steel, aluminum, and wood.
When using a variable speed handheld how do you judge the proper speed?

Thanks

You know you have achieved the proper speed and pressure when you are CUTTING. Long unbroken strands of metal are how you know you are perfect.

Wood does not matter but when drilling metal speed pressure and use of cutting fluid are critical unless you want to quickly ruin your bits.

Start slow and gently up speed until you are cutting perfect shavings.

Cobalt for drilling in steel. Period. (not cobalt coated)

HSS is for wood and Aluminium.

Coated bits are a waste of money, just get some high quality HSS or Co.

Another CO that makes awesome drill bits is Chicago Latrobe.